Partners - Albania Center for Change and Conflict Management QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
EDITION NO. 49
TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY
In this number:
Promotion and Development of Corporate Social Responsibility in Albania page 1-2 Role of Philanthropy in Support of Green Ideas page 2 New Projects Role of Civil Society and Local government to Increase Social Cohesion in Albania and Montenegro Enhance the Transparency and Accountability of E-public Procurement page 3
SEPTEMBER 2012
Promotion and Development of Corporate Social Responsibility in Albania
On June 5, 2012, Partners Albania organized the regional conference “Development of Corporate Social Responsibility - Challenges and Practices in the Region.” The conference brought together nearly 120 representatives from the business sector, government institutions, donor agencies, the non-forprofit sector, and media from Albania, Montenegro, and Macedonia. The conference addressed important issues regarding the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), highlighting challenges, perspectives, and best practices in these three countries; the catalytic role of the state; and the role of media as an indispensable tool for public education and the promotion of CSR practices.
Other Projects Increased Representation of Women From Rural Ares in the Political and Social Life Increase Citizen Participation in Policy Making and Implementation Cities Without Corruption-Cities with a Future page 4-5 Civil Trust Building – Find Your Way Through The Enlargement Labyrinth Gender Equality Policy for Tax Administration in Albania page 6 Participation in International Events Euclid Annual Conference 2012-Denmark Regional Civil Society Conference For Europe of the Western Balkans and Turkey-Croatia PDC-Next Generation Summit-Washington DC page 7
Announcement Partners Albania announces the call for nominations for the Philanthropy Award 2012 ! The successful experience started in 2011 has already become a tradition, to express the appreciation and gratitude to all entities and individuals that support social causes in their communities and throughout the country. The three categories for nominations for the Philanthropy Award are: o Award for entities Contributing at the
National Level o Award for entities Contributing at the Local Level o Award for the Individual Contribution
Visit Partners Albania website for information on nomination procedures and deadlines: www.partnersalbania.org We are happy to present Partners Albania Annual Report 2011! The year 2011 marked the 10th anniversary of Partners Albania, a dynamic, challenging, exciting and rewarding decade for all of us in our collective effort to build a vibrant and professional organization.
In his speech, Mr. Eno Bozdo, Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy, emphasized the importance of including CSR philosophy in the policies of private sector development, according to EU standards. Mr. Bozdo expressed his appreciation for the event and Partners Albania for prompting the initiative, inviting the Center to be a future partner in the Ministry’s commitment to foster an environment that provides incentives for the development of CSR in Albania. Representatives from the region gave presentations, followed by discussions, in three different thematic panels. The first panel addressed important issues regarding local challenges and practices in the development of CSR. This panel emphasized some of the most successful business practices that contribute positively to local development in Albania, Montenegro, and Macedonia.
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Save the date for Partners Albania International Conference “Social Enterprises, Response to Economic Crisis? The event will take place on October 29th, 2012 at Tirana International Hotel from 09.00 - 16.00 hrs. For further information or to confirm your participation please contact Partners Albania office at 04 2254881 or email partners@partnersalbania.org
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The second panel focused on the potential role that government can play in the development of CSR, though not typical of Western countries, but with a special role in the Balkans due to the business development conditions and low consumers awareness. The panel discussed some of the ways and the role government can take in creating an enabling and encouraging environment in this regard.
The final panel addressed the role of media in public education and the promotion of CSR. Discussions prompted by this panel encouraged the idea of a Balkan initiative to bring together, in closer collaboration, media and journalists from the region who are interested in CSR work, to maximize their efforts and effectiveness.
This event was organized in the framework of the project “Promotion and Development of Social Responsibility” which aims to promote social responsibility through raising awareness in the public and business sectors, creating a clear understanding of social responsibility and related concepts, to all stakeholders. Through this project, Partners Albania aims to enable an exchange and learning opportunity among countries in the region, with regards to the challenges faced and successes achieved in the development of social responsibility. The project is being implemented with the financial support of the East East Beyond Borders Program.
The Role of Philanthropy in Support of Green Ideas Partners Albania, as a local partner of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund is working to promote the Green Philanthropy, a new pilot initiative that RBF has undertaken in collaboration with its local partners in Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, to stimulate the role of philanthropy in support of green ideas. Today, one of the biggest challenges to economic stability is finding new ways to organize and involve local communities to ensure sustainable development by reducing negative impacts on the environment, therefore encouraging a more equitable distribution of benefits. When connections to the land and to its resources are lost, the sense of community solidarity and camaraderie also suffers. The emergence of multinational companies in the marketplace has threatened many businesses, including small farmers and traditional manufacturers, increasing unemployment rates and generating dependency, producing undesirable social, economic, and cultural changes. Philanthropic activity may play a role to motivate, identify and mobilize resources to address strategic issues dealing with the loss of tradition in manufacturing and developing local markets, by stimulating green ideas. In June 2012 Partners Albania announced the Call for Green Ideas, open to individuals, civil society organizations and small business ventures, to present ideas that were friendly to the environment, based on the use of local human and material resources. From a large number of ideas received, three were selected along with 12 other ideas from Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, and were presented at the 3rd Annual Forum for the Development of Philanthropy in the Western Balkans, organized by Rockefeller Brothers Fund on 17-20 July 2012,in Montenegro. Ideas presented by all competing countries were reviewed by a jury of five members from the field of philanthropy, economy, justice and environment. One of the three winners of the regional competition was the Albanian initiative “Albanian Recycling community” of the
association Social Stimulating Alternative Program (PASS), presented by Iris Sojli, project coordinator. The two other winners were Agro-Turism in my village Lubnica, from Montenegro, and Green Classroom Project from Serbia. Albania Recycling Community is a project that focuses on the green and smart gathering and distribution of recycling materials. Currently, recycled materials from plastic, paper, glass and aluminum are found together in the waste disposal bins, as it is not provided for consumers to separate the materials. Collection and separation of materials is mainly done by Roma community, especially children, who, after selecting the recyclable materials from the containers, transport them to the collection sites through inappropriate modified bicycles, leaving other non recyclable waste outside the containers. To prevent the risk of the spread of diseases and pollution from the waste left outside the containers as well as by improper transportation of recycled materials, PASS organization contacted and reached an agreement with 200 businesses, for the separation of recyclable materials in their business sites, transporting the materials from businesses to collection and processing sites with professional cyclic means. The aim of the project is not only the reduction of pollution and the risk of diseases, but also the reduction of child labor. Employees under this initiative will be members of the Roma community, selected on the level of household income, as well as the commitment of parents that their children attend school consistently. The project is financially supported by Partners Albania through the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
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Attendees at the conference stressed the need for cooperation among all stakeholders to encourage the business sector, as a whole, to develop and strengthen their commitment toward social responsibility.
New Projects Role of Civil Society and Local Self-Government to Increase Social Cohesion in Albania and Montenegro Partners Albania and Centre for Development of Non-Governmental Organizations (CRNVO) in Montenegro started in April 2012 implementation of the joint project “Civil Society and Local Self-Governments in Enhancing Social Cohesion in Albania and Montenegro”, which aims to increase integration, development and cooperation among civil society in the cross-border area between Albania and Montenegro.
TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY
The training purpose was to empower participants and social groups they represent, on how to use participation mechanisms in order to create public pressure and to facilitate change at the local policy level. The program focused around civic participation practices, share of similar experiences and best practice approach to community participation in local governance in both countries, and preparation of an action plan for community mobilization in The project focuses on increasing capacities of CSOs and community the participating municipalities. groups in the targeted area, and development of good models The third training, “Citizen participation at the local of cooperation between CSOs, community groups and local self level “ was organized in government. Danilovgrad, Montenegro. The targeted municipalities are Berane, Bar, Danilovgrad The program focused and Plav in Montenegro and Kopliku, Bushati, Vau i Dejes on the structure of local and Dajci in Albania. government in both countries, the principles In June 2012, ten participants from the four municipalities of good governance, the from Albania joined their colleagues from the four importance of partnerships municipalities in Montenegro, in the training program on across sectors to develop “Public Advocacy” organized in Berane, Montenegro. the capacity of local During the program, government, some of the participants were mechanisms of citizen introduced and participation in decisionfamiliarized with During a presentation, the training making processes at local the concept, significance in Community Mobilization in Koplik level, forms of cooperation and features of public between public advocacy, as well as administration and the way in which public local authorities with advocacy contributes to NGOs, etc. Regardless change of policies. The the language barriers, program also highlighted the high interest from the importance of participants side and networking and coalitions Small working group during the Advocacy the experience and training in Berane as instruments towards commitment of the a successful public advocacy. Divided in working groups, trainers and interpreters participants brainstormed on priority needs and concerns of made it possible for their community and developed a draft advocacy strategy on a dynamic and useful the issues identified. exchange of ideas and During the training “Citizen Participation at Local experiences. The second training program was organized in Koplik, Albania in level”, Danilovgrad In the upcoming period, July 2012. The training on “Community Mobilization” gathered many other joint capacity building and experience sharing 30 participants from both sides of the border. activities will be organized in both sides of the border. This project is funded by the European Union under the IPA Cross-Border Program Albania-Montenegro, 2007-2013
Enhance the Transparency and Accountability of E-public Procurement Partners Albania is implementing an initiative to monitor the implementation of the Public Procurement Law and e-procurement procedures for public tenders in municipalities of Tiranë, Elbasan and Lezhë. The initiative aims good governance, prevention and reduction of corruption at local government level, and increase of efficiency of public procurement through increase of transparency and accountability. Partners Albania will conduct an assessment of economic operator’s satisfaction level with e-procurement procedures for public tenders, the problems encountered during the applications in these tenders, and challenges faced by local governments in conducting e-procurement procedures. Shortly, PA will share with all stakeholders the monitoring results and recommendations for improvement. This is a pilot initiative, supported by the British Embassy in Tirana.
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Increasing Representation of Women from Rural Areas in the Political and Social Life
So far, PA has provided training on “Women’s rights and gender mainstreaming in local government” in Kukës, Shkodra, Lezha, Durrës, Vlora and Fier regions. Focused to increase the role of women in social and political decisionmaking and active life at local level, the training programs target the elected leadership and heads of administration of communes in the 12 qarks of the country, so that the information, experiences, challenges and good practices be shared as broadly as possible, right where generates the problem of exclusion of women from social and especially political life. Over 100 employees of the administration (male and female) of the 35 communes from the mentioned qarks, have participated in the series of trainings organized during Spring-Summer 2012. It is noted that participation by gender was 60% female and 40% male, a numerical fact which shows that the local government in communes and their leadership structures have already started to break the taboo that these trainings target women and girls only. It is positive the active participation of several commune leaders in these trainings, which shows the high interest of these LG units in increasing the participation and representation of women. However it should be noted that there are still obstacles in the mentality of the leaders and other participants about the political empowerment of women, this mentality is reflected in the participation of only women or only men in 2 out of 6 trainings.
From the information obtained during the training, about 70% of the commune administration consists of men and very few women (about 5%) are in leading positions in the respective departments. Application of the 30% quota is seen by all participants as a positive step, but which requires increased awareness and fight against the obstructive and judgmental mentality
about women active in politics. In the upcoming trainings these figures may vary depending on the geographical position of the qarks, the number of participating municipalities and the overall number of participants to be trained, however the trend is positive. Meanwhile, in the regions where the training programs for the commune administration were delivered, have been identified the women and girls who will serve as focal points for the future work in the field , share of experience and organization of women’ groups in each commune, thus to initiate a new work experience in empowering women in rural areas. This project is funded by the European Union in framework of the Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).
Increase Citizen Participation in Policymaking and Implementation In January 2012, Partners Albania started to implement an initiative in eight regions of Albania, aiming to increase local civil society organizations and active community members’ participation in decision making processes at local level. The focused regions are Tirana, Shkodra, Puka, Fieri, Vlora, Kukësi, Durrësi, Lezha, Elbasani, Korça and Berati. PA administered a national Survey on “Citizen Participation in Decision-making Process at Local Level” which targeted 100 NGOs, aiming to identify obstacles to meaningful participation of civil society and citizen in national and local development, and identify priorities for reforms of the legal and regulatory framework.
Focus group meetings in Vlora and Fier
In addition to the survey, PA conducted a comprehensive assessment of laws, regulations and policies that affect civic engagement in Albania, and organized six focus group discussions with the participation of more than 80 representatives of active CSOs from Tirana, Durres, Vlora, Kukesi, Shkodra and Puka. Issues and concerns raised were very similar in each of the cities, although CSOs from Tirana show a higher level of information on local government issues and participatory processes.
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Partners Albania in partnership with the Albanian Association of Communes is implementing the project “Increasing the representation of women from rural areas in social and political life”, which aims to increase the participation of women in decision-making structures, and strengthening the capacity of elected women in local government administration at commune level.
The Survey has helped collect a very useful and considerable amount of information which provides for a comprehensive analyses of the situation with regard to citizen participation in national and local developments. The survey results and key recommendations will be shortly published in a Report which will be shared with all stakeholders. Some of the preliminary findings of the Survey include:
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82% of interviewees state that the informative procedures have noticeably improved since the establishment of the Information Offices in their municipalities, though the qualification and the communication etiquette of the municipality staff should improve. 27% of the interviewed CSO-s have never asked for official information from the local government, partially because they were unconfident in succeeding to get a response. 61% of targeted CSOs state that the online information available on their Municipalities websites is either incomplete or irrelevant, and/or outdated. 87 % of interviewed CSO have very good or good knowledge on the Law on Right of Information, but they suggest that local government should respect this law properly by giving the information required in time and in good quality. Out of 100 interviewed CSOs, only 45% have participated in Municipality Council meetings and most of them only when required as part of their projects implementation. This shows that among CSOs that there is still a big need for raising awareness and knowledge on the need and frequency of participatory actions in local governing.
This initiative is financially supported by Olof Palme International Center.
Cities without Corruption – Cities with a Future Since April 2012, Partners Albania is implementing the initiative “Cities without Corruption – Cities with a Future”, which aims to strengthen the institutional integrity, efficiency and transparency, and consequently improve the delivery of public services, thus providing a sustainable local development, using an inovatory anticorruption approach. Municipalities participating in this initiative are Kuçova, Lezha and Rubiku, which were selected through an open application process that assessed readiness, previous experience of cooperation with the NGO sector and the expectations raised by the applicant municipalities. After the signing of cooperation agreements with the respective mayors, during the period June - July Partners Albania facilitated the first problem diagnostic workshops, with the participation of over 60 employees of these municipalities, leaders of key departments and relevant specialists. A very positive fact is the personal and institutional commitment of the respective mayors and their active participation in workshops. During these activities, were established the Guiding Coalitions that are working on the development of the Anti-Corruption Strategy in each municipality. Partners Albania team, trained and certified as Anticorruption practitioners, worked closely with the coalition to draft the mission and vision of a corruptionfree institution.
The workshop with Guiding Coalition in Kucova municipality
As a result of the first diagnosis, through a questionnaire completed by 180 municipal officials from Kuçova, Lezha and Rubiku municipality, were identified a number of activities and departments that are considered by the employees as potentially vulnerable to corruptive practices. In Kucova municipality was held in July, the second workshop which aimed at conducting a deeper analysis of the causes and consequences, enabling the drafting of the strategy for curing and preventing corruption in the departments vulnerable to this phenomenon. Local government officials in each of the cities, clearly stated that it is a challenge to participate in such a project, because of the courage required to discuss about the presence of corruption in the respective institutions. Leaders of the three municipalities see this initiative as a positive step towards increased transparency and being closer to citizens, to make clear to them the willingness to fight the phenomenon that harms not only the institution but also the interests of the citizen. Signing the Cooperation Agreement with the Mayor of Rubik
This initiative is made possible through the financial support of the World Bank through FPDL-Partners Romania and the British Embassy in Albania.
The workshop with the Guiding Coalition in Lezha municipality
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CIVIL TRUST BUILDING – FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH THE ENLARGEMENT LABYRINTH
Since January 2012, Partners Albania is participating in the regional project “Building Civil Trust – Find your way through the enlargement labyrinth”, being the contact point for Albania. The aim of the project is to provide factual, up-to-date information to the larger public of the EU countries on the enlargement process and candidate and potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans; to “bridge-building” between the citizens of EU member States and the candidate and potential countries in the Western Balkans; raise public awareness and understanding about the importance of the Europe venture and impact of enlargement process; foster European identity in the region. In its role as a country partner, Partners Albania has been active in distributing information and news on the project to its website and networks, has contributed to the selection of the intern from Albania as part of the Internship program the project organized with 7 CSO representatives from Western Balkans region, and has participated in several project events such as the kick-off event in Budapest and mid-term evaluation in Vienna.
The project is supported by PRINCE program of the European Commission DG Enlargement and is implemented by The European House, Hungary, in partnership with six organization in EU countries, and seven contact points from the Western Balkan countries. For more information please visit the website of the project: http://civiltrustbuilding.eu/
TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Gender Equality in the Albanian General Tax Administration Partners Albania in cooperation with InDevelop-IPM AB, a Swedish consultancy company, implemented the gender component of the project “Swedish support to the Tax Administration in Albania, General Tax Department (GTD) in Tirana and Durrës”, 20102012, funded by SIDA.
Gender Policy presentation to all stakeholders, event organized on 7 June 2012
The gender component of the project assisted the Albanian Tax Administration to promote gender equality in all level of the institution, being the first organism in Albania to develop a gender equality policy and implementation plan.
Partners Albania, in the role of the local consultant, conducted the pre-study “Albanian tax system and its effects on gender equality”, delivered several training sessions on gender concepts and national legislation and international regulations on gender equality, and assisted the Tax Administration to develop the Gender Equality Policy and Implementation Plan.
Ceremony of Certification of the Development Group at the Tax Administration
Citizen’s Fair - (ACT) Now! initiative
Partners Albania, an organization working actively to support civic engagement and citizen activism, participated in the “Citizen’s Fair”, a U.S Embassy supported event organized on June 21, 2012, under the Albanian Citizens Come Together (ACT) Now! initiative, that encourages Albanian citizens to get involved and act on issues facing their communities. Together with other active Albanian organizations, Partners Albania team met and interacted with a large number of citizens who showed interest on the work the organization is doing and ways how to become involved and bring changes in their communitites.
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On 8-15 September 2012, Partners Albania participated in the Bus Tour that focused to bring the idea of enlargement and citizens of the candidate and potential candidate countries to the everyday citizen of the EU member state, through the Enlargement Labyrinth.
PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL EVENTS “Bridging the Gap - New Survival Strategies” - Euclid Network Annual Conference 2012 The Annual conference of Euclid network this year, 24th - 25th September 2012, is an interactive event spanning two cities Copenhagen and Malmo. In partnership with Social+ of Copenhagen and the Forum for Social Innovation Sweden, members of Euclid Network and other invitees gathered together in exploring the life-cycle of social innovation – from the ideas to the delivery and impact.
Regional Civil Society Conference For Europe of the Western Balkans and Turkey, 26th-28th September, Zadar, Croatia Partners Albania will participate in the Regional Civil Society Conference For Europe of the Western Balkans and Turkey, to be organized on 26th-28th September, in Zadar, Croatia. This event will bring together civil society representatives, government representatives and EU officials to examine broad trends in the reform process necessary for a participatory democracy and a sustainable civil society. There will be three main themes for debate: - Benchmarking progress across the region; - Sustainability of civil society in the medium-term; and - The outlook for EU policies towards the region. It is expected that the event will attract around 150 participants from the Western Balkans, Turkey and neighborhood countries in Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Southern Mediterranean. The conference is organized by ECAS and the Impact Centre. More information can be found at: content/view/462/404/
http://www.ecas-citizens.eu/
Next Generation Summit 2012
From 12-17 October 2012, Partners for Democratic Change (PDC) will host a global conference of the Partners for Democratic Change International network in Washington D.C. - the 2012 PDCI Next Generation Summit. The Summit will bring together not only the senior leadership of the network, but also the up-and-coming next generation of conflict resolution professionals working in the Center countries. A series of events ranging from open space discussions, skills building sessions, a large public event on the role of private sector CSR support for democracy and governance activities, an exposition where the Centers will advertise and market their work to each other and to the external audience, and many more will be happening during this one week Summit. The Summit will provide an excellent networking and exchange of information opportunity for PDCI Centers and other key organizations, private sector managers and donors.
Join the Google Group of NGOs Across Europe Partners Albania invites you to join the Google Group created to discuss civil society developments in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The aim of this group is to create an enabling environment for social enterprises, social innovation and social investments in the region and sharing good practices across Europe. The group is facilited by Euclid Network http://www.euclidnetwork.eu/, a network of Third Setor Leaders where Partners Albania is a member. The group will enable the sharing of information, experiences and ideas on these topics amongst interested organizations and institutions in the region. To directly subscribe to the group, please clik the link: http://euclidnetwork.eu/programme-areas/geographical-areas-in-which-wework/western-balkans-and-turkey.html
For any inquiry please contact Ivelina Fedulova, Project Officer at ivelina.fedulova@euclidnetwork.eu
Partners Albania is an Albanian NPO committed to advancing civil society and a culture of change and conflict management in Albania. Partners Albania is a member of the Partners for Democratic Change International, a network of Centers in 20 countries, which provide conflict resolution training and services to the civic, NPO, municipal and national government, and business sectors in their countries and worldwide. PDCI website address is: http://www.pdci-network.org/
PARTNERS ALBANIA, CENTER FOR CHANGE AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT Address: Muhamet Gjollesha str, 7 floor building in front of Diplomat Hotel, nr.16/1, entrance 1, ap.9, PO BOX 2418/1, Tirana Tel: +355 4 2254881 Fax: 2254883 Email: partners@partnersalbania.org Http: //www.partnersalbania.org Follow us on and
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The event aims at exploring how individual organizations and people have endorsed new visions, developing new strategies and tools for survival and success, and how the European Union can foster and support such pioneers through the new socio-economic policies, namely social business and social innovation. Please find more on the event on: http://www.euclidnetwork.eu/