ISSUE No. 18, Monthly E-briefing - May 2008 A Joint Effort of the Donor Technical Secretariat and the Department of Strategy and Donor Coordination www.keshilliministrave.al www.aidharmonisation.org.al Photo: Government-Donor meeting: Priorities for reconstruction, Post-Gërdec, held on 27 May 2008 (Photo: OSCE Presence/Fabiola Haxhillari) Government and Donors In this issue • Government and Donor response to Gërdec tragedy response to Gërdec tragedy • Switzerland supports the A series of Government-Donor meetings focused on the steps undertaken by the implementation of IPS were held in May to discuss the priorities Government and the priorities in the key from line ministries and to receive financial sectors in addressing the situation. On 19, • 2008 Corruption Survey commitments from donors. On 14 May 20 and 21 May 2008 respectively, Sector • Albania to carry 2008, the Inter-Institutional Group for Working Group meetings in Education out LSMS 2008 Donor Coordination in Emergency and Health, Infrastructure and Energy, • Annual Conference cases, called a Development Counsellors and Agriculture and Environment were on Human Trafficking meeting. Those who participated included: held to discuss in detail projects for the the Deputy Ministers of Interior, Public Post-Gerdec reconstruction. On 27 May • National strategy to Works, Transport and Telecommunication, 2008, a high-level meeting was held combat human trafficking Education and Science; Defence, where the Government introduced some • Diber programme Agriculture, Food and Consumer new information about the situation. information day Protection, and Environment, Forests and On behalf of donors, the Head of the • Official launch Water Administration, the Mayor of Vora, European Commission Delegation (ECD) of EURALIUS II representatives from the private sector and Ambassador H. Lohan underlined that: no Development Counsellors. The meeting reconstruction assistance could be given 2 Albanian Assembly and Government and Donors response to Gërdec tragedy OSCE Presence host conference on MPs role in Integration process On 9 May 2008, the role of the Assembly in the European Integration process was discussed at a conference in Tirana, organized by the Albanian Assembly, the OSCE Presence and the European Movement Albania. The topics discussed included: local ownership of the process, how to establish a dialogue with interest groups on European integration challenges and EU policies that promote democratization and the rule of law. Speakers included: Assembly Speaker Josefina Topalli, Prime Minister Sali Photo: Development Counsellors meeting called by the Inter-Institutional Group for Donor Coordination in Emergency Berisha, Minister of Foreign Affairs cases on 14 May 2008 (Photo: DSDC/CoM) Lulzim Basha, Socialist Party Chair Edi Rama and Ilir Meta, Chair of the within the 800m perimeter, unless the area and that the Government’s efforts result into Assembly Committee on European has been certified according to international a comprehensive, integrated reconstruction Integration, as well as the Head of standards; that no families or citizens strategy, including an ordered list of Presence, Ambassador Robert Bosch should return to this area before it has been priorities. The Government has now begun and the Head of the ECD, Ambassador certified according to international standards to establish an integrated strategy. Helmuth Lohan. Integrated Co-Chairs to United On 9 May 2008, in the framework of Nations General Assembly the European Day, the initiative ‘Good Planning consultations on System-wide Morning Europe’ was held in Tirana, promoted by the Italian NGO Ceses System (IPS): coherence visit Albania to and funded by the EU, with further review Delivering as One UN contribution of the Italian Development UN Ambassadors from Ireland Cooperation. The event included Switzerland Supports and Tanzania, currently serving the final awarding of a competition the Implementation as Co-Chairs to United Nations launched among Albanian students, of IPS with CHF 750,000 General Assembly consultations for the draft of texts and audio-visual on System-wide coherence, visited elaborates on specific EU related On 23 May 2008, the Swiss Albania from 30 April to 1 May issues. The event saw the attendance of Cooperation Office (SCO) in Albania 2008 to assess the work on UN President Bamir Topi, the Head of the Country Director, Daniel Züst, reform and Delivering as One UN. European Commission Delegation in and World Bank (WB) Office in They met with Prime Minister, Sali Albania, Ambassador Helmuth Lohan Tirana Country Director, Camille Berisha, Ministers, international and the Italian Ambassador Saba d’Elia. Numah, signed the Administration Agreement between Switzerland partners, civil society representatives and the WB on the “Multi Donor and the in-country UN team to Trust Fund for Capacity Building get their views on Delivering as and Support to Implement the IPS in One UN. Prior to visiting Albania, Albania”. Procedures will start soon the Ambassadors visited Vietnam, for amending the Grant Agreement to Tanzania, Mozambique and Cape include the Swiss contribution of CHF Verde, who are also piloting UN 750,000 as well as the contribution reform. The Co-chairs will report to from the Italian Government. the UN General Assembly in June on whether Delivering as One UN is Photo: Assembly Speaker J.Topalli, Head of OSCE Presence Ambassador R. Bosch, address providing greater effectiveness of UN a conference on the role of MPs in European development assistance in line with integration, Tirana, 9 May 2008 (Photo: OSCE Presence /Fabiola Haxhillari) the national priorities. 3 USAID Administrator Highlights has an even greater opportunity not only Opportunities for Reform to get serious about justice reform, but UNDP support serious about regaining public trust in On May 19 2008, as part of a week-long the courts.” She also participated in the for the National regional tour, the USAID Administrator inauguration of the National Agency for Agency for and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance, Information Society (NAIS). Created in Henrietta H. Fore, made a two-day visit April 2007, NAIS will now serve as the Information in Tirana. In her remarks at a signing coordinating body for such e-government ceremony between USAID and the services as e-registration of businesses, Society Tirana Court of Appeals, she stressed the e-procurement and tax e-filing, all of need for Albania to address important which benefit businesses and the public On 23 May 2008, in the justice reforms. “Now with the prospects at large. Attending the event was Prime framework of the One UN of full NATO membership closer, Albania Minister Berisha. Programme, UNDP signed Photo 1: Administrator Henrietta H. Fore signs the Memorandum of Understanding with the Tirana Court of Appeals. The signing was witnessed by the Minister of Justice, Enkeljed Alibeaj, Deputy Chairman of the High Council of Justice, Kreshnik Spahiu, a project that will provide Chief Justice Thimjo Kondi, U.S. Ambassador John L.Withers II and 17 judges from the Appellate Court (Photo/USAID Albania). expertise and capacity building to the newly established National Agency for Information Society in close co-operation with the world-renowned Estonian e-Governance Academy. The NAIS will set standards and procedures for ICT in the Government, as well as co-ordinate the work of all donors in the area of ICTs. The project is funded by Norway, Spain and Switzerland through the One UN Coherence Fund. Photo 2: USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore, U.S. Ambassador John L.Withers II, and Prime Minister Berisha, unveiled a dedication plaque at the ceremony to transfer e-government services to the Government (Photo/ USAID Albania). 4 Photo: Ms. Ines Nurja INSTAT General Director and Ms. Gulden Turkoz-Cosslett, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative (Photo: UNDP Albania) Albania to carry out living standard measurement survey 2008 On 23 May 2008, in the framework of the One UN Programme, UNDP and the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) launched a project that will allow INSTAT to carry out the Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS) for Albania. Data collected through Sector Related Activities the survey serves as a basis for ANTI-CORRUPTION corruption is high, with 92 percent of policy and decision-making, Albanians saying that it is “widespread” and allows for the monitoring USAID Releases Findings or somewhat widespread” among public of social and economic of 2008 Corruption Survey officials, a deterioration of eight points government programmes laid since 2006. Reported bribery remains out in the National Strategy for On May 7 2008, USAID released the at high levels, especially in the health Development and Integration findings of its 2008 Survey Corruption sector. At the launch of the findings, (NSDI). One of the main in Albania: Perceptions and Experience. the U.S. Ambassador John L. Withers outcomes of the survey is This was the third annual public II, called for tougher government the measurement of poverty. opinion survey funded by USAID sanctions for lawbreakers and the The World Bank is providing that tracks both the perceptions of lifting of immunity from prosecution of technical expertise and quality ordinary citizens, judges, and public government officials as vital in fighting control throughout the project. officials as well as their experience corruption. He also stressed the The project is funded by Norway, with corruption. This year’s survey