Report Community-Based Scorecard 2015-2016

REPORT

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD

2015-2016

REPORT

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARDS

2015 - 2016

DISCLAIMER

This report was prepared with:

Financial and technical support of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment under the ‘Leadership and Political Participation’ Program, funded by the Government of Sweden through the United Nations Coherence Fund and is part of the Government of Albania - UN Programme of Cooperation 2012-2016. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the UN Women, United Nations agencies or the Government of Sweden.

And with:

Financial and technical support of the United Stated Agency for International Development (USAID). The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID or United States Government.

AUTHORS

This report was designed and prepared by UN Women Albania and USAID Planning and Local Governance Project in cooperation with Gender Alliance for Development Center (the CBS implementing organization) with the assistance and support of:

Fiorela SHALSI, Leadership and Political Participation’ Program Manager, UN Women

Laureta MEMO, Civic Engagement and Communication Expert, USAID/ Planning and Local Governance Project

CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ...... 6

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 7

2. BACKGROUND ...... 8

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 10

4. METHODOLOGY ...... 11

5. PROJECT DESCRIPTION...... 13

6. KEY FINDINGS AND RECCOMENDATIONS ...... 17

7. BEST PRACTISES ...... 19

8. INDIVIDUAL CBS RESULTS ...... 20

8.1 BERAT ...... 20

8.2 ELBASAN ...... 36

8.3 FIER ...... 50

8.4 GJIROKASTRA ...... 63

8.5 KAMZA ...... 81

8.6 KORÇA ...... 93

8.7 KUÇOVA ...... 106

8.8 LUSHNJA ...... 125

8.9 SHKODRA ...... 137

8.10 VLORA ...... 156

9. ANNEXES ...... 171

9.1 ANNEX I - SCORECARD TEMPLATE FOR THE CITY ...... 172

9.2 ANXEX II - SCORECARD TEMPLATE FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS ...... 177

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We appreciate the help of all contributors in the realization of this report on community-based scorecards. We thank the citizens of the municipalities of Berat, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokastra, Kamza, Korça, Kuçova, Lushnje, Shkodra and Vlora for their active participation in the project activities providing valuable feedback on the good governance of their municipality.

We particularly acknowledge the help and contribution of Mayors of the above mentioned municipalities, and their staff, who made specific pledges to their citizens following the feedback on improvement of their performance.

Also, we acknowledge the valuable input of the Citizen Advisory Panels (CAPs) and local civil society organizations participant in the Community Based Scorecard process.

We extend our appreciation to the Gender Alliance for Development Center as the lead organization of the CBS implementing network comprised by: the Association for the Integration of Informal Areas (SHIZI), Integrated Sustainable, Development Center (ISDC), Vlora Youth Center (VYC), Change, Tjeter Vizion, Gruaja Intelektuale Shkodrane and Human Dimension.

ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS

CAP Citizen Advisory Panel

CSO Civic Society Organizations

CBS Community-based scorecard

GADC Gender Alliance for Development Center

LGU Local Government Unit

TAR Territorial-Administrative Reform

UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

USAID United States Agency for International Development

1. INTRODUCTION

While progress is being made to advance the decentralization process in Albania, the challenges to successfully implement decentralized and democratic local governance are immense. The territorial-administrative reform (TAR) initiated in June 2015 had a significant impact on the functioning and administration of local government units (LGUs). The reduction in number of LGUs from 373 to 61 led to huge increases in both territory size and population and greatly affected the complexity of local governance. The reform had a great impact not only on the additional responsibilities and functions of the LGUs, but also on their ability to provide quality and efficient services to the citizens in the expanded municipality. In addition, the municipalities are coping with greater challenges than before to truly inform, involve and represent women and men in their decision-making.

To this end, the USAID Planning and Local Governance Project (PLGP) and UN Women, in collaboration with civil society organizations and Citizen Advisory Panels (CAPs), have undertaken a Community-Based Scorecard (CBS) initiative in 10 of Albania’s largest municipalities since 2015. Prior to the Territorial-Administrative Reform and 2015 local elections, CBS was implemented in the municipalities of Elbasan, Berat, Kamza, and Vlora. The concerns and recommendations of the men and women from these municipalities were presented to, and incorporated into, the agendas and programs of the mayoral candidates of these cities. In 2016, CBS was implemented in six other municipalities, including Fier, Gjirokastra, Korça, Kuçova, Lushnja, and Shkodra. Community-Based Scorecards look at important aspects of local governance, such as (1) Quality and efficiency of public services; (2) Local democracy and good governance; (3) Local economic development; and, (4) Human rights at local level.

By soliciting men’s and women’s opinions in identifying and determining local priorities, CBSs seeks to establish and promote civic mechanisms to improve local democracy. The CBS process facilitates monitoring and evaluation of local administration’s performance, in addition to creating bridges for dialogue, interaction, and cooperation at local level.

Community-Based Scorecards are an opportunity for municipalities to gain an understanding of citizens’ needs and priorities. Incorporation of CBS results in local programs and their efforts to influence development of local policies is a positive indicator of the democracy in action. Combining the CBS methodology with key local stakeholders, such Citizen Advisory Panels (CAPs) and civil society organizations has rendered the successful implementation of this process possible. 2. BACKGROUND

Community Based Scorecards were introduced and developed for the first time in 2010 by UN Women in collaboration with UNDP to: (1) promote dialogue on gender equality issues at the 7

local level (2) to raise community awareness of gender issues and mobilize citizens to demand that decision makers fulfill international and national legal obligations in the field of gender equality (3) to encourage local decision-makers in general, and political parties and their candidates, in particular, to address gender equality priorities, as identified through the CBS process, in their electoral programs; and (4) to respect the gender quota, pursuant to the Electoral Code.

The initial wave of CBSs (2010 - 2011) involved 14 CSOs in seven regions of Albania: Shkodra, Kukës, Tirana, Elbasan, Korça, Gjirokastra, and Vlora. A total of 67 CBSs were developed across 66 LGUs (municipalities, mini-municipalities and communes). Since then UN Women has continued to support the implementation of CBSs. During this phase economic empowerment of women was identified as one of the main priorities in all regions. This was addressed through the establishment of four social enterprises in partnership with local government and private business. In 2014 UN Women to capture and reflect this work developed a mapping of CBS implementation and impact. Since 2015, UN Women and USAID have developed Community Based Scorecards in 10 Albanian municipalities, the results of which are presented in this report.

It appears that CBSs is no longer “a property” of UN Women. Other donors, in partnership with local organizations, are utilizing them as a “good governance “mechanism. Therefore, CBS’s role and impact has been significant. Here are some of the findings related to that: i. From 2014 to 2016 the CBSs have been used in many municipalities of Albania (1/5 of the territory or 23% of municipalities). ii. Municipalities using CBSs are aware of its benefits. Although they initially used it as a one-time initiative during the 2015 elections, they aim to adopt it as a permanent tool to measure local government’s performance vis-a-vis electoral promises. iii. Despite the fact that CBS process was initially developed and used to empower women’s participation in decision making at local level and promote gender equality, the list of included issues has expanded, which has transformed CBS into a mechanism of overall good governance. iv. Donors share similar views of the value of CBS. Despite insufficient funds allocated to the effective use of CBS, interest on the part of donors has increased. v. The CBS methodology related to good governance is being utilized by other donors and NGOs, which are already engaged into different initiatives at local level and have found interesting it to extend the scope of their projects. Therefore, lobbing for CBS at donors level has affected the “supply side” increasing chances for support.1

1 This excerpt is taken from “Mapping the implementation and impact of Community Based Scorecards Evaluation Report December 2016” prepared by UN Women Albania 8

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The information provided in this report presents the use of Community-Based Scorecard process in the municipalities of Berat, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokastra, Kamza, Korça, Kuçova, Lushnje, Shkodra and Vlora for the time period 2015-2016. It provides both the local community’s and the municipal administration’s assessments of the quality of services delivered at local level and also included citizens’ findings and recommendations. The CBS process gives municipalities a clear picture of citizens’ evaluation of public services, economic development, functioning of local democracy, and human rights at local level.

The Community-Based Scorecard process was carried out by USAID/PLGP and UN Women and implemented in 2015 by the Association for the Integration of Informal Areas (SHIZI) and in 2016 by the Gender Alliance for Development Center (GADC) working in close cooperation with the ten municipalities, their administrative units, local Citizen Advisory Panels (in the locations where they exist), and other community members.

The Community-Based Scorecard Project ran over a time span of two years, 2015-2016, and included 10 municipalities. The goal of the project has been to improve local democracy by empowering civic mechanisms. Its specific objectives seek to encourage interaction and dialogue between citizens and local authorities by incorporating citizens’ priorities and needs in local programs and budgets, by creating conditions for sustainable improvements of service delivery to communities, and by strengthening cooperation between both stakeholder groups.

CBS implementation required close collaboration with the various municipal administrations to ensure their readiness and cooperation in this process. Indeed, this called for preparatory meetings and discussions on the methodology, agreement on the subject areas to be included in the CBS and the geographic zones where the project would be implemented.

An array of documents and strategies were examined in the course of this process, including draft Strategy on Territorial Development, municipalities’ budgets for year 2015/2016, the work plan of the Crosscutting Strategy on Decentralization and Local Governance 2015-2020, Law No. 119/2014 “On Right to Information”, Law No. 135/2015 “On Local Self-Governance”, municipality’s website, etc.

This report includes the following sections: 1) Project methodology; 2) Project Description; 3) Key Findings and Recommendations; 4) Best Practices; 5) Individual CBS reports for Berat, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokastra, Kamza, Korça, Kuçova, Lushnje, Shkodra and Vlora; and 5) Annexes.

4. METHODOLOGY

The Community-Based Scorecard process2 is an analysis and monitoring tool employed by a community to promote social and public accountability and responsibility of local decision- making institutions. CBS is sometimes called a ‘community voice’ because it enables citizens to communicate their assessments of the quality, relevance and efficiency of public services and local decision-making and then propose changes as needed. The CBS mechanism is applied at the all-important local level, where citizens’ lives are directly affected by the decisions of their elected leaders and, above all, by the services that result from those decisions.

The CBS process facilitates dialog between community and local authorities while also juxtaposing reality (the resources available to local authorities) with the needs and wants of the community. The use of this mechanism at the local level impacts the development of participatory democracy and the accomplishment of effective local governance. It should also be pointed out that CBS is not merely an evaluation process; rather, it goes further, building interactions among community members, local authorities, civil society organizations, etc. In this way, it has the potential to creating conditions favorable to sustainable service improvements and community empowerment.

The key CBS principles regarding the service provision evaluation include: • Relevance: does the program or service reflect the needs of the targeted group? Does it meet the standards and criteria stipulated in the law? • Efficiency: Are the (human, financial, local) resources being used effectively and in a timely manner? Is the community involved in the planning of these resources? • Participation: To what extent and how is community participation in planning and implementation of programs/services encouraged? What models do authorities use to encourage participation? • Sustainability: longevity of programs, services. Are the annual funds increasing or are they lacking at all? • Results: What changes has the program/service implementation introduced? What ways do local authorities use to measure impact?

The beneficiaries of the Community-Based Scorecard methodology include the community and local authorities. CBS enables the community to be informed on services provided by local authorities; voice its opinions as to their quality and efficiency; monitor the accomplishment of obligations/commitments; and demand from relevant authorities any needed improvements; and, interact with relevant authorities with the aim of benefiting quality and sustainable services. CBS helps local authorities to better know the needs and priorities of their communities in general and its vulnerable groups in particular; guide the use of available resources in alignment with community needs and priorities; increase their capacities and transparency in governance; and improve the quality and availability of services provided.

2 A Handbook for Civil Society “Community-Based Scorecard” supported by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Tirana, 2012 11

Each Community-Based Scorecard includes the following steps: 1) data collection and situation analyses (finding and examination of documents, materials, and strategies relative to the municipality); 2) community evaluation of municipal performance (gathered via focus groups with local citizens in urban and rural areas); 3) evaluation or self-evaluation from service providers (gathered using semi-structured interviews with local authorities); 4) face-to-face meetings between beneficiaries and providers (that is, the public presentation of findings and recommendations in an open, community forum); and 5) preparation of a report that institutionalizes the process, advocacy, and monitoring.

Below is a chart showing the process flow for the 2016 CBS implementation:

• Assessment of documentation compiled by the municipalities 1 (strategies, guidelines, manuals, reports, etc.)

• Citizens evalaution & scoring through focus groups 2

• Self-evaluation of officials through semi-structured interviews 3

• Public Forums 4

5. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2015 COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD PROCESS

Community-Based Scorecards were carried out in the municipalities of Berat, Elbasan Kamza and Vlora during 2015. Implemented ahead of local elections, the 2015 CBS process involved a total of approximately 500 men and women from these municipalities and the neighboring communes soon to be merged as a result of the territorial-administrative reform. The needs and priorities identified were presented to the various mayoral candidates with the aim of persuading them to incorporate them into their electoral agendas and programs.

The process was run in several phases, which are detailed below:

Phase 1 - Scorecards: the preparatory phase of the project is very important for determining which aspects/ areas of local governance will be covered and which indicators will be used., were: 1) Quality and efficiency of public services; 2) Local democracy and good governance; 3) Local economic development; and 4) Human rights at local level. Three separate scorecards were prepared: one for the city, one for the administrative units, and one to summarize the evaluation service providers.

The second phase included focus groups meetings with citizens to identify community’s priorities (from men and women) in 17 local governance units prior to the Territorial- Administrative Reform (TAR). During this phase, participants in the CBS process (including CAP members) were informed on the CBS as well as on the TAR. 19 focus group discussions held with the local communities helped to identify problems by means of CBS system. Also, the implementing network organized meetings with representatives from to address the priorities and problems identified in the second phase.

During the third phase, 8 public forums were with candidates for mayor and citizens. The candidates for city mayor held joint or separate meetings with the citizens. The candidates introduced their platforms and pledged to implement recommendations given by citizens in the CBS process. These recommendations will be the core of the 4-year term of the newly elected mayors.

The fourth and final phase was implemented after completion of the electoral process and focused on the institutionalization of the CBS process through training sessions with local stakeholders (local administrators and citizens).

2016 COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD PROCESS 13

In 2016 the CBS project was implemented in six new municipalities: Elbasan, Gjirokastra, Kuçova, Fier, Lushnje and Shkodra. In addition the 2015 CBS municipalities – Berat, Elbasan, Kamza and Vlora -- saw a second wave of CBS activities, this time to monitor the results from the prior year. A total of 1,013 men and women participated in the 2016 CBS process, which was carried out in 10 municipalities and 43 administrative units.

During the 2016 monitoring of the 2015 CBSs, the project implementers, using the same methodology as before, assessed the municipalities’ performance in implementing the recommendations presented the prior year. This analysis included a comparison of the recommendations of 2015 with those of 2016. These results will be used for local authorities’ accountability and reporting.

As before, the CBSs were carried out in phases:

Phase 1 - Scorecards: the preparatory phase of the project is very important for determining which aspects/ areas of local governance will be covered and which indicators will be used. In 2016, the four selected areas, covering a total of 20 performance indicators, were: 1) Quality and efficiency of public services; 2) Local democracy and good governance; 3) Local economic development; and 4) Human rights at local level. Three separate scorecards were prepared: one for the city, one for the administrative units, and one to summarize the evaluation service providers.

The 20 indicators used were:

PUBLIC SERVICES LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ Roads GOOD GOVERNANCE Lighting Information and Communication Cleaning Transparency Greenery Participation in decision-making Water supply and Sewerage

LOCAL ECONOMIC HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL DEVELOPMENT LEVEL Strategic planning Women Budget planning Vulnerable groups Business promotion Roma and Egyptians Employment promotion with Protection from discrimination particular focus in women and youth

Phase 2 - Focus groups: Fifty-two focus groups meetings were held in total. Participants included representatives of the community and citizens of the targeted municipalities. About 654 (303 men and 351 women) representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages attended and were asked to evaluate their municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. The focus groups were

well balanced in terms of gender participation (54% women versus 46% men). During the meetings, participants were informed about the goal and objectives of the project, the territorial- administrative reform, recent changes to local governance legislation and mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

The participation of men and women in the focus groups and public forums is as follows:

FOCUS GROUPS PUBLIC FORUMS

Men Men Women 42% 46% Women 54% 58%

Semi-structured interviews: After the meetings with citizens, semi-structured interviews were conducted with government representatives – including mayors, administrators and representatives of the social service and planning departments -- of six municipalities and their administrative units. These service providers used a scoring system to complete valuations of both the services provided to the community and the municipality’s performance, more generally, in serving its citizens. The scale employed in both the citizen and municipality scoring exercises is as follows:

Criteria Score No service or very poor quality service provided 1-Very bad Service is provided, but its quality is poor 2- Bad Service is provided and its quality is relatively acceptable 3- Just OK Service is provided with good quality 4- Good Service is provided with high quality 5- Very good

Data analysis: The analysis of the data obtained from the focus group discussions and the interviews with service providers are a key aspect of the community-based scorecard process. During this phase, the findings from each municipality’s citizens and service providers were consolidated into a single set of ratings for each indicator. A key part to this work was the consultation of municipal documents/strategies and other information that helped to display a clearer view of examined areas and indicators.

Public presentation: The final phase of the CBS focused on municipality-by-municipality presentations of the scorecard results in public forums attended by citizens of the respective municipalities, including many of those who participated in the focus group discussions, as well as, mayors and their staffs, representatives of local civil society organizations, marginalized groups, and heads of villages. During the meetings, attendees heard the scorecard results and consequent recommendations. Many of the mayors indicated that they consider the CBS process an opportunity to hear citizens’ opinions and enhance cooperation and communication going forward. Further, they said that the CBS recommendations would be considered as

municipal officials prepared their upcoming year budgets and also as part of their territorial planning strategies.

View of the focus group meetings in Fier, Elbasan and Gjirokastra

6. KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

KEY FINDINGS AND ISSUES IDENTIFIED

The Territorial Administrative Reform so far has led to difficulties in providing public services, especially in the administrative units. The perception of the citizens living in the city in regarding the provision of public services is more positive than those in administrative units. The key issues identified by citizens in relation to the provision of services pertaining to: roads and their maintenance (especially in rural areas); water and sanitation; cleaning and urban waste; transportation in rural areas and schools and health centers’ maintenance.

Issues were also noted in relation to civic engagement in decision-making. More specifically, the municipalities: lack practices and mechanisms to provide information, transparency and accountability, as defined and required by law. Most of the municipalities lack proper instruments of getting citizen’ input or involving them in local consultative and decision-making processes. On the other side, the situation with citizens is not very positive in regard to: low levels of mobilization and participation, lack of trust on local officials, lack of interest in making local authorities accountable, lack volunteerism, etc.

Regarding the performance of local administrators, the issues identified are mainly related to: poor local administrative and technical capacities, lack of standards for planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, lack of data / statistics (mainly regarding gender, marginalized groups and people of special needs), etc.

Despite the fact that local economic development it is one of the local government’s functions and responsibilities, very little is done about it. What was noticed was: lack of incentives and support programs for starting new businesses, especially for women and youth; lack of cooperation and coordination at the local level to address unemployment issue; lack of vision, strategies and integrated programs that will lead to social cohesion and development.

In general, in the municipalities where the CBS process was conducted progress was notices regarding women's representation in decision-making (good representation in the municipal councils and balanced employment of women in the municipalities). But poor work was done regarding gender violence and women participation in social life (especially in rural areas). Marginalized groups and people with special needs are generally neglected. Local programs and plans are missing for the social inclusion of these groups.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

• Municipalities should upgrade their technical standards regarding the provision of public services. They should develop and implement procedures and standards regarding planning, management and monitoring and evaluation in accordance with the law and standards set.

• Municipal staff should improve their technical, administrative and professional capacities in performing their duties and responsibilities.

• Citizens should have a voice in local government and officials should take their inputs in consideration, especially when they are structured. Also, municipalities should create mechanisms that ensure citizen engagement and participation in the consultation and decision-making processes.

• Local communities need more information regarding the increased role of the expanded municipalities.

• Municipalities should draft local integrated plans and strategies, which will guide social economic development.

7. BEST PRACTICES

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CBS The effectiveness of the CBS process was showcased at the National Conference, “Civic Engagement at the Local Level: Strengthening Citizens’ Voices through Civic Mechanisms,” held in December 2016. The Conference promoted the importance of building local-level civic engagement as a means for supporting good governance and community empowerment. The 18

conference focused on two specific civic engagement tools, both of which support participation, accountability, responsiveness and informed decision-making: Citizen Advisory Panels (CAPs) and Community-Based Scorecards (CBSs). Invitees included Mayors, officials, and citizens from various Albanian municipalities and representatives from Albanian NGOs and the donor community. During the conference, participants heard about the benefits and challenges of using both the Citizen Advisory Panel (CAP) and Community-Based Scorecard (CBS) approaches, and representatives from several CBS municipalities presented case studies on the use of these tools in practice.

BERAT PUBLIC MEETING The 2015 CBS implementation included a public forum in Berat that was held the verge of 2015 local elections. The event was unique because it brought together the two mayoral candidates on the same stage – a rarity in Albania. The candidates’ behavior at the session served as a model of both civilized governance and public debate.

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2015-2016

MUNICIPALITY OF BERAT

1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF BERAT

Geographic Position The new Municipality of Berat is located in south-central Albania and borders with the municipalities of Kuçova and Ura Vajgurore to the north, with the municipalities of Gramsh and Skrapar to the east, with the Municipality of Poliçan to the south, and with the Municipality of Mallakastra to the west.

Population According to the 2011 Census, the new municipality has a population of 60,031 residents, whereas the Civil Registry says the municipality’s population counts for 98,875 residents. Prior to local elections of 2015, the Municipality of Berat had an area size of 379.98 km2, and the new municipality’s area is 939 km2.

Profile of Municipality The city of Berat is the municipality’s center. This municipality is composed of 5 administrative units: Berat, Velabisht, Otllak, Sinja, and Rroshnik. It administers one city and 50 villages. After the territorial-administrative reform, the new municipality is a merge of one city and 4 former communes thus combining a variety of characteristics. Two of these administrative units, Velabisht and Otllak, are fertile lowlands, with most revenues generated from sale of vegetables, olives and vineyards and the other two administrative units, Roshnik and Sinja, have hilly-mountainous land generating revenues from fruit trees and livestock.

Owing to its century-old history as a residential area, the city of Berat entails rare historic and architectonic values and in 2008 the city was included in the list of museum cities protected by UNESCO. The historic center, including three museum quarters –Kala, Mangalem, and Gorica– and the Medieval Center, shelters 490 cultural monuments. The city’s historic value and its natural beauty as it lies along the Osum River at the foot of Mount Tomor have attracted all- round-year tourists thus encouraging many locals to turn their residences into guest houses that generate extra income for them.

In order to promote tourism growth, the city received investments from the Albanian-American Foundation for the center pedestrian street and for the restoration of the Gorica century-old bridge, producing a nicer and newer image to the location. Regardless, the city’s infrastructure, services, and public transport do need more investments so that they help tourism generate steady revenues.

After former factories and production facilities closed down many years ago, the city earns its income from tourism, cut-and-sew businesses and from the production and sale of tinned foodstuffs. Yet, unemployment rate is high. In the last two decades, the city features a rapid depopulation because of lack of investments in infrastructure forcing people to move to larger urban centers. On the other hand, the population from rural areas has moved to urban locations, even at a slower and smaller rate. The Roma community of this city is well integrated, even though it is the most vulnerable group in terms of social-economic problems, such as unemployment, lack of housing, etc.

Economy The city’s economy is focused in three pillars that ensure sustainability and growth: infrastructure, tourism, and services. The municipality tends to invest its own sources in services, retail, craftsmanship, agro-business processing, and tourism. According to the municipality’s statistics published in the website, the public sector employs 4,775 people and the private sector has employed 6,234 people. Most small businesses run ambulatory trade and services. The total number of small businesses, excluding ambulatory entities, is 1,106 units and 1,496 businesses including ambulatory entities. 21

The city houses 57% of the region’s agribusinesses, employing more than half of the paid workers, 59%. The quarry processing industry has increased as the area’s natural quarry reserves are exploited from Mount Tomorr and its surroundings to produce construction materials and decorative stones.

Cut-and-sew businesses are another direction of local economy of important to the local economic development. These businesses employ mostly women. Berat has many other business entities engaged in foodstuffs processing, such as meat, alcoholic beverages, manufactures, etc., which are attracting large investments to boost light industry, construction material production, wood carving, etc.

In addition to its commendable efforts, the municipality should support and further encourage historic and cultural tourism in the city of Berat by facilitating the residents’ fiscal procedures and policies for self-employment in this area, by encouraging conservation of museum dwelling units from erosion and fire and by preventing illegal buildings in its historic center. Likewise, the new municipality should encourage integration of alternative forms of tourism in the city’s surrounding areas, like ecotourism, adventure tourism, etc.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2015

The community-based scorecard in the Municipality of Berat was carried out during 2015-2016. Organized ahead of local elections, the CBS process of 2015 involved citizens of the Municipality of Berat and neighboring communes to be merged with the municipality after the territorial-administrative reform. The needs and priorities produced from this process were presented to candidates for mayor with the aim of incorporating them in their electoral agendas and programs, so that to translate them into local development plans and programs after the elections.

The process was run in several phases, which are detailed below: 22

The first phase included the development of the CBS methodology to identify community’s priorities (from men and women) in four administrative units (then the Municipality of Berat and the communes of Velabisht, Sinja, and Roshnik) prior to the territorial-administrative reform. During this phase, CAP members were informed on the CBS process as well as on the territorial-administrative reform. Focus group discussions held with the local communities helped to identify problems by means of CBS system.

The second phase focused its work with the political parties’ electoral programs and platforms by means of public meetings between citizens and candidates to address the priorities and problems identified in the first phase.

During the third phase, civic debates were held in forums with candidates and through awareness campaigns.

The fourth and final phase was implemented after completion of the electoral process and focused on monitoring and institutionalization of the CBS process through training of local elects and citizens.

This process not only was fully implemented in Berat, but it was unique as well. Two candidates for city mayor held a joint meeting with the citizens, indicating a model of civilization and how public debates should run. The then candidate and current mayor, Petrit Sinaj, introduced his platform and pledged to implement recommendations given by citizens in the CBS process. While these recommendations will be the core of the 4-year term in the office for the Mayor of Berat, the group undertaking this initiative has prepared a summary of the progress to date based on the recommendations of 2015 to compare with those of 2016, which are long-term recommendations.

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2016

To monitor the progress of this process commenced in 2015, the Project experts and the Berat CAP members analyzed the implementation of recommendations presented to the Municipality of Berat, employing the same methodology for year 2016. In addition, a comparison was drawn between recommendations of 2015 with those of 2016. These results will be used for local authorities’ accountability and reporting.

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Scorecard: the preparatory phase of the project is very important for determining aspects/ areas to be covered and the indicators to be used by the CBS. Twenty performance indicators were defined based on the selected areas. Three specific cards were prepared for the city, administrative unit, and a summary of evaluation of citizens and service providers.

The indicators used for the community-based scorecard included: (I) Quality and efficiency of public services (Roads, Lighting, Cleaning, Greenery, Water supply and Sewerage); (II) Local democracy and good governance (Information and Communication, Transparency, Participation in decision-making); (III) Local economic development (Strategic planning, Budget planning, Business promotion, Employment promotion with particular focus in women 23

and youth); and, (IV) Human rights at local level (Vulnerable groups, Roma and Egyptians, Protection from discrimination).

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Berat and the administrative units of Velabisht, Sinja, and Roshnik were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 60 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well-balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 24 men and 36 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial-administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

Semi-structured interviews: After the meetings with citizens, semi-structured interviews were conducted with municipality’s representatives, whereby service providers self-evaluated, by means of a scoring system, the services they provide to the community. Interviews were conducted with the mayor, social service department, project department, and with the administrators of Velabisht, Sinja, and Roshnik.

Data analysis: Data entry and analysis obtained from focus group discussions and interviews with service providers constitute a very important moment in the community-based scorecard process. During this phase, scorecard and findings of citizens and service providers were consolidated. A key part to this work was the consultation of documents/strategies and other information that helped to display a clearer view of examined areas and indicators.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Berat. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and her staff, other attendees of this event included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Berat, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens were also discussed in this event. The mayor considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Berat center, Velabisht, Sinja, and Roshnik. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 3.3 City Service providers 3.5 Administrative Citizens 2.3 unit Service providers 3

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.6 City Service providers 4.5 Administrative unit Citizens 2.8 Service providers 3.5

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 3.5 Administrative unit Citizens 2.7 Service providers 3

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 3.5 Administrative unit Citizens 2.3 Service providers 3

In addition to a scoring system, participants had the opportunity to give their feedback and suggestions/recommendations. Below are some of the main findings and recommendations that the citizens and services providers gave for the Municipality of Berat.

4. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

This comparative overview helps us to better understand the differences in services provided to residents in various territories of the municipality. The evaluation process has indicated that the current differences between the urban and rural areas within the municipality territory come to a considerable extent from the lack of investments in former communes during the pre-TAR period. Regardless of this, these differences need to be addressed in terms of the citizens’ right to equal services irrespective of their area of residence. A comparison of evaluations given by the community in urban and rural areas reveals.

FINDINGS IN THE CITY

Quality and efficiency of public services

- Citizens observe that sidewalks and public spaces are still occupied. Many streets are under construction whose work is proceeding very slowly. - The central pedestrian street is flooded in heavy rain irrespective of millions of Leks invested in it. - The sidewalks of the central street under repair are too narrow and non-functional according to citizens. - Waste is removed six days per week in the city and three times a week in other administrative units. The city has 354 waste containers without covers thus becoming a risk of spread of infections. - Irresponsible citizens dump their waste in inappropriate places and the local government unit must use punishment to discipline these people. - The river is polluted with wastewater discharged in it. - The municipality has made efforts to make the city greener. Parks are maintained and green areas have expanded in old neighborhoods of the city and in the castle. Trees are whitewashed and flowers and roses are planted in the central pedestrian park.

Good Governance and Local Democracy - Local decision-makers have established methods/systems to inform the public on open Municipal Council meeting. However, local councilors must make these mechanisms more effective in order to facilitate citizens to give their opinion on how the city is managed. - Irrespective of specific policies and programs to promote inclusion of various interests, the community at large is still indifferent and far from being ready to participate in decision-making. 27

- The municipality has a website to inform the community on the city, governance, administration, and local economy, but none of focus group participants had any knowledge about this fact. - Diverse information, such as copies of acts, construction permits, job vacancies, publication on various investments, etc., is published on the website to help citizens. By filling in a form in the information office, any citizen may submit a request or complaint to be forwarded to the mayor. - The Mayor’s staff and General Secretary receive the complaints and forward them for follow-up to the respective departments, but citizens think that the local government unit does too little to inform citizens, whose demonstrate indifferentism and reluctance to participate. Demands and complaints coming from citizens are made known to councilors and some 10-15 proposals of the citizens have become implemented. - In addition, citizens think that councilors should increase their contact with the community that elected them as well as with the administrators of administrative units on issues of concern to the public. The councilors are seen as the contact point between the municipality and the citizens and as solver of problems. Citizens think that councilors’ IQ level is very low and that the elected have not initiated any initiative to the community’s benefit. - Public hearings have been held to discuss the draft budget and meetings with citizens and interest groups are organized on the territorial plan, but citizens claim that they do not know what the projects are, what changes are made to them in the course, and where and how the budget is amended. On the other hand, citizens show indifferentism and lack of concern on local issues. - The local government unit-citizen relationship remains a challenge. The municipality has shown transparency on its investments, but citizens tend to minimize them. According to them, infrastructure projects are changed while they are implemented due to unexpected risks and citizens complain that these projects are never transparent and that the implementation companies should abide by the established deadlines or at least inform citizens on extension or change of implementation deadlines. The local media and the mayor have provided many clarifications on such issues, but citizens seem to be uninterested in the media.

Local Economic Development - The municipality tends to invest its own sources in services, retail, craftsmanship, agro- business processing, and tourism. - Cut-and-sew businesses are another direction of local economy of important to the local economic development. These businesses employ mostly women. - Berat has many other business entities engaged in foodstuffs processing, such as meat, alcoholic beverages, manufactures, etc., which are attracting large investments to boost light industry, construction material production, wood carving, etc. - The quarry processing industry has increased as the area’s natural quarry reserves are exploited from Mount Tomorr and its surroundings to produce construction materials and decorative stones.

- Most small businesses run ambulatory trade and services. The total number of small businesses, excluding ambulatory entities, is 1,106 units and 1,496 businesses including ambulatory entities. - The city houses 57% of the region’s agribusinesses, employing more than half of the paid workers - 59%. - There are tax differentiation between museum neighborhood and the other parts of the city as well as between the city and the rural administrative units, favoring the formers. - The number of informal and unlicensed businesses has decreased due to stricter application of the law and awareness. - Unemployment is endemic among youth, and people aged 45-65 years are refused employment.

Human Rights at Local Level - The municipality has a social services department. The aid scheme includes 650 households, even though this number has decreased on yearly basis. Citizens think that the economic aid service quality has improved, but the number of needy people is larger. - Citizens do not know the situation of employment of vulnerable women, but they admit to face the need for local structures to collaborate with the Labor Office, local businesses and civil society organizations for better assistance to this category. - A mechanism run by an appointed specialist has been established to manage economic aid and cases of gender-based violence/equality. - Cases of violence are referred to the court for issuing a protection order and the cooperation with the police and the court is very good. Once the case has been referred, a joint meeting with these institutions is organized. Four cases of domestic violence have been reported this year. - Information and awareness campaigns on gender violence have been carried out, but there is no dedicated phone line or a shelter for victims of violence. - There is a day care center for disabled children. There are two other residential centers with good conditions. A community center has been built with EU funding and houses a kindergarten, healthcare consultation center, a dental clinic with free service, and a free library. - The Municipality of Berat is a beneficiary of a three-year UNDP project on employment and registration of Roma community, reconstruction of a baby nursery home and construction of a new kindergarten. - Some 38 Roma families and 170 Egyptian families received economic aid; 24 Egyptian families are sheltered in social housing units; Egyptian women are employed in cut-and- sew businesses.

FINDINGS IN ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

Quality and efficiency of public services

- Participants think that the situation of the roads has not changes compared with the previous year. The Roshnik center has good roads, whereas interchange roads with other villages are problematic. The only and one road these villages have is maintained regularly. - Some village roads are inaccessible, such as Kostren, Plashnik i Vogel, and Vojnik. Pathways to arable land are also problematic. - Undisciplined waters flood roads and damage them even more. Even when roads are good, they deteriorate over time, because the water used for irrigating personal gardens is left flowing uncontrollably over the roads. - Roads need to be maintained and human resources for road maintenance should increase. - The transport of agricultural crops is very problematic. - In terms of cleaning service, waste bins are placed in administrative unit centers only. - One kilometer of dainage canals in the Administrative unit of Velabisht has been cleaned to help improve irrigation for 50 ha of arable land benefiting 100 farmers. Also, 7 km of the Vebalisht-Veterik irrigation canal has been cleaned to increase the water supply at 350 liters per second and improve irrigation for 150 ha of agriculture land in the villages of Vebalisht, Starova, Remanica, and Veterik. To further assist farmers, the municipality has invested in the irrigation system in Bilca with a longitude of 13 km. - Seven kilometers of the Vebalisht-Veterik irrigation canal has been cleaned to improve irrigation for 150 ha of agriculture land. The Gjeroven-Starova irrigation canal of 7.2 km was put to full work for the very first time in a long time and the municipality intervene to clean and repair some parts of this canal. About 100 ha of land will benefit from this improvement in the villages of Gjeroven, Velabisht, and Starova. - Other improvements include the cleaning of Ullinjas irrigation canal of 4.2 km long from the alluvia infills as well as partial repairs in it. Some 50 ha of arable land will benefit from this investment. - Maintenance works have been performed to secondary canals in the area of Orizaj and Lapardha, to improve irrigation for 100 ha of the Orizaj fields and 200 ha of arable land in the village of Lapardha. - 5 km of canals were cleaned in the villages of Bilca, Dyshnik and Morava. Cleaning works are also undertaken with high intensity in the village of Starova.

Good Governance and Local Democracy - Participants think that they can obtain any type of document or information in a timely manner. - They say that the administrator is ready to help at any time. - Focus group participants say that they have taken part in consultations, meetings and information sessions on problems of their administrative unit. - Young respondents think that their administrative unit should be closer to the school and involve school students in its activities. These participants did not know that public debates had been taking place in their administrative unit.

Local Economic Development - Participants do not know that there is a strategic plan on the development of their area; some think this plan must be part of the larger municipal plan. - Some participants have heard that the plan will give priority to tourism development and the construction of the road runs to Gramsh through Bogdani village. They see tourism as a source of revenues and reduction of poverty.

- Agribusiness is also considered to be a source of income; figs of Roshnik, vineyards, fruit trees, olive groves, and nut trees are some of agricultural crops cultivated in the area. - Participants are very proud of the Tomor National Park, which, according to them, will boost tourism; yet there is no road to take tourists to this park and so far the latter has not generated income for the locals. - Young people are indifferent. They say they lack interest in this issue; they think their ideas would not lead to a change, because they will go to university and will never come back to the village. - Poverty is a plague; unemployment is common among youth, 50% of which have emigrated. Those that live in the village see the future to be obscure. - Most people are self-employed in agriculture and livestock, which help to generate often insufficient revenues for their households.

Human Rights at Local Level - Citizens think that the number of households included in the economic aid scheme is low. The poor people are far exceeding those in the scheme, but the law on land ownership has complicated the residents’ lives, leaving many poor households outside the economic aid scheme. - Focus group participants’ perception is that women in general and vulnerable women in particular have been neglected. - Some of the retired people receive no social pension; some household are on the verge of dire poverty and there are disabled sick people who receive no aid whatsoever.

PROMISES MADE IN 2015 AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2015 - 2016

Promises Accomplishments Public Services Public Services • Better management of clean waters and • Reconstruction of the Agency square and supply drinkable water to the former exteriors of surrounding neighborhood communes of Velabisht and Roshnik • Reconstruction of Muzak Topia and • Connection of villages with the communal Agron Elezi streets, Osumi promenade, centers via paved roads and lighting of and rehabilitation of exteriors of buidlings villages within the office term along the main boulevard • Street improvements from the courthouse • Requalification of exteriors of buildings on to the municipality, from the pedestrian Antipatrea street area to the Gorica River as well as the • Improvement of sewerage system in inner streets of neighborhoods and Lapardha and Mbreshtan suburban areas • Expansion of pedestrian street from the • Urban waste integrated management and main square to the old stadium and development of projects for waste reconstruction of the old stadium street recycling • Balustrades, lighting and re-pavement of • Systemization of wastewater and sewers in hanging bridge street (Gorica Bridge) at a the entire territory of the municipality total value of 60 million ALL • Improvement of neighborhood centers, • Revitalization of western park of the painting of building exteriors will continue center and will be complete by the end of the • Reconstruction of sidewalks and

office term balustrades of Gorica Bridge • The construction of bypass (tunnel road to • Nation Martyrs Park fully reconstructed Gorica neighborhood and the new bridge • Vehxhi Buharaja Library fully will link the village of Bilca with Uznova) reconstructed will help to reduce Berat’s traffic • Reconstruction of the street segment from the university to Uznova to improve traffic and revitalize the industrial market. Social Services Social Services • New strategy on implementation of new • An administrator is assigned to every 250 integrated services for vulnerable groups households • Fiscal facilities for vulnerable groups • Each administrative unit has a social • Free service for single mothers, young worker in service mothers, and widows, including exemption • Facilities have been ensured on services from tariffs on nursery home and to disabled people in cooperation with kindergartens, and payment for school commercial banks items for their children, and ensure • Partnerships with foreign embassies and conditions for these mothers to work civil society organizations have been • Create partnerships with civil society and established to support vulnerable people donor community to run awareness • The conditions of nursery homes, programs on gender equality, domestic kindergartens and schools have violence, community policing, road safety, improved. The roof of 28 Nentori religious and ethnical coexistence, etc. kindergarten has been fixed with hydro- • Construction of new schools, insulation; Ajet Xhindoli Elementary kindergartens, and nursery homes School is now fully reconstructed

Good Governance and Transparency Good Governance and Transparency • The consultation process with citizens will • Fourteen public hearing sessions continue after reading environmental conducted on General Local Territorial impact assessment recommendations Plan • Collaborate with the Labor Office to attract • Public hearing sessions in administrative funding for promotion of employment and units with the participation of the mayor self-employment • One Stop Shop to be soon established • Ensure complete information to with USAID support administrators of former communes

Local Economic Development Local Economic Development • Computerization of local tax and fee • Create a land registry and solve the system (for business) and finance system problem of land ownership certificate (TAIS and FAIS); TAIS is completely where needed operational for the business section. • Investment and subsidies in agriculture, • Design of General Regulatory Plan with irrigation-drainage grids as part of local USAID assistance economic development of areas to merge with the Municipality of Berat • Design of fiscal package and local budget of 2015 with USAID assistance • Coordination with line ministries and donors on development of agri-processing, • Tax and fee facilities for businesses tourism, culture, agriculture, and livestock located in museum zones, very small tax for women artisan businesses in the city • Tax and tariff facilities for businesses in and free availability of premises for them; order to generate more employment municipality talked over to cut-and-sew • Decrease taxes for small and medium- businesses to employ women sized businesses by 30-50% • Exemption from simplified profit tax for • Promote cultural, mountainous and small businesses with an annual turnover adventure tourism; increase the number of of 0-5 million ALL and tax cuts for beds; revitalize Tomor National Park and businesses with an annual turnover of 5-8 installation of required infrastructure; million ALL establish tourist villages in Tomor and • Increase of number of beds; cleaning of Shpirag as tourist attraction sites and about 1 km of Velabisht irrigation and sources of employment. drainage canals • Cleaning of Velabisht – Veterik 7-km canal • The entire 13-km Bilça irrigation canal is now fully operational • The Gjeroven-Starova 7.2-km irrigation canal cleaned and repaired completely. • Parts of the Ullinjas irrigation canal of 4.2 km long is repaired and cleaned. • Irrigational secondary canals in Orizaj and Lapardha underwent maintenance work • Cleaning of 5 km of canals in the villages Bilça, Dyshnik, and Morava.

Human Rights and Gender Equality Human Rights and Gender Equality • Deliver social service to the communes (in • A community center has been built with every former commune center) EU funding and houses a kindergarten, • Their respect and social and economic healthcare consultation center, a dental support clinic with free service, and a free library. • 24 Egyptian families are sheltered in social • Berat is a beneficiary of a 3-year UNDP housing units; Egyptian women are project on employment and registration of employed in cut-and-sew businesses. Roma community, reconstruction of a baby nursery home and construction of a new kindergarten.

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES • Increase investments on services, roads, and sidewalks for children and citizens; improve public lighting in suburban areas and villages; free up public spaces, particularly the sidewalks; construct interchange roads in administrative units; place additional waste bins in administrative units; improve water supply and sewerage service; • Improve infrastructure of kindergartens, especially in administrative units; extend their services to villages and locate them close to major roads to make them easily accessible to children.

TRANSPARENCY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE • Improve the mechanisms on keeping the communication channel with citizens open; • Make any and all changes, deadlines, works on road construction and other city infrastructure transparent to citizens; • Hold mayor and his staff accountable in open meetings in the city and administrative units for addressing local people’s needs.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT • Soften punishment for farmers in case of failure to pay taxes, because the will is there; but the affordability is lacking; review the cases of payment for non-delivered services; • Improve the mechanisms on collection of revenues and make their use transparent; • Increase investments in administrative units to ensure linkages of farmers with the agricultural and livestock markets; • Increase investments and cooperation for employment of youth and women in order to boost human dignity.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL • Build capacities and train municipality staff on effective work with these categories of people; • Associate existing laws with specific budgets to help people in need and protect women’s rights; local structures should collaborate with the Labor Office, local business and organizations; • Extend donor and civil society activities to other administrative units; • Build libraries, sports playgrounds and a recreational center at administrative units

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2015-2016

MUNICIPALITY OF ELBASAN

1. A PROFILE OF ELBASAN MUNICIPALITY

The Municipality of Elbasan lies in the central part of Albania. After the Territorial Administrative Reform adopted in May 2014, 12 administrative units were incorporated into the former Municipality of Elbasan. The new municipality is currently composed of 13 administrative units: the former Municipality of Elbasan and the former communes of Bradashesh, Paper, Gjergjan, Labinot-Fushe, Labinot-Mal, Funare, Gracen, Tregan, Shushuice, Shigjan, Gjinar, and Zavaline. Elbasan’s area size is now 872 km², compared with 7.9 km² prior to the territorial reform. Thus, the territory of the municipality has increased by approximately 110 times. This huge increase poses challenges to further territorial development for the Municipality of Elbasan

The resident population of the Municipality of Elbasan has increased by 80%, yielding a resident population of 144,382 inhabitants at the beginning of year 2015 from 144,000 residents (72,987 males and 71,395 females). Some 56% of the resident population of this municipality is concentrated in the city of Elbasan, while the remainder is distributed across its 12 administrative units. Age distribution is also an important demographic indicator and the Municipality’s population, like Albania’s population in general, is young. The age structure as of 2015 shows that 69% of the population is in the 15-64 age group and 20% in the 0-14 age group. This data is cause for optimism because it demonstrates that the municipality/county has great potential with a population at an age that will soon become economically active.

Unemployment The overall unemployment rate in the municipality is has increased by 0.15 in 2013 and 2.15 in 2015. There are 10,247 or 32.1% of registered jobseekers in the first half of 2016, as reported by the municipality. Every second youth is jobless. Some 47.7% of jobless people are women with the ratio worsening in 2015 reaching 49.7% of the total jobseekers registered with the Municipality of Elbasan.

Welfare In the Municipality of Elbasan, about 11,446 households receive social aid and other benefits (other transfers) from the state (people included in the economic aid scheme, disability payment and other allowances as per the granted status). Nearly half of population lives on income generated not from paid labor or self-employment, but from the state in the form of social aid and pensions or from monies transferred from abroad. In some administrative units within the Municipality of Elbasan, the source of household income from social economic aid and other benefits is several times higher than the national mean.

Poverty

Data for the County of Elbasan show that the poverty rate is 10.7% in comparison with the national rate of 14.3%. The Municipality of Elbasan, the center of the County of Elbasan, is considered to be one of the counties with the lowest poverty rate in the country. The poverty gap shows the mean shortfall of the total population from the poverty line. The County of Elbasan has a poverty gap of 2.3%, relatively lower than the national one of 2.9%. When analyzing spending by function, purpose of use or budgetary programs, spending within the Municipality of Elbasan for 2010-2014 is dominated by expenditures for “social welfare”, “economy” and “education”.

The Municipality of Elbasan has at least 21 registered civil society organizations covering a range of issues, including children’s rights, women’s rights, Roma community rights, poverty- stricken households, disabled people, etc. The civil society and other institutions operating in the municipality (mainly before the territorial-administrative reform but also during 2016 and on) are very active. Some of the most common forms of cooperation between CSOs and the municipality include participatory budgeting since year 2005, participatory gender budgeting since 2009, consultations in the course of designing strategic documents, etc. The municipality communicates with its citizens also through the Citizens’ Advisory Panel established in 2012. The Municipal Council of the Municipality of Elbasan is composed of 51 councilors, of which 21, or 41%, are women, indicating an increase of women in policymaking and decision-making.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2015

The community-based scorecard in the Municipality of Elbasan was carried out during 2015- 2016. Organized ahead of local elections, the CBS process of 2015 involved citizens of the Municipality of Elbasan and neighboring communes to be merged with the municipality after the territorial-administrative reform. The needs and priorities produced from this process were presented to candidates for mayor with the aim of incorporating them in their electoral agendas and programs, so that to translate them into local development plans and programs after the elections.

The process was run in several phases, which are detailed below:

The first phase included the development of the CBS methodology to identify community’s priorities (from men and women) in four administrative units (then the Municipality of Elbasan and the communes of Bradashesh, Gracen, and Paper) prior to the territorial-administrative reform. During this phase, CAP members were informed on the CBS process as well as on the territorial-administrative reform. Focus group discussions held with the local communities helped to identify problems by means of CBS system.

During the third phase, civic debates were held in forums with candidates and through awareness campaigns.

This process not only was fully implemented in Elbasan, but it was unique as well. Two candidates for city mayor held a joint meeting with the citizens, indicating a model of civilization and how public debates should run. The then candidate and current mayor, Petrit Sinaj, introduced his platform and pledged to implement recommendations given by citizens in the CBS process. While these recommendations will be the core of the 4-year term in the office for the Mayor of Elbasan, the group undertaking this initiative has prepared a summary of the progress to date based on the recommendations of 2015 to compare with those of 2016, which are long-term recommendations.

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2016

To monitor the progress of this process commenced in 2015, the Project experts and the Elbasan CAP members analyzed the implementation of recommendations presented to the Municipality of Elbasan, employing the same methodology for year 2016. In addition, a comparison was drawn between recommendations of 2015 with those of 2016. These results will be used for local authorities’ accountability and reporting.

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

The indicators used for the community-based scorecard included: : (I) Quality and efficiency of public services (Roads, Lighting, Cleaning, Greenery, Water supply and Sewerage); (II) Local democracy and good governance (Information and Communication, Transparency, Participation in decision-making); (III) Local economic development (Strategic planning, Budget planning, Business promotion, Employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth); and, (IV) Human rights at local level (Vulnerable groups, Roma and Egyptians, Protection from discrimination).

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Elbasan and the administrative units of Bradashesh, Gracen, and Paper were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 75 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well-balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 37 men and 43 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial- administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Elbasan. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and his staff, other attendees of this event included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Elbasan, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with 39

citizens were also discussed in this event. The mayor considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Elbasan center, Bradashesh, Gracen, and Paper. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

e) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 2.7 City Service providers 3.8 Administrative Citizens 1.7 unit Service providers 2.9

f) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.2 City Service providers 4.2 Administrative Citizens 2.3 unit Service providers 3.4

g) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Interviewees Score Citizens 2.6 City Service providers 3.8 Administrative Citizens 2.1 unit Service providers 3.2

h) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 4.7 Administrative Citizens 2.2 unit Service providers 3.6

4. MAIN FINDINGS

Promises Accomplishments Public Services Public Services

• Improve water supply service within the • General Local Territorial Plan finalized with four-year mandate for the entire territory USAID assistance of the municipality; 24-hour water supply • Land upgraded in 70 out of 160 villages in four years • Some 340 million Leks or 40% of • Installation of 28,000 electronic water municipality’s road infrastructure meters for free investments used for rural roads • In two years the irrigation system will be • 12 km of new roads constructed in Funar, complete Shirgjan, Gracen about 50 km of existing • In two years about 70% of pathways of road repaired in 12 administrative units. arable land in Funar, Shirgjan, Zavalinë, • The municipality’s cleaning service covers Gjergjan, Gracen and Paper to be only 6 administrative units (Bradashesh, improved Paper, Shirgjan, Shushicë, Tregan and • Land upgrade to be completed in two Gjinar) or 60% of the rural population years • Parks and recreational spaces have • General territory plan of the municipality expanded in the city by 2 km². to be completed in one year • Investments in sewerage undertaken in • In addition to public lighting, free neighborhood 6, construction of sewers in (wireless) internet to be provided to 12 “Sule Domi” School, in Harmes, Arif communes that will merge with the Dardha Street, in Teqe neighborhood in municipality of Elbasan Roma neighborhood and in Rrapishta. • Additional number of waste collection • The project on painting city building centers exteriors is now complete for the city • Operation of waste processing implant • New landfill constructed and set to work (with a capacity of 150 MT of waste • 18 one-stop-shop with internet access have processing) been opened • Improvement of sewerage system; • Some 70% of pathways of arable land are construction of wastewater treatment now complete in Funar, Shirgjan, Zavalina, facility (project has already been Gjergjan, Gracen dhe Paper. designed, construction of facility to cost • Seventy million Leks invested by the 30 million euros) municipality on school infrastructure. Seven • Improvement of 12 discharge points of elementary, lower secondary and upper wastewater to Shkumbin River secondary schools and one kindergarten • Establishment of an business are now reconstructed; reconstruction improvement district in the Metallurgy works completed for 3 additional school Plant (in Bradashesh) facilities, one dormitory, including a sports • Neighborhood improvement will continue playground in the city. with painting of building exteriors to complete by end of office term • Within this office term, all roads will be 43

repaired and regularly maintained.

Social Services Social Services

• Will advocate for the citizens of the • All kindergartens, elementary and upper Municipality of Elbasan by raising funds secondary schools in rural areas are (from government or donor community) provided with firewood for heating. Fuel oil • The Municipality of Elbasan will be a (mazut) is used for heating in the city. social local government unit. • Close cooperation with local and national • School children all over the new territory NGOs to raise funds from EC, USAID, US will have free public transportation Embassy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of subscription card Italy, IPA Cross-Border funds, for years • Within two years heating will be available 2015-2016 in all elementary and upper secondary • Some 270 households have been excluded schools from the economic aid scheme because of • Fundraising from cooperation with NGOs a household member’s employment in paid and co-funding projects with civil society job.

Good Governance and Transparency Good Governance and Transparency

• Participatory budgeting is a successful • The consultation process (participatory practice and model applied in the and gender budgeting) to continue in Municipality of Elbasan and its order to maintain the first international administrative units (19 public meetings in prize granted by NALAS as the 12 administrative units and 6 meetings in municipality that involves women and city neighborhoods in the framework of the youth in issues of local governance. budget preparation for year 2017). • Will collaborate with the labor office to • One-stop-shop established in 18 raise funds for promotion of employment administrative units providing services and and generate jobs for the jobless people; information to citizens • Information offices to be established in all • The municipality has adopted a communes by means of their transparency program and has assigned a administrators. coordinator on the right to information.

Local Economic Development Local Economic Development

• Agricultural administration to be initiated • Topographers for land upgrade are – immediate assignment of topographers assigned. for land and titles upgrade • Fiscal facilities to new businesses (tax cuts by 10% for the first year) • Taxes will be unified for the entire • Information campaigns on fiscal (tax) territory. procedures conducted. • Fiscal facilities to new businesses (tax cuts by 10% for the first year) • Fiscal facilities for vulnerable households and individuals (disabled and single mothers with zero taxes) • Labor market research to guide youth to

professions sought by the market, regulating this over a period of 10-15 years (in cooperation with the University of Elbasan, business community, Chamber of Commerce, etc.)

Human Rights and Gender Equality Human Rights and Gender Equality

• Deliver social service to the communes • In pursuance of the Law on Gender (in every former commune center) Equality, the Municipality of Elbasan has • Their respect and social and economic assigned a gender officer to deal with support gender and domestic violence issues. • The municipality funds the social welfare center in Balash, while it also provides funding for transport, food and other service premises established in its territory, such as the Center for Autism Children, ‘Voices of Life’ Special School, Roma community center, etc.

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES - Continue work on improvement of road network even in city’s suburban areas; - Complete in a timely manner road reconstruction, because delays cause a negative impact on citizens and local businesses in particular; - Free up public spaces, such as sidewalks and parking lots from undue occupation of businesses; - Increase efforts on maintenance services not only in main squares and roads, but also in neighborhood streets, including lighting of city neighborhoods; improve lighting system in peripheral areas of the city; - Clean waste dumping sites on daily basis also in peripheral areas and chlorinate them regularly; - Impose severe punishment (penalty fines) to builders who do not clean their construction sites and premises from inert waste and to citizens and local businesses that pollute environment; - Increase investments on expansion of green areas and playgrounds for citizens (many neighborhoods are suffering from lack of these recreational areas) - Keep the promise given in the first year of mayor’s office term to the citizens of Elbasan on 24-hour water supply; - Improve city public transport; better quality buses to replace outdated and broken buses that do not meet minimal service conditions at the most; - Public transport for free to school children whose school is 2 km far from their residence; provide public transport subscription cards in pursuance of the promise made by the mayor.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE - Institutionalize regular consultation with citizens (not only in certain processes); - Use monitoring mechanisms to solicit citizen opinion on any investment or initiative to the benefit of the community, including various community groups; - Create access to e-participation - Increase cooperation with civil society organizations to involve them in consultation processes so that vulnerable groups they support are involved in the process.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - Cooperate with local Labor Office to open or operate at local government unit premises information offices on employment, vocational training in order to increase community access to job, or programs/demand for employment and skilled workers;

- Develop an annual plan and apply citizen information mechanisms for collection of local taxes; - Local taxes directly affecting the community to be determined upon a dialog with the community, where the latter will be introduced to service standards, their cost, and the citizen’s obligation to pay the tariff/fee/tax.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL - Enforce the legal obligation of allocating a percentage of the local budget for issues of domestic violence in pursuance of the National Strategy on Gender Equality and Reduction of Gender-Based and Domestic Violence 2015-2017, Strategic Goal 3. This fund will include monies set aside for court taxes and fees in a divorce litigation due to domestic violence in the territory of the Municipality of Elbasan. - Plan budgetary funds to support vulnerable categories (for allowances in the form of economic aid or provision of various rehabilitation services; increase the amount of economic aid allowance; - In terms of economic aid, the online electronic system has improved considerably. It is recommended to publish the scoring formula so that it is more transparent and reduces public complaints in case of exclusion from the scheme. - Improve capacities of human and professional resources of the social service sector in the Municipality of Elbasan; the municipality should enforce the standard of one social worker for every 3,000 children and the gender equality office needs additional officers to manage the flow of cases. - Plan funds for co-funding projects, such as IPA Cross Border and other projects; - Train social service sector staff on public communication and information; - The municipality should prioritize the use of the funds allocated for public investments to reconstruct kindergartens and the build new nursery homes. Elbasan kindergartens are overpopulated.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES - Increase municipality investments to maintain and improve village roads as no investments have been made to date; - Improve waste cleaning service for administrative units, because there are many problems with the dumping site, timely cleaning and chlorination; - Conduct more work to improve drainage canal grid, because these investments have direct impact on agricultural production; - Increase frequency of water supply from the village water supply enterprise and invest in those administrative units that suffer from deficient service and ensure supply from alternative sources and wells (such as the villages of Paper, Tregan, Funar, etc.); - Invest in public lighting of roads and centers of administrative units where missing; - Reinstate public transport for administrative units which are close to the city of Elbasan and improve the transport service, mainly for students and those employed in the city.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE - Increase accountability and solicitation of opinions in regular meetings of the mayor and his staff in rural areas; - Train one-stop-shop staff on information and assistance to residents; 47

- ICT is currently scarce in rural areas of the country; therefore ensure free internet in rural areas as well; - In terms of participatory budgeting process, increase participation of women and other community groups in the processes, pointing out the gender-based budget.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - Promote investment of local businesses by building collection and processing facilities in main administrative units for the collection and processing of agricultural products; - Identify other options regarding non-payment of taxes on the part of the farmers who should not be punished with refusal to issue ownership certificates, because this is violation of their fundamental right; - Encourage employment of women and youth and prioritize it in the long-term development plan of the municipality and avoid too much reliance on donor community or international organizations.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL - Operate a toll-free phone line to report cases of domestic violence; - Women, whose households receive economic aid allowances, should be employed with priority in communal utility works, such as cleaning, greenery, maintenance under authority of the municipality and administrative units; - Jobless women should be helped with information on vocational training provided by administrative units in cooperation with the labor office; - Increase investments on improvement of infrastructure in kindergartens and schools in rural areas; some kindergartens have no carpets or lack toilet service and are forced to use joint toilets with elementary or upper secondary schools. - The municipality should apply fiscal and moral incentives to businesses that employ jobseeker women and girls in the area under its administration; - Create access to disabled people in voting by ensuring infrastructure easiness in the voting centers (construction/installation of ramps);

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2015-2016

MUNICIPALITY OF FIER

1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF FIER

The information used for the preparation of this profile was extracted from the draft Territorial Development Strategy of the Municipality of Fier.

Fier lies in the central-western part of Albania, south of the Plain of Myzeqe, and is located 18 km from the coastline of Adriatic Sea. The Municipality of Fier is located in a favorable and strategic geographic position, considering that two of the most important highways run through the territory of this municipality, including Corridor VIII and Blue Corridor (Adriatic-Ionian Highway). The municipality features lowland terrain with an average altitude of 20 m above sea level and borders with the municipalities of Divjaka, Lushnje, Roskovec, Patos, Mallakaster, Selenica and Vlora.

The Municipality of Fier’s strategic position gives it advantages in crosscutting sectors. The municipality possesses 5.7 of Albania’s arable land; is watered by two major rivers, Seman in north and Vjosa in south, which have protected natural land in their estuaries; owns the Apolonia National Archeological Park; has inherited industrial and oilfield zones; and enjoys gasification advantages as the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline will pass through its territory.

The territorial-administrative reform implemented in year 2014 increased the territory size and expanded the boundaries of the Municipality of Fier adding to it several administrative units. The area size of the new municipality is 619 km2. The municipality is composed of 109 administrative units, which are: Fier, Mbrostar, Topoja, Dermenas, Levan, Frakull, Cakran, Libofshë, Portez and Qender. The new municipality administers one city and 85 villages.

Demographic Profile

Population: 120,655 inhabitants (Source: INSTAT) Population: 196324 inhabitants (Source: Civil Registry Office)

Based on the Census data, the population density after the territorial-administrative reform is 11.4 inhabitants/km2, whereas the civil registry reports a density of 316.7 inhabitants/km2. The gender ratio in the Municipality of Fier, according to Census, is 101.2, a little higher than the national average of 100.4.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Fier and the administrative units of Levan, Cakran, and Libofsh were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 75 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well-balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 37 men and 43 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial-administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Fier. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and her staff, other attendees of this event included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Fier, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens 51

were also discussed in this event. The mayor considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

View of meetings conducted with the community of Fier in the city and administrative units

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Fier center, Levan, Cakran, and Libofsh. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation. 52

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 2.7 City Service providers 3.8 Administrative Citizens 1.7 unit Service providers 2.9

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.2 City Service providers 4.2 Administrative Citizens 2.3 unit Service providers 3.4

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score Citizens 2.6 City Service providers 3.8 Administrative Citizens 2.1 unit Service providers 3.2

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 4.7 Administrative Citizens 2.2 unit Service providers 3.6

4. MAIN FINDINGS

FINDINGS IN THE CITY

- Participants expressed their good perception of the municipality’s work on infrastructure and services (particularly for the many investments in the city streets and expansion of green spaces).

- Citizens observe that after infrastructure interventions/improvements, it is necessary to maintain the roads, sidewalks, and road signage.

- The infrastructure is deficient and the services are lacking in the areas with informal settlements.

- Citizens are demanding improvement of water supply and its quality due to pollution.

- They are also demanding improvement of waste cleaning and collection service by installing additional waste bins.

- The website and information stand should be updated with information on the municipality’s work and in the framework of awareness and information of citizens in order to solicit their opinion and collect complaints.

- In terms of social services, the municipality is placing efforts and having a positive collaboration with organizations and vulnerable groups.

- The municipality is doing a good job to promote employment, even though it needs to do more in this direction, especially through incentives for local businesses.

- Action plans should be developed for marginalized groups, such as Roma community, youth and women.

FINDINGS IN ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

- In general, residents are unhappy with the infrastructure (secondary and interchange roads), lack of drinkable water supply, lack of collection of waste, and sewerage system.

- Major issues are also identified in the public transport. The municipality should plan to provide this service in order to connect villages with one another and with the city of Fier.

- There are problems with the services formerly provided by the communes but that are not unsolved by the municipality (including transport, firewood, pastureland).

- Administrative unit residents declared that municipal officials have not visited them since the election time.

- Agricultural products are selling poorly; residents say that the municipality should build a public market.

- Residents pay fees and taxes for services not delivered to them, such as greenery.

- There are problems with the irrigation/drainage canals, management of pastureland for livestock.

- No information is provided to citizens.

- Good experiences of village burgomasters’ regular meetings with the municipality to inform and demand solution for various problems

- There are great problems with the lack of services for marginalized groups, such as Roma, women, people with disabilities, etc.

- The municipality should consider the possibility of providing social services in all administrative units.

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads Infrastructure Citizens appreciate the investments made by the Municipality of Fier on infrastructure. Yet, they demand urgent interventions in some of the city’s streets, mainly in suburban and informal areas as well as in the interchange roads of Fier and villages, considering that rural roads are more common than urban roads, because of the territorial-administrative reform. - Works should be of higher quality and interventions should be planned ahead in order to avoid traffic jams and movement of citizens. - New sidewalks should be sufficiently wide and with ramps. - In terms of road signage, citizens recommend painting white lines on the roads, regular maintenance of the existing signage, and installation of traffic lights in the crossroads that have no roundabouts.

Lighting System Citizens recommend that the municipality works harder to maintain this service not only in main squares and roads, but install lighting system in the city neighborhoods.

Cleaning Service - Citizens recommend an improvement of the city cleaning service by expanding the service area and by increasing the number of waste bins, mainly in the city neighborhoods - It is recommended to shut and rehabilitate the waste dumping site and construction of a waste processing and incineration facility.

Greenery Service Citizens recommend expansion of green spaces in the city. Efforts should be made to ensure a recreational park in city neighborhoods, located at a reasonable distance. - Interventions in city greenery must be of higher quality so that they live longer.

Water Supply and Sewerage The Municipality of Fier must develop a long-term plan on the management of water supply and sewer system. Citizens reported problems with the water supply system and recommended its improvement in several city neighborhoods. • It is recommended that the municipality works harder to improve the quality of drinkable water. The latter should be treated so that it becomes usable, because water supplied in

most city locations is odorous, dark and can only be used for washing. Water supply should be rescheduled in order to have a fairer distribution. • The municipality should work to avoid flat-fee billing and should install water meters. • Urgent interventions are required for the sewerage system, particularly in the areas with informal settlements, where the pipeline system is completely out of order and where waste water is not collected. • In the Municipality of Fier, wastewater is discharged untreated in the river streams of Vjosa, Gjanica, and Seman. One of the municipality’s challenges is the wastewater collection and treatment.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication - Citizens should be helped with signage stands about where to obtain specific information. - The responsible staff should demonstrate polite conduct, ethics, and professionalism.

Transparency in Decision-making - It is recommended that the municipality’s website is updated regularly, enriched with information of interest to citizens, because the social media significantly used by the municipality does not provide categorized and easily accessible information for the citizens; - The stand of notifications should have updated information - Citizens should easily access the transparency program, transparency registry, the application form for information and where the application should be submitted.

Participation in Decision-making - The municipality must duly implement the Law on Public Consultation. - All citizens must be informed about the time and venue of meetings/public consultations - It must be regularly pointed out that Municipal Council meetings are open to the public. The municipality should encourage citizens’ participation in decision-making.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning - The municipality is in the final phase of drafting a development strategy, which constitutes the main document on which strategic planning for the coming years will be based. Citizens (mainly in the city) declared that they are not acquainted with the components of the plan, even though some of them admitted that they were part of the consultation process for this document. It is recommended that the municipality undertake specific consultation and information campaigns with citizens that will benefit from the strategic planning.

Business Promotion

- It is recommended that the municipality work to encourage private businesses to generate employment. - It is recommended that the municipality create fiscal advantages to help small businesses. - The municipality should support women and youth with small grants to open new businesses or social entrepreneurships.

Employment Promotion - The municipality’s cooperation should be more productive on promotion of employment of the youth and people with disabilities. - The municipality should also run programs to promote employment of women and marginalized groups.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning - It is recommended that citizens are informed on their local taxes and fees and any changes made to them. - It is recommended that citizens are informed in details on how their taxes are used.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women - It is recommended to work more regarding gender-based violence, women’s employment, and promotion of women-run businesses drawing from the good experience of involvement of women in decision-making, particularly in senior positions. - It is also recommended to establish a service center for women.

Marginalized Groups - Citizens appraised the work done by the Municipality of Fier with marginalized groups mainly in the Horizont Day Care Center, even though the community’s needs are many. - It is recommended that the municipality put more efforts in protecting and guaranteeing the marginalized groups’ rights and ensure their social inclusion.

Roma and Egyptians - It is recommended to improve the infrastructure in Roma neighborhood so that to protect the residents from floods. - Develop a local strategy or plan on integration of Roma and Egyptian community. - Create opportunities for employment to Roma and Egyptian community. - Explore opportunities for social housing for Roma and Egyptian community. - Map the needs of Roma community. - Establish an institutionalized network to protect the rights of these communities.

Protection from Discrimination - It is recommended that the municipality implements the Law on Protection from Discrimination and use the principles of this law when delivering services to citizens. - It is also recommended that the municipality undertake awareness campaigns in order to ensure social-cultural interaction and break discriminatory barriers 59

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads All roads are in urgent need of interventions and reconstructions, including the internal and interchange roads.

Public Transport It is recommended to establish the public transport at least in the Administrative Unit of Levan, which has a considerable geographic expansion.

Cleaning service It is urgently recommended to place waste bins and initiate the cleaning service in the administrative units of Cakran and Levan, because the situation is very problematic. The cleaning service must be provided to all areas of the administrative unit and it should also be improved.

Water supply and sewerage Residents expressed their urgent need for the repair of canals and water supply of the zone.

Forests and pastureland Residents recommend investment for maintaining this sector.

Irrigation and drainage canals Investments are required for cleaning irrigation canals in order to help boost agriculture.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Transparency in Decision-Making Information dissemination should be improved and an office or a responsible person should be assigned to provide information to citizens.

Information and Communication Each administrative unit should have sufficiently-sized stands to post up notices and updated information.

Participation in Decision-Making It is recommended to implement the Law on Public Consultation.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Promotion of Businesses/Employment • Citizens are demanding the construction of a collection facility for the agricultural products and of a market for their merchandise. • It is necessary to run programs and provide incentives to support farmers. • It is recommended that the municipality give assistance to farmers on creation of agricultural cooperatives.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning • It is recommended that citizens are informed on their local taxes and fees and any changes made to them. • It is recommended that citizens are informed in details on how their taxes are used.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women It is recommended to work more regarding gender-based violence, women’s employment, and promotion of women-run businesses drawing from the good experience of involvement of women in decision-making, particularly in senior positions.

Marginalized Groups It is recommended that the municipality put more efforts in protecting and guaranteeing the marginalized groups’ rights and ensure their social inclusion

Roma and Egyptians • It is necessary to provide services to meet the needs of this community in the Administrative Unit of Levan. • Undertake awareness campaigns to realize social-cultural activities; • Design a local plan to provide integrated services for this community; • Improve the drainage and irrigation system and discipline the Vjosa riverbed in order to avoid flooding of settlements of this community

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2016

MUNICIPALITY OF GJIROKASTRA

1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF GJIROKASTRA

The Municipality of Gjirokastra borders with the Municipality of Tepelena to the north, with the Municipality of Libohova to the east, with the Municipality of Dropull to the South and municipalities of Himara and Delvina to the west. The city of Gjirokastra is the center of this municipality. According to the 2011 Census, the municipality’s population is 25,301 inhabitants, whereas the Civil Registry figures tell that the population is 52,201 inhabitants. The municipality’s area is 469.25 km2, with a population density of 53.91 residents/km2 according to Census and 110.93 residents/km2 according to Civil Registry. This municipality is composed of seven administrative units, which are: Gjirokastra, Cepo, Lazarat, Picar, Lunxheri, Odrie and Antigone. The new municipality administers one city and 38 villages.

The new Municipality of Gjirokastra administers the city of Gjirokastra, which since 2005 is part of the List of UNESCO World Heritage, and the rural surrounding hilly areas, in which many livestock products are produced. Gjirokastra is an ottoman-style commercial town, among the few surviving in the Balkans. It is over 800 historical buildings, many of which are prone to degradation because of lack of preventive maintenance works. The ground floor of these characteristic buildings served as defense and storage facilities, and the upper floors served as hospitality and dwelling units displaying the typical Gjirokastra hospitality, culture, and living style.

Gjirokastra local costumes are traditionally embroidered with complex design. A variety of carpets, rugs, cardigans, socks and gloves are produced with traditional methods. The embroidery and woven laces of this town are quite famous. Men carve wood and stones. Traditional female costumes, such as those of Lunxheria, used to be embroidered with precious metal threads. The traditional polyphonic Albanian music has its style in Gjirokastra with virtuous interpretation and performance of several generations, including a group of children. Integrated in the Albanian Iso-Polyphony, Gjirokastra’s polyphony was declared as ‘intangible cultural heritage’ by UNESCO in 2005. Established in 2005 at an area of 92 hectares, the Archeological Park of Antigone has become part of the new.

The main sources of urban economy in Gjirokastra include tourism and cut-and-sew manufacturing, which exports to the neighboring Greek market and which has suffered heavy blows due to the economic crisis in Greece. Gjirokastra is a town of significant trade activities, particularly in terms of import from Greece. Rural areas to merge with the city after the territorial-administrative reform are well known for their sheep and goat livestock and their products of high quality.

Gjirokastra is the most affected area in Albania by the massive emigration of population over the last two decades. This phenomenon has led to rapid aging of population. According to the Census of 2011, the County of Gjirokastra has a higher average age than the national age by 40 years.

Tourism in the city of Gjirokastra has improved significantly over the last few years. The municipality is now addressing the need to enhance its capacities on promotion and administration of tourism and to extent tourist season beyond summer and autumn. The city is visited by 50-60 thousand tourists per year and has a hotel chain that can accommodate this influx. The municipality has a tourist information office but limited promotional products. Further development of craftsmanship, traditional foodstuffs, and gastronomy is considered an issue that should grasp the local authorities’ continuous attention.

Either with municipality funding or support from Regional Development Fund, Gjirokastra is working on several infrastructure improvement projects, such as reconstruction of Viroi Park, north entrance road (including a lane for bicyclists and pedestrians), or putting cobblestone layers in the historical center streets. On the other hand, the new municipality will have to address the problem of concretization in the ’18 Shtatori’ Neighborhood and the lack of education facilities in some other neighborhoods, which have one overpopulated school only.

The transport of school children to municipality’s education facilities is considered to be another issue that calls for solution, taking into consideration the fact that depopulation of many areas has led to shutdown of many village schools and increase of commute distance for children.

Water supply is expected to be finally solved upon completion of the water supply system reconstruction, including repair of the old network and the construction of new water deposit tanks.

The municipality is about to procure funding for expanding the road lane starting from the national highway to the southern entrance of the historical center square. Parking lots and other urban facilities are projected to be constructed so that the Old Bazaar area becomes a pedestrian zone during tourist season, May-October.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Gjirokastra and the administrative units of Cepo, Lunxheria, and Antigone were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Some 80 people took part in these meetings. Among attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well-balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial- administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Gjirokastra. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and her staff, other attendees of this event included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Gjirokastra, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group 65

discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens were also discussed in this event. The mayor considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Gjirokastra center, Cepo, Lunxheria, and Antigone. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. A score scale of 1 to 5 was used in this process. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 3 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 2.5 unit Service providers 3.5

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 4.6 Administrative Citizens 3 unit Service providers 4

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score

Citizens 2.5 City Service providers 3.5 Administrative Citizens 1.8 unit Service providers 3

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 3 City Service providers 3.5 Administrative Citizens 2.5 unit Service providers 3.5

4. MAIN FINDINGS

Quality and efficiency of public services

There is a significant difference of the evaluation of citizens involved in the CBS process on the quality of roads and sidewalks in the municipality and between the municipalities and its administrative units. It goes without saying that the quality of roads is deemed to be better in the main neighborhoods of the city. The area size of greenery has increased over the last two years; new trees have been planted along the roads and in the territory of administrative units. New and existing sidewalks have been improved with adaptations for disabled people.

Similar disparity is also noticed in the lighting and cleaning for which good work is reported for the central areas of the municipality and problems are reported in the suburban areas and secondary roads.

The water supply is problematic for all administrative units involved in this evaluation. Lack of regular water supply increases expenditures for consumers, because they are forced to use water pumps and deposits to ensure uninterrupted water supply in their households. In certain areas of the city, illegal drilling for water extraction and use of drinkable water for irrigation or car wash are reported.

In the three rural administrative units, Cepo, Lunxheria and Antigone, the community involved in the CBS process is unhappy with the constant blocking of drainage canals, as cleaning interventions are sporadic and during the storm season only. In addition, it is necessary to intervene with improvements in areas damaged by erosion.

Local democracy and good governance

A common feature of both urban and rural areas from the viewpoint of information and communication with local authorities relates with their possibilities to obtain information from the local government unit. The forms of obtaining information are various. Internet is mostly used in urban areas. In rural areas, information is obtained from the local administration and informational stands as well as the use of personal contacts with administrative unit officials. Yet, there are disparities within the urban area.

All focus group participants indicated that they were aware of the fact that the Municipality organized meetings with the community as a form to encourage their involvement in decision-making. Unlike those living in central parts of the urban areas who stated that they were informed of and had participated in such meetings, focus group participants living in peripheral zones claimed that they had not been informed of these meetings. The only way for residents of rural administrative units to address their problems is by filing complaints to their administrative units or central municipal office either personally or in small groups.

Local economic development There is lack of information on the existence of a strategic plan on economic development. Furthermore, participants from administrative units of this CBS process had no information on what the plan projected for their administrative units. The same finding applies to respondents from suburban areas. Unlike these groups, the interviewees from the city center neighborhoods were aware of this plan, as they had taken part in public hearing sessions held by the municipality for this very purpose.

Respondents from all focus groups (in the city center, suburban areas, and administrative units) were not aware of any strategy, policy or plan of the municipality for promoting private businesses. Participants stated, however, that the municipality had reduced the tax on women- run businesses and more efforts have been placed to encourage new businesses.

Focus group participants reported the same form of notification of tax obligations from the municipality: invoices delivered to households and similar form of payment: refusal to issue civil certificates and documents in case of failure to pay taxes. City and rural area residents stated that tax payment rate is at satisfactory level also owing to the sanctions imposed by the local government unit.

Human rights at local level

It is obvious that there is lack of information on the part of rural area residents on the municipality’s activity to address gender-based violence. Unlike participants from urban areas, most focus group respondents from Lunxheria, Cepo, and Antigone were not aware of the municipality’s program to address gender-based violence and awareness campaign carried out to this end. Women and girls that took part in focus group declared that they had never attended awareness training sessions or meetings related with “domestic violence, gender equality, and human rights”. It seems that the activity of the Gender Equality and Domestic Violence Office of the Municipality of Gjirokastra is limited in terms of its geographic outreach.

In terms of the special programs on protection and guarantee of marginalized groups’ rights, focus group participants admitted that the only program they were cognizant of was the social welfare (economic aid and disability allowances) for low-income households or for those with special needs under central government funding.

Unlike the participants of focus groups from the city center neighborhoods who were informed of the municipality’s special programs to protect and guarantee the rights of the Roma and Egyptians and its cooperation with local organizations on these issues, residents from the administrative units had no knowledge of this groups.

The same finding applies to protection from discrimination. City center participants stated that they knew a specific law on protection from discrimination was in place but were not aware of the municipality’s programs and their lack of information on specific structures to address various issues on protection from discrimination as well as a specific program in pursuance of the relevant law.

Local residents declared that the municipality had established an office incorporated in the social service department to address issues on protection from discrimination as well as a specific program in pursuance of the relevant law. Dissimilarly, participants from periphery and administrative units had no knowledge of the Law ‘On Protection from Discrimination’ and of any program designed by the municipality for this purpose.

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads and Sidewalks Road infrastructure interventions have considerably improved in Gjirokastra. Many roads have been paved, even though citizens involved in the CBS process have said that their quality, particularly in suburban areas, has not been at the required standard. The problem of deficient quality is more evident in peripheral roads. Citizens observe damage or roads, manholes, sidewalks, theft of manhole covers. They link this situation with the quality of supervisors’ work and lack of control on maintenance of constructed roads. Gjirokastra has traffic lights in place and vertical and horizontal signage is installed, particularly in the main roads. Problems are also identified in the city streets, in which rocks cover the surface usually after heavy rainfall. While the road is newly paved, its sidewalks have started to deteriorate. The main roads are in good condition. Secondary roads are not maintained; some roads are unpaved; the grounds and spaces among apartment buildings is unpaved and unregulated.

Lighting and Quality of Service The downtown roads have a lighting system, but peripheral and secondary roads are not lit. When lamps burn out, they are either replaced very late or not fixed at all. It is indispensable to make citizens aware of protecting investments made in their city.

Cleaning and Its Quality The quality of cleaning in downtown areas is good. More garbage bins need to be installed. Sanitation workers dump garbage in manholes causing their blockage particularly during rainstorms. Sewer waters flood suburban neighborhoods polluting environmental and causing various epidemics.

Greenery The area size of greenery has increased over the last two years; new trees have been planted along the roads and in the territory of administrative units. Citizens think that there remains much to be done in this direction in the future.

Water Supply and Sewerage There is water supply for the town, even though peripheral neighborhoods are suffering from lack of regular water supply. The municipality has invested in the improvement of the sewer system of the city.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication Focus group participants stated that they had access to municipality’s official information. They obtained data easily from the website and through direct request submitted to the municipality. They said that the information provided to them was clear and understandable.

Transparency in Decision-making Respondents were aware of the existence of a website established by the Municipality of Gjirokastra as well as of the public notifications made by the municipality in its main entrance hall. They stated that the notifications on Municipal Council’s meetings should be made ahead of the meeting date.

Respondents were aware of the existence of a municipality website, but it does not have information on municipality’s activities. The website was built and is updated by the Organization on Conservation and Development of Gjirokastra with the support of Packard Humanities Institute. Thus, the website does not perform its function of information and transparency.

Participation in Decision-making Focus group discussions helped to draw conclusions on various forms of informing on public meetings. These forms include social media (Facebook), email, local press, and invitations. Some citizens said that they had taken part in several meetings held by the municipality. Civil society was a regular attendant of local meetings. Citizens stated that their opinion expressed in community meetings was not seriously considered by the municipality, thus triggering disinterest among many citizens

Most focus group respondents declared that they were not informed of the public meetings organized by the municipality and that the civil society was more informed of these meetings. They said that notices should be posted up in public stands in neighborhoods. They knew that local council’s meetings were open to citizens, but they were not interested in attending them.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning There was a strategic development plan for the city and a development plan for the newly- expanded territory of the municipality is under preparation. Some focus group respondents declared that they were aware of the program, because they had attended few public hearings.

Only a handful of focus group participants were informed of municipality’s strategic plan on economic development. Participants thought that the plans with impact on the community are very few.

Business Promotion Focus group respondents declared that there were no specific policies to encourage family-run businesses. Business promotion is the sixth priority out of eight announced by the municipality. Business incubators are inexistent. No business consultation office is established to guide 73

business investments. The tax on small businesses for women-run enterprises is reduced and more efforts are made to encourage them to open new businesses. There is no tourist information office in Gjirokastra. Participants of this focus group stated that they were not aware of any strategy, policy or plan of the municipality to promote private businesses, particularly in their neighborhood. Likewise, they were not aware of the services provided by the municipality for local businesses. Participants admitted that there was a great need for employment of women from peripheral neighborhoods, but no assistance was made available from the municipality in this regard.

Employment Promotion Focus group participants declared that youth and women are the ones to suffer most from unemployment. They evaluated the new climate on employment and the efforts made by the Labor Office and vocational training courses to provide skills. Respondents were not informed of the existence of a municipality office intended in employment issues or programs run in this direction.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning Interviewees said that the municipality notifies them of their obligations to pay local fees and taxes by delivering an invoice to households. In general tax payment rate is at satisfactory level. It should be pointed out, however, that residents demanded that their taxes be used to address community needs. Focus group participants indicated their persistence that they should be consulted on regular basis, not simply during electoral timeframes..

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women The reference mechanism of domestic violence is in place and functional. This unit conducts quarterly meetings and whenever a case of violence occurs. The police do not notify the domestic violence and gender equality coordinator regularly. In March 2016, a new structure was approved, attaching the domestic violence and gender equality office to the social service office of the municipality. A toll-free 24-hour phone line is established for reporting cases of violence. Also, during 2016 various meetings have been organized with kindergarten teachers on work effectiveness and on issues of gender equality and domestic violence. The domestic violence and gender equality office staff have attended a variety of training sessions conducted by state institutions, national and international NGOs. A 24-hour phone referral system has been established for reporting cases of abuse on children. Irrespective of all positive steps undertaken to date, there is no shelter for abused/violated women and girls.

Some participants stated that there are programs on domestic violence, but most of them are run by civil society organizations rather than the municipality. They said that their local government unit is more engaged in issues of violence against women, because it collaborates with civil society, and in issues of women’s involvement in politics, because the new local administration has employed many women.

Marginalized Groups The community involved in this focus group was not aware of the existence of a special program for protecting and guaranteeing the rights of marginalized groups and their inclusion. The municipality is collaborating with civil society organizations, such as ‘Nemia Foundation’ and ‘Warm Hearth’ (Vatra e Ngrohtë), whose scope of work is to assist marginalized groups in emergency cases.

Roma and Egyptians The municipality has a special program for protecting and guaranteeing the rights of Roma and Egyptian community and their inclusion. It collaborates with civil society organizations on Roma and Egyptian community issues.

Protection from Discrimination The municipality has an office under the Social Service Department that addresses issues relative to protection from discrimination and a specific program in pursuance of the relevant law. The municipality is placing efforts in this area.

Most focus group participants were not aware of the existence of a law on protection from discrimination or of any other program undertaken by the municipality for this purpose.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads and Sidewalks The road infrastructure in the Administrative Unit of Lunxheria has improved. Many interchange roads of other villages are now paved, while it is necessary to plan preventive maintenance in the secondary road network. On the other hand, improvement works in interchange roads of other administrative units and the Municipality of Gjirokastra are incomplete making commute to these locations difficult. In addition, road signage is still a problem, as it is missing in all roads. Local residents added that the existing signage has been damaged by the inhabitant themselves pointing to the need of the community’s important role in preserving the public property. The culture of appropriate use and preservation of public property is still to be enhanced in our country. Focus group participants said that there were not public transport lines to cover all villages (such as Karjan, Qestorat, Kakoz and Gjat). The municipality should encourage entrepreneurs by employing subsidy practices in order to establish an organized public transport system all over the municipality’s territory.

Focus group participants raised the concern of street lights, because in most villages of the three administrative units there is no public lighting at all. Power lines have been installed in most territory, but more investments should be made to make these lines operational.

Cleaning and Its Quality Focus group participants are unhappy with the cleaning service. With the exception of Topullaraj, Valare and Shen Todher, no other village has waste bins to dump household garbage. Waste collection is irregular. Local residents dump their waste in river banks, streams, 75

or surrounding hills creating huge environmental pollution, while they demand development of eco-tourism. Participants raised the urgent need to discipline the waste system asking the municipality to design an intervention plan and identify a final and fundamental solution to this problem.

Drinkable Water, Sewers, and Drainage Canals Lunxheria is an aquifer zone and each village has its own source from where water is supplied by free flow. Lack of investments in the distribution system makes the area suffer from scarce water supply. Administrative unit residents said that they coped with deficient water supply, which is made available for no more than one hour per day in most areas. There is 24-hour water supply service in very few villages. The distribution network is highly outdated and broken. Illegal interventions in the distribution grid have caused problems in the water supply system. On the other hand, residents say that the quality of water is very good.

Only three villages (Valare, Topullaraj, and Dhoksat) have a sewage system as these locations have apartment buildings. The major problem of these areas is the discharge of sewer water in the river, village center ponds or septic holes. Participants admitted that the municipality’s drainage board has made investments in the irrigation canal system of the zone during this year. Comparatively, no investments have been made in drainage canals, which have date back to pre ’90 and are completely broken. Conversations with local residents reveal the problematic situation of forests and pastureland, which have been damaged from erosion and require maintenance investments.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication In general, inhabitants are happy with the work of administrative unit officials with regard to information and communication even though an information office with staff is not in place. They said they did not cope with difficulties in this direction, because it is easy to go to these offices and the staff has always been there to help.

Transparency in Decision-Making The respondents of the three focus groups said that the only form to get informed on the municipality’s decision is the administrative unit itself. In addition of notice stands placed in the internal premises of the administrative units, some stands have been affixed to walls of social- cultural facilities or power supply poles.

Participation in Decision-Making While they were aware of their right to participate in decision-making on issues affecting their community, residents of Lunxheri declared that they had never been informed about meetings to be held in their municipality. The very few meetings they had attended had been organized by village burgomasters or the administrative unit’s administrator. Burgomasters have endeavored to address community problems on specific cases, while they should be more active and represent their community diligently. Most participants of focus groups did not know of their right

to attend Municipal Council meetings and none of them had any experience or attended such meeting.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning There is lack of information on the existence of a strategic plan on economic development and what the plan projected for their administrative units. This is obvious in the comments made in the focus groups. It seems that the inhabitants of administrative units are informed on economic development plans only during electoral season. Participants did not know of any employment strategy or policy. They said that most residents engage in agriculture and livestock and some other people are either self-employed in the area or work in paid jobs in private businesses in the city since the distance with the city of Gjirokastra is short.

Promotion of Businesses/Farmers One participant from the focus group conducted in the Administrative unit of Lunxheria said that she did not see any tax incentives in what she had to pay for her business, while the purchasing power has decreased considerably. Community thinks that the municipality is placing no efforts to generate employment for the youth and women of this area by means of economic growth policies.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning Focus group respondents declared that they knew about their local tax obligations and said that they pay the taxes regularly. Sanctions were assessed positively as disciplinary mechanisms to citizens that violate the law. On the other hand, local residents were skeptical on how their taxes were used, on the municipality’s financial planning and how the latter could affect their locality.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women There is total lack of information on any program addressing issues of gender-based violence, on existence of civil society organizations operating in the area or how the community could seek help in case of need. Indeed, no women participating in focus group discussions could state whether an awareness campaign has ever been organized on gender-based violence or the whether the municipality had designed/developed an intervention program or project to this end.

Marginalized Groups Participants had no information on the existence of special programs for the support and integration of marginalized groups in their area. The latter have been mostly supported by individuals or international organizations sporadically with food, clothing, or school items for their children. Institutionally, these groups receive no support other than economic aid and disability allowances.

Roma and Egyptians Residents of the three rural administrative units stated that there is no Roma or Egyptian community in their areas.

Protection from Discrimination Most focus group participants were not aware of the existence of a law on protection from discrimination. They were not aware of the existence of a Commissioner on Protection from Discrimination. Once introduced to the concept of discrimination, residents unanimously said that they had never experienced that problem. The Vlach community is very well integrated and well-respected in the society. Yet, they agreed that the information on how and where to address discrimination is very necessary.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are given to address problems identified by the community in the entire territory of the municipality:

• A common denominator of all evaluations conducted in five various territories of the Municipality of Gjirokastra is these communities’ low level of information on municipality’s activities. They were not aware of the existence of a Commissioner on Protection from Discrimination. Once introduced to the concept of discrimination, residents unanimously said that they had never experienced that problem. The Vlach community is very well integrated and well-respected in the society. Yet, they agreed that the information on how and where to address discrimination is very necessary.

• The evaluation showed that in many aspects there is a difference of the service provided in the urban area with the one delivered in rural areas within the municipal territory. Therefore, local authorities need to analyze these differences and their plans should seek to eliminate them gradually and to accomplish residents’ rights to equal services irrespective of their location.

• Interventions are recommended in the secondary and interchange roads as well as in suburban and rural roads. It is recommended that when planning infrastructure interventions planners should consider the needs for access and mobility of various groups of users with special needs (people with disabilities, carriages for babies and old people).

• It is requisite for the municipality to address the public transport issue so as to connect administrative units with the city of Gjirokastra.

• Lighting should also be installed in suburban and rural areas and preventive service will have to be planned by the municipality.

• More attention should be paid to cleaning the city’s peripheral areas and an additional number of garbage bins need to be stationed in these areas.

• Expand and increase the size of greenery and recreational spaces in suburban areas and it is recommended to involve the community in initiatives undertaken by the municipality on expansion of green areas.

• Water supply was reported as a problem in all areas under evaluation. As this is a highly sensitive issue for the residents, we recommend that the municipality addresses this problem with high priority. In addition, the municipality should urgently intervene to address the sewer problem and plan the construction of a new sewerage network, especially in densely-populated villages.

• Regular cleaning of drainage canals is recommended.

• Municipal Council’s meeting must be announced publicly several days ahead. The Municipal Council will have to reshape its role by involving in community life through regular meetings in order to better understand their needs and priorities and how the municipality addresses these needs, which are channeled in the council’s decision. On the other hand, these meetings help to eliminate residents’ indifferentism showed in this council’s activity.

• The municipality will have to pay more attention to collecting and analyzing statistical data that would help to better assess priorities and policies it should pursue. In particular, the local government unit must collect data on employment/unemployment, cases of domestic violence, etc., so that it develops a strategy and action plans that will address deficiencies in the policies and services for specific groups.

• The municipality must play a more active role in addressing domestic violence, in rural areas in particular. The awareness campaigns undertaken in cooperation with the civil society are positive, but they need to be coordinated by the municipality and should involve all actors that are part of the mechanism addressing violence (such as the municipality, police, healthcare service, social service, etc.) in order to achieve the required impact. It goes without saying that the domestic violence service should be expanded to both rural and urban areas.

• Focus group participants spoke about a vague –and sometimes inexistent– role of the municipality in promoting businesses and employment of youth and women. This may also be linked with the community’s very low level of information on the municipality’s role in this direction. It is recommended that the municipality prioritizes this issue as part of its strategic plans.

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2015-2016

MUNICIPALITY OF KAMZA

1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF KAMZA

The municipality of Kamza is composed of two administrative units: Kamza and Paskuqan. The center of the new municipality is the town of Kamza, which includes 14 villages: Bathore, Laknas, Valias, Frutikulture, Bulçesh, Zall-Mner and those of the administrative unit of Paskuqan, including Paskuqan, Babrru Qender, Koder e Kuqe, Shpat, Fushe e Kërçikëve, Koder Babrru, Paskuqan Fushe, Paskuqan Koder.

Population According to the 2011 Census, the Municipality of Kamza has a population of 104,190 inhabitants, while according to the Civil Registry the municipality counts 125,632 inhabitants. Kamza has an area of 37.18 km2. Based on the census, the population density is 2.802 inhabitants per km², and according to Civil Registry, the density reaches 3,379.02 inhabitants/km². These population density values are about 100 times higher than the national average. The current data of 2015 show a total of 140,000 inhabitants registered in the Civil Registry Office (of these about 100 thousand in administrative unit of Kamza). According to estimates of the municipal staff, the Municipality of Kamza has about 50 thousand residents unregistered, which become a social and economic problem to the local government unit.

The gender ratio, according to the 2011 Census, appears to be 103.4, only slightly higher than the national average of 100.4. The current average age of the population of the Municipality of Kamza is 27 years old, while the age group of 15-64 years represents 66.1% of the total population - somewhat lower than the national average. This is explained with the high number of children included in this age group: 27% (as compared to the national average of 20%).

Employment The unemployment rate in the Municipality of Kamza is about 50%, much higher than the national rate of approximately 30%. Index of youth and women unemployment rate (15-24 years old) is also significantly higher than the national average, respectively 68.3% versus national average of 52.9%), and for women 54.8% against the national average of 31.4%. These figures indicate the necessity to take urgent measures by embarking on a series of projects that seek to generate employment, without neglecting the improvement and orientation of vocational secondary education to labor market demands.

Due to the mixed nature of the local economy, residents are employed in various sectors, such as agriculture, industry and services. The structure of employment in these sectors is as follows: agriculture employs 5.3% of the active labor force, the industry has hired 37.5%, and 57.1% work in services. These figures indicate an economic structure with urban nature, increasingly abandoning the characteristics of the rural area.

Economic development The economy of the Municipality of Kamza is characterized by a high level of informality and the prevalence of small and family-run businesses. In total about 1,900 businesses operate in the Municipality of Kamza, of which 1,600 are located in the territory of the administrative unit of Kamza and the rest in Paskuqan. Most of business activities are focused on trade and the sector of services. Some 70% of the business entities operate in trade, 22% in services and 8% in the manufacturing sector.

In addition the services sector, the industrial sector is gradually getting stronger consisting in construction businesses as well as light and food industry. It is worth mentioning the systematic dislocation of business entities, such as cut-and-sew, that come from other areas, mainly from Tirana, to the territory of the Municipality of Kamza, with aim to take advantage of tax incentives and cheap labor force.

The decline of interest in the development of traditional agricultural activities and livestock production is quite obvious. On the other hand, the actual agricultural activities aimed more to meet only family needs and are limited to the use of plots no larger than 1-3 hectares for this purpose.

Natural resources and environmental sustainability The territory of municipality of Kamza is watered by three rivers: Tirana, Lana, and Terkuze. All these rivers flow down from the south-east to the north-west through the valley of Tirana. Tirana River and Lana River run through the central part of Tirana’s valley, while Terkuze River flows down to the suburbs of the valley to northwest.

Paskuqan’s Lake is one of the most important water sources of the Municipality of Kamza. It occupies an area of 170 ha and the location around the lake is currently occupied by informal settlements built after the ‘90s, even though their number is limited. This lake might acquire specific significance, since the capital’s main boulevard will be extended to this direction and there is a very ambitious project to transform the area around the lake in a large green recreational park.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2015

The community-based scorecard in the Municipality of Kamza was carried out during 2015- 2016. Organized ahead of local elections, the CBS process of 2015 involved citizens of the Municipality of Vlora and neighboring communes to be merged with the municipality after the territorial-administrative reform. The needs and priorities produced from this process were presented to candidates for mayor with the aim of incorporating them in their electoral agendas and programs, so that to translate them into local development plans and programs after the elections.

The process was run in several phases, which are detailed below:

The first phase included the development of the CBS methodology to identify community’s priorities (from men and women) in two administrative units (then the Municipality of Kamza, and the Commune of Paskuqan) prior to the territorial-administrative reform. During this phase, CAP members were informed on the CBS process as well as on the territorial-administrative reform. Focus group discussions held with the local communities helped to identify problems by means of CBS system.

During the third phase, civic debates were held in forums with candidates and through awareness campaigns.

This process not only was fully implemented and successful in Kamza, The individual meetings with each candidate were followed up with introduction of their respective platforms and concrete commitments reflecting recommendations given by the citizens in the CBS process. While these recommendations will be the core of the 4-year term in the office for the Mayor of Kamza, the group undertaking this initiative has prepared a summary of the progress to date based on the recommendations of 2015 to compare with those of 2016, which are long-term recommendations.

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2016

To monitor the progress of this process commenced in 2015, the Project experts and the Kamza CAP members analyzed the implementation of recommendations presented to the Municipality of Vlora, employing the same methodology for year 2016. In addition, a comparison was drawn between recommendations of 2015 with those of 2016. These results will be used for local authorities’ accountability and reporting.

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Kamza and the administrative units of Kamza and Paskuqan were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 52 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well- balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 16 men and 36 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial-administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision- making.

Semi-structured interviews: After the meetings with citizens, semi-structured interviews were conducted with municipality’s representatives, whereby service providers self-evaluated, by means of a scoring system, the services they provide to the community. Interviews were conducted with director of services department, director of projects and the administrator of the Administrative Unit of Paskuqan.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Vlora. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to chief of staff of the mayor, Mr. Zaim Kupa, and the municipal staff, other attendees of this event included members of the Citizens’ Advisory Panel, representatives of civil society organizations operating in Kamza, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens were also discussed in this event. Mr. Kupa considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Kamza and Paskuqan. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland. QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score in 2015 Score in 2016 Citizens 2.5 3.5 City Service providers 3.5 4 Administrative Citizens 1.6 2.1 unit Service providers 2 3

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score in 2015 Score in 2015 Citizens 2.8 3.1 City Service providers 3.5 4.5 Administrative Citizens 1.7 2.4 unit Service providers 2 3.5

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score in 2015 Score in 2015 85

Citizens 2.2 2.5 City Service providers 3 3.5 Administrative Citizens 1.5 1.9 unit Service providers 2 2.5

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score in 2015 Score in 2015 Citizens 2 2 City Service providers 3 3.5 Administrative Citizens 1.8 1.9 unit Service providers 2 2.5

4. MAIN FINDINGS

Road Infrastructure - During 2015, Kamza residents recommended improvement of road system at macro level, including paving and asphalting the roads of peripheral areas and installation of required signage. In 2016, the Municipality invested in several areas of the town, including Fruit Entity, Zall-Mner, neighborhood no. 4, neighborhood no. 1 in Bathore. Total investment of the 2016 take up 55% of the municipality’s budget, amounting to about 700 million Albanian Lek. Demokracia Street in the Administrative Unit of Paskuqan has been a serious concern for the local residents. During 2016, about 2/3 of the investments went to the Administrative Unit of Paskuqan. The third lot of construction of the road Paskuqan 2 and Vresht is about to finish soon. Locals are afraid that the project completion will be adjourned frequently.

Water Supply - Improvement of water supply has been one of the key recommendations of Kamza inhabitants in 2015. To address this issue, in June 2015 the Municipality initiated investments to improve water supply and sewerage system, which will be extended to several neighborhoods, such as Bathore, Kamza 1, Fruit Entity, Zall-Mner, etc. Several areas in Bathore are still coping with water supply problems.

Sewer Network - During 2015, citizens recommended improvement of sewer network in several zones, such as Bathore and Paskuqan. In 2016, several investments have been made to improve this system; some investment have been made in Paskuqan 1, in neighborhood no. 3, no. 4 in Kamza, and in Valias. Residents demand that these improvements be made in other areas.

Public Greenery Service - A 2015 recommendation relates with the expansion of green areas in the town. During 2016, the Municipality of Kamza has planned to plant 1,100 decorative trees all over its territory, particularly in those areas where road improvement investments have finished. Creation of outdoor recreational parks and spaces in the town remain a problem.

Good Governance and Local Democracy - During 2015, citizens recommended the Municipality of Kamza enforce the Law on Public Information and Consultation and facilitate all internal procedures to implement the law so that citizens can access information in a timely fashion. The citizens’ perception on municipality’s performance in this recommendation is positive.

Social Services - One of the recommendations for year 2015 was the establishment of social protection units at administrative units to support domestic violence victims. According to citizens, there is still much work to be done in this direction. PROMISES MADE IN 2015 AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2015 - 2016

PROMISES ACCOMPLISHMENTS Public Services Public Services • Public investments on improvement of • Investments made to improve road road infrastructure in the entire territory of infrastructure in these streets: “Liria”, the Municipality of Kamza during the four- Paskuqan 2, Vresht, “OSBE”, “Vëllazërimi” year term; Paskuqan, “Bujan”. • Increase public investment on • Collectors at the estuaries of Tirana River, improvement of water supply network in Old Valias, have been cleaned by within two years; a project on water deepening the riverbed and by removing supply and sewerage; the waste deposited for years; • Investments on improvement of sewer • Improvement of sewer network in “Ibrahim pipelines for wastewater; Rugova” Street , Paskuqan 1; • Public transport system; establishment of • Construction of sewer network in transport lines to connect all areas with “Kosova” Street in neighborhood no. 4 in Kamza by public transport; Kamza; • More attention to be paid on • Improvement of sewer network in “Fierzë”, improvement of road infrastructure of in neighborhood no. 3 in Kamza; Paskuqan; more investment in this area • Improvement of sewer network in “Abdi bej within this term; Toptani” Street, in Valias neighborhood, • We have a plan to widen the Babrro starting from “Bulevardi Blu”, Qendër- Bridge and two other bridges that Valias up to Tirana River; connect this municipality with Tirana; • Maintenance works along Tirana River • We have projected the establishment of banks, including deepening of its bed, the two markets for the Municipality of part belonging to the Municipality of Kamza; one of the markets to be located Kamza, construction of protection in Paskuqan. embankments, cleaning from inert and other polluting waste that become a barrier to normal flow of the watercourse. Good Governance and Transparency Good Governance and Transparency

• The municipality has adopted a • The information office will provide better transparency program and assigned a services to citizens to the benefit of the coordinator on the right to information. entire community of the Municipality of • The information office and the one-stop- Kamza. shop in Kamza, Bathore and Paskuqan • The Citizen Advisory Panel will operate provide all local administration series and regularly. of other private or public entities.

Economic Development Economic Development • Local tax cuts in Kamza will create • One of the most important projects in the favorable conditions to promote recent years has already started. It deals businesses and opening up of new with the establishment of a territory businesses. register, which will positively affect the • Reforms and interventions in the future of project planning in the Municipality fiscal package will encourage of Kamza. employment in the private sector. • The 2016 fiscal package, effective use of resources and utilization of all finance resources have been and will be a key element in making investments in the Municipality of Kamza.

Social Services Social Services • A special sector will be created to deal • The municipality has entered into with cases of domestic violence in order cooperation agreements with various to assist in the cases referred to this unit. organizations, such as associations of • Low-income households will be orphans, to deliver social services for exempted from local taxes. The vulnerable groups. economic aid scheme will be reviewed and all households in economic difficulties will be included in the scheme.

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Road Infrastructure Citizens appraise the municipality for undertaking infrastructure investments. They, however, interventions are required in some of the town’s secondary roads. - Continue work on improvement of road network in suburban areas of the town - Complete in a timely manner the road reconstruction, because delays cause a negative impact on citizens and local businesses - Increase pedestrian safety by installing traffic lights, overpasses or road balustrades, particularly close to schools.

Public Lighting Citizens recommend more work on maintenance of this service not only in main roads, but also in neighborhood streets.

Cleaning Service - It is recommended to improve the quality of city cleaning service - Residents of Bathore and Paskuqan demand modification of waste collection schedule, from once to twice a week.

Public Greenery Service - It is necessary to establish green areas in every zone, easily accessible to citizens, and outdoor recreational parks for children.

Water Supply and Sewerage - It is recommended to supply water regularly in those neighborhoods where the service is not provided. - Citizens recommend extending works on improvement of sewer system in the entire municipality.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication - Citizens appraise the operation of one-stop-shop, but they recommend enhancement of communication between them and the municipality.

Transparency in Decision-making - The information in the municipality’s website should be coherent and updated regularly.

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- It should be pointed out that Municipal Council meetings are open to the public. - The municipality should promote participation of citizens in decision-making.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Promotion of Businesses - It is recommended that the municipality develop programs that promote employment in cooperation with other state institutions. - It is also recommended to enhance cooperation with private businesses in order to develop local economy in the Municipality of Kamza.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning - It is recommended to introduce a successful subsidy scheme for low-income households in terms of local taxes.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Marginalized Groups - It is recommended that the municipality put more efforts in protecting and guaranteeing the marginalized groups’ rights and ensure their social inclusion and to enhance cooperation of the municipality with local NGOs in order to guarantee all social services to these citizens.

Roma and Egyptians - It is recommended to create opportunities for employment to Roma and Egyptian community.

Protection framework Discrimination - It is recommended that the municipality undertake awareness campaigns in order to ensure social-cultural interaction and break discriminatory barriers.

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2016

MUNICIPALITY OF KORÇA

1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF KORÇA

The information used for the preparation of this profile was extracted from the draft Territorial Development Strategy of the Municipality of Korça – currently in the drafting process.

After the adoption of the Law No. 115/2015, “On Territorial-Administrative Division of the Local Government Units in the Republic of Albania”, the Municipality of Korça is composed of eight administrative units (Bulgarec, Drenova, Korça, Lekas, Mollaj, Vithkuq, Voskop and Voskopoja) and 63 villages. The municipality lies in the southeastern region of Albania with an area size of 730 km². According to the Civil Registry Office, the Municipality of Korça has a population of 129,805 inhabitants (as of January 2016), of which 64,488 are males (50%) and 65,317 females (50%). About 73% of the population belongs to the age group of 15-64 years, implying a labor-active population. Some 67% of the municipality’s population lives in the city of Korça and 33% lives in the rural areas. This ratio is better when compared with the national indicator, whereby 57% of the population is considered urban and 43% rural, as indicated by the Institute of Statistics of Albania. Bulgarec is the next largest administrative unit, second to the administrative unit of Korça, taking up to 11% of the total of the municipality, followed by Drenova with 8%. All these three units shelter about 86% of the municipality’s total population.

Employment/unemployment – The 2011 Census data show that total unemployment in the Municipality of Korça is about 18.5%. Unemployment is higher in Drenova (34.9%), city of Korça (28.9%) and Bulgarec (24.4%). These three administrative units border one another and carry the largest weight of internal migration. Also, according to these data, about 71% of the employed in the city of Korça are work in paid jobs and 29% are self-employed. When referring to the Institute of Statistics data on employment by sectors in administrative units of the Municipality of Korça, it is obvious that the sector of agriculture prevails in Lekas, Vithkuq, Mollaj and Voskopoja. While Korça has a dominating service sector, industry is indeed the largest employer in the administrative units of Drenova and Bulgarec with 32.8% and 22.2% respectively. This sector employs a considerable number of people (19.7%) in the Administrative Unit of Mollaj as well. Mollaj has great potentials for the agri-processing industry (focused in fruit processing). Thus, this indicator is a good sign that the sector could experience further growth in this unit.

Educational level – The Municipality of Korça is one of the regions with the highest level of educated population when compared with the national average and other comparable municipalities of Albania. About 32% of the population aged over 15 years has completed upper secondary education and nearly 14% have completed university education. In addition, the illiteracy rate of 2.3% in the Municipality of Korça is the lower than the country’s rate of 2.8%.

Business structure – The municipality’s data for 2015 reveal that some 3,526 businesses are operating in the newly-expanded territory. About 17% of these businesses are large and 83% are small. They are located mainly in the territory of the city (76%) and in the two neighboring administrative units, Bulgarec and Drenova. It should be pointed out that these three administrative units accommodate 92% of all businesses located in the municipality. The other rest, 8%, are established in the remaining administrative units. The city’s economic structure is composed of light industry, trade, and services. Administrative units’ main branches of economy include agriculture, livestock, and tourism (for Voskopoja). The municipality’s data indicate that 45% of Korça’s revenues come from local taxes and fees.

Important Economic Sectors

Agriculture is a priority sector for the new Municipality of Korça’s economic development as indicated in the General National Plan. Some 9,167 family farms operate in the rural area of the Municipality of Korça – a relatively high number compared with the area size. This indicates the family farms are small and fragmented. Other forms of organizations, such as cooperatives, are either inexistent or in their early stages.

Agri-processing – The Region of Korça is one of the largest producers of meat, salami, dairy, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, snail processing, etc. The food processing industry is an important employment factor for this region. Processing of fruits, vegetables, milk, production of wine, oil, flour, etc. have increased. The industry of apple processing, treatment, and packaging is in its initial phase.

Tourism is one of the sectors with the fastest growth in the Korça region in the last decade. It is considered a strategic sector for the region’s economic development also pointed out in the General National Plan. Tourism is multidimensional and all-year-round and includes: cultural tourism, ecotourism, and culinary/gastronomic tourism.

Garment industry – this industry is an important factor in the regional economy. It is the largest economic branch in terms of the number of enterprises, which employ mostly women. Businesses in this branch are in many cases Albanian-Greek joint ventures operating in the garment sector. The raw material imported and ready products are totally exported.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Korça and the administrative units of Bulgarec, Mollaj, and Voskopoja were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 68 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well- balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 31 men and 37 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial-administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Korça. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and her staff, other attendees of this event included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Korça, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings 95

from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens were also discussed in this event. The mayor considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Korça center, Bulgarec, Mollaj, and Voskopoja. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 4.2 City Service providers 4.3 Administrative Citizens 2.3 unit Service providers 2.9

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.7 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 1.8 unit Service providers 3.6

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score Citizens 3.6 City Service providers 3.8 Administrative Citizens 2 unit Service providers 3.9

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 2 unit Service providers 3.8

4. MAIN FINDINGS

FINDINGS IN THE CITY

- The Municipality of Korça has taken upon infrastructure transformation and investments, albeit in the area of the city of Korça only.

- Korça is a compact city at human level with an urban character and high civilization.

- The Municipality of Korça has based and built its work generally on strategy and strategic planning, which constitute the foundations for sustainable development.

- Citizens have a good perception on the municipality’s work on infrastructure and services (particularly water supply and greenery). The quality of water supply in the town is good and green areas are increasing.

- Citizens observe that after infrastructure interventions/improvements, it is necessary to maintain the roads, sidewalks, and road signage.

- The infrastructure is deficient and the services are lacking in the areas where the Roma community is settled.

- Awareness and information campaigns are inexistent. There are cases where campaigns are conducted to promote rather than information or communicate with citizens.

- The information on the municipality’s website is incomplete or missing (transparency program, Municipal Council’s decision, city profile, annual budget, etc.)

- In terms of social services, the municipality is placing efforts and having a positive collaboration with organizations and vulnerable groups.

- The municipality is doing a good job to promote employment, even though it needs to do more in this direction. Promotion of employment is one of the top priorities of the citizens of Korça. Irrespective of the limited instruments available to the municipality on this matter, they demand a more active role of the municipality to encourage employment.

- The business tax collection rate in the city and villages is 85%, whereas the fee collection rate from households in the city is about 90-%. This is a good rate compared with other municipalities in the country.

FINDINGS IN ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

- The Municipality of Korça has merged with administrative units that have significant large area sizes, but with lower population density to cover with services.

- In general, residents are unhappy with the infrastructure (secondary and interchange roads).

- Public lighting is missing in all villages, except for the central areas of the former communes.

- Focus group participants report problems with drainage/irrigation canals, amortized or damaged systems of drainage and irrigation of arable land.

- Citizens have expressed their concern on management of pastureland for livestock and of firewood for wintertime.

- There are problems with the services formerly provided by the communes but that are not unsolved by the municipality (including transport, firewood, pastureland).

- Residents pay fees and taxes for services not delivered to them, such as greenery.

- Administrative unit residents declared that municipal officials have not visited them since the election time.

- No information is provided to citizens.

- Good experiences of village burgomasters’ regular meetings with the municipality to inform and demand solution for various problems

- While the area produces good quality and quantity of agricultural crops, (potato, onion, apple, etc.), transport, merchandise and sale of these local products are problematic.

- It is necessary to run programs and provide incentives/support related with agriculture, agribusiness, livestock, or tourism.

- Residents have pointed out the lack of baby nursery homes, and upper secondary schools (pupils are forced to go to Korça to attend school).

- It is indispensable to treat/manage wastewater (as some villages are using sceptic holes).

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5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads Infrastructure Citizens appreciate the investments made by the Municipality of Korça on infrastructure. Yet, they demand interventions in some of the city’s streets, mainly in suburban and informal areas. - Repave the streets in neighborhoods no. 10, 13, 8, and geology neighborhood, which are in very bad situation. - Neighborhood no. 4 does not have decent streets, sewers, and waste bins - In terms of road signage, citizens recommend painting white lines on the roads and regular maintenance of the existing signage - Plan budget for maintenance of streets, sidewalks, and signage - Ensure works of higher quality, particularly in sidewalks.

Lighting System Citizens recommend that the municipality works harder to maintain this service not only in main squares and roads, but install lighting system in the city neighborhoods (no. 8 and geology neighborhood need public lighting system). In addition, the municipality must address the issue of poor/insufficient lighting in some neighborhoods during wintertime.

Cleaning Service - Citizens recommend an improvement of the city cleaning service by increasing the number of garbage bins in suburban areas (neighborhood no. 4 does not have waste bins) - Avoid burning waste - Clean sidewalks - Intervene in neighborhood no. 8, where waste and inert debris are piling up – this location could quite well become a park due to its sufficient space - Citizens expressed an interest in putting Maliq Landfill to work as a good opportunity to improve the urban waste management.

Greenery Service Citizens have a good perception of the municipality’s work on greenery service. - Livestock should not be allowed to graze in the green area of the city - Undertake awareness campaigns with citizens to keep the city tidy - There is a need to establish public restrooms in the park.

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Water Supply and Sewerage Citizens have a good perception of the municipality’s work on water supply. Yet, this perception does not apply to sewerage (covers of manholes are lacking and bad odor spreads from them).

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication - Information should be provided in due time, not in the last moment - Citizens must be informed on the territorial reform - Municipality must provide more information rather than promotion - Increase capacities of municipal staff on information and civic engagement

Transparency in Decision-making - It is recommended that the municipality’s website is updated regularly, enriched with information of interest to citizens, such as transparency program, transparency registry, the application form for information and where the application should be submitted; - The stand of notifications should have updated information

Participation in Decision-making - All citizens must be informed about the time and venue of meetings/public consultations - It must be regularly pointed out that Municipal Council meetings are open to the public. The municipality should encourage citizens’ participation in decision-making.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning - The municipality is in the course of drafting a territorial strategy, which constitutes the main document on which strategic planning for the coming years will be based. It is recommended to undertake specific consultation and information campaigns with citizens that will benefit from the strategic planning.

Business Promotion - Open a shop/workshop to integrate work and sales of artisan women

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning - It is recommended that citizens are informed in details how their taxes are used.

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HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women - Citizens have a good opinion of the municipality’s work in this direction. It is recommended to work more regarding women’s employment drawing from the good experience of involvement of women in decision-making, particularly in senior positions. Marginalized Groups - Citizens appraised the work done by the Municipality of Korça with marginalized groups through various organizations and donors. - It is recommended that the municipality put more efforts in protecting and guaranteeing the marginalized groups’ rights and ensure their social inclusion.

Roma and Egyptians - It is recommended to improve the infrastructure in Roma neighborhood. - Develop a local strategy or plan on integration of Roma and Egyptian community. - Create opportunities for employment to Roma and Egyptian community.

Protection from Discrimination - It is recommended that the municipality undertake awareness campaigns in order to ensure social-cultural interaction and break discriminatory barriers

Other (social) issues - In addition to fixing toilets, the municipality should install heating in public schools - Regulate security in schools - Fix the situation and identify a solution on stray/street dogs

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

Bulgarec Administrative Unit - Design development programs/incentives on cultivation of fruit trees and potatoes; - Upgrade land; - Improve drainage and irrigation canals, a priority for rural residents; - Solve the situation of firewood; - Improve road infrastructure and lighting in villages, particularly in Biran village; - Station more waste bins; - Close/isolate water tanks, which are open; - Establish an office/space in the administrative unit to be used by heads of villages - Provide training and informational sessions on assimilation of the law, development of municipality/administrative unit.

Voskopoja Administrative Unit - Reconstruct the roads to the villages of Krushova, Lavdar, and Gjonomadh as well as those that lead to tourist attraction sites - Invest in village lighting, mainly in the village of Voskopoja - Relocate livestock outside the village of Voskopoja

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- Reinstate public transport from Korça to Voskopja, with specific schedule and locations - Conduct awareness campaigns with the residents for keeping the country tidy - Inform local residents on the municipality’s role and programs - Open a tourist information office - Open at least one drugstore in Voskopoja - Create a workshop that will integrate the work and sales of artisan women - Rehabilitate drainage canals - Inspect products in stores and restaurants (for guarantee and hygiene) - Encourage installation of a cable for local TV stations - Determine clearly forest and firewood management (how, who) - Control seeds for agriculture and use of pesticides - Open a museum in Voskopoja - Reconstruct the local school - Reconstruct and manage local churches

Mollaj Administrative Unit - Intervene to regulate transport, either by bus or scheduled privately-run transport service - Ensure free transport for school children - Address separation of waste and drinkable water - Clean drinkable water tanks, as they have never been cleaned; chlorinate drinkable water - Clean/rehabilitate drainage and irrigation canals - Ensure lighting in villages - Solve the issue of firewood and pastureland for livestock - There is a need to establish a milk processing factory - There is a need to establish a collection/trade/processing facility for apples - There is a need to establish a producers’ collective farm - It is necessary to employ women (in artisan production) - Ease the tax burden for the group of population on welfare

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COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2016

MUNICIPALITY OF KUÇOVA

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1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF KUÇOVA

The information used for the preparation of this profile was extracted from the draft Territorial Development Strategy of the Municipality of Kuçova.

The post territorial-administrative reform Municipality of Kuçova is composed of 4 administrative units, which are: Kuçova, Kozara, Perondi, and Lumas. The municipality center is the town of Kuçova. This local government unit administers one town and 31 villages. Its area size is 160.23 square kilometers. According to the Census of 2011, the municipality has 31,262 residents, whereas according to the Civil Registry the municipality’s population is 55,293 inhabitants. The Municipality of Kuçova borders with the Municipality of Belsh to the north and west, with the Municipality of Gramsh to the east, Municipality of Berat to the south, and Municipality of Ura Vajgurore to the west.

Merged with three rural administrative units, the town of Kuçova – former oil producer town of Stalin – now combines its resources based chiefly on oil with the agriculture sector of these rural areas. Discovered and exploited earlier in this area, oil and gas continue to be the main source of living for Kuçova. The natural wealth in oil and gas is considered to be high in this area, but inefficiently exploited because of lack of investments in this area. The administrative units of Perondi and Kozara are characterized by lowlands, which generate revenues through cultivation of agricultural crops. Indeed, a considerable number of greenhouses have been built to produce vegetables. The Administrative Unit of Lumas has hilly lands, which facilitates the cultivation of fruit trees.

Over the last decades, the urban population has decreased considerably, as people have been forced to leave because of limited opportunities for employment available in the zone. This has led to substantial aging of population. Demographic movement of rural residents to the town of Kuçova, particularly in suburban areas, has been insignificant, but has produced new settlements which run short of basic infrastructure.

Kuçova has a total of 823 business units (year 2015), out of which 92% are small businesses and only 8% are large entrepreneurships. Irrespective of the relatively small number of businesses, their distribution over territory is quite large when compared with the size of population. The service sector takes up the majority of businesses, 42.65%. This sector includes restaurants, hotels, coffee bars, transport and communication operators and other services. Trade is second with 33.5% of economic units, focused mainly in small businesses.

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Industry is the sector with the smallest share of business entities, 11.06%, located mainly in the administrative units of Kuçova and Perondi.

Some 5,318 farms classified as livestock, agricultural and mixed farms, operate in the Municipality of Kuçova. Thirty seven agri-processing facilities –bakeries, diaries, factories of edible oil factories, tinned vegetable, salami, and flour mills– run their activities in the newly- established municipality. The contribution of livestock production to the region varies from 12% to 20%. The size of agricultural land is 8,184 ha located in Perondi, Kozara, and Lumas. The land is cultivated with cereals, (greenhouse) vegetables, melons, forage, olives, fruit trees, and vineyards. Forage is the most cultivated crop with a farmed area of 2,587 ha, followed by cereals with 1,592 ha, and vegetables with 360 ha. Kuçova is also known for livestock breeding. The forestland and pastureland of the Municipality of Kuçova is about 4,660 ha and is mainly found in the three former communes.

Industry is a very important sector for the Municipality of Kuçova, employing about 17% of the total employed people in the municipality. Kuçova is one of Albania’s earliest oilfields where oil extraction and processing industry is developed. It has the largest number of oil wells in the country – 1,090 units.

The Municipality of Kuçova has now a General Local Territorial Plan currently in the adoption process.

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2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Evaluation card: the preparatory phase of the project is very important for determining aspects/ areas to be covered and the indicators to be used by the CBS. Twenty performance indicators were defined based on the selected areas. Three specific cards were prepared for the city, administrative unit, and a summary of evaluation of citizens and service providers.

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Kuçova and the administrative units of Kozara and Perondi were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 68 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well- balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 31 men and 37 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial-administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision- making.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Kuçova. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and her staff, other attendees of this event included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Kuçova, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens 108

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3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Kuçova center, Levan, Cakran, and Perondi. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 3.9 City Service providers 4.5 Administrative Citizens 3 unit Service providers 3.5

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 4.4 City Service providers 4.5 Administrative Citizens 3.3 unit Service providers 3.5

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

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LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score Citizens 3.2 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 3.5 unit Service providers 4

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 3.2 City Service providers 3.5 Administrative Citizens 2.2 unit Service providers 3

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4. MAIN FINDINGS

COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF EVALUATION OF URBAN AREA VERSUS RURAL AREA

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads Infrastructure While there is need to improve road infrastructure, the common feature in the evaluation of both rural and urban areas is the fact that the community involved in focus groups has seen the difference that has occurred in both areas. Secondary and interchange roads are still problematic.

Lighting System Lighting in town is better than in suburban areas and this seems to be a challenge for the municipality due to the limited budget and lack of investments on the part of former communes, which are now part of the municipality.

Cleaning Service In terms of quality of cleaning, the satisfaction level of urban area residents is quite different from that of rural areas. The former are happy with the work of the municipality, and think that it is time to implement a project on waste recycle. On the other hand, rural area residents declare that the quality of the cleaning service is deficient. Waste bins have been installed, but irresponsible citizens still dump agricultural waste anywhere they can.

Greenery Service Neighborhood citizens complain that green spaces are small in their residential areas and point out the lack of recreational facilities for children, women and the elderly. Rural area residents say that forests and pastureland are maintained.

Water Supply and Sewerage The problems encountered by residents of both urban and rural areas are similar. In urban areas, water is supplied on limited schedule and this is quite a concern during summertime. 112

Sewers are also problematic, because of constructions on wastewater collectors. In rural areas, water supply is unsatisfactory. During summertime, water is supplied once a day or, in certain areas, twice a week. Sewer pipelines are outdated and wastewater is mixed with drinkable water in many instances.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication Focus group participants from rural and urban areas evaluate the quality of information from local authorities and communication with them as very good. Urban residents declared that the municipality uses the following means to inform citizens: website, local newspaper, Facebook page, notifications in the information stand, whereas information in rural areas is provided from the information stand, letters, messengers, or word of mouth in village’s coffee bar.

Transparency in Decision-making The municipality organizes public meetings with citizens in both urban and rural areas and has established mechanisms to guarantee information, transparency and participation of citizens in these meetings. Yet, these instruments do not always reach out to citizens.

Participation in Decision-making Citizens are aware that Municipal Council’s meetings are open and declare that they attend them when they face problems and in rare cases when they like to attend the proceedings of these meetings. Citizens declare that decision-making does not belong to them. This is particularly pointed out in rural areas. Citizens in both areas think that the Municipal Council must be more active in undertaking initiatives to the benefit of the community or in more frequent meetings with them.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning The entire economic development in the territory of the municipality of Kuçova relies on the Strategic Development Plan 2015-2017. It is important that this plan focuses in both rural and urban areas. It should, however, be pointed out that citizens are not informed about the existence of this plan. In addition to the General Local Territorial Plan, the Municipality of Kuçova has developed a Territorial Development Strategy, which will guide the municipality’s work and policies for a 15-year period.

Business Promotion In the urban area, the municipality has created fiscal facilities by reducing taxes by 30%. In addition, the municipality has eliminated the business registration tax and has eased up the service procedures by means of a one-stop-shop. In rural areas, investments have been planned on irrigation and drainage canals, promotion and encouragement of farmers that produce agricultural crops from the 0.5 hectare land given to them rent-free. Rural residents declare that administrators must demand subsidy for fuel for the transport of agricultural products, tractors and combines, as well as the construction of a facility to collect their agriculture and livestock outputs. 113

Employment Promotion Even though it does not have a specific unit to deal with employment issues, the municipality has talked over to cut-and-sew businesses for women’s employment. In rural areas, coordination on collection and sale of agricultural output between farming businesses with the municipality is good, but farmers in administrative units complain about deficiencies in this direction. The local government unit does not have a study on the situation of unemployment.

Collection of Taxes Tax collection rate in the Municipality of Kuçova is 86% - 90% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas. No awareness campaign on tax collection has been undertaken to date. Citizens think that employment and economic level should increase in order to improve tax collection rate for the municipality. The latter has planned for a better coordination of local and national structure on few taxes, which should be incorporated into the system.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women The municipality does not have a specific program to address gender-based violence, but has assigned a staff member to deal with gender equality issues. Citizens from both rural and urban area confirm the municipality’s perception that schools are doing a good job to raise awareness and inform people about domestic violence by means of various activities. In addition, residents are informed on the cooperation of women’s organizations with the local government unit on projects focusing on women, even though the municipality does not have specific programs on this problem. Some challenges confronting the municipality today include shortage of funds and lack of a rehabilitation center for victims of violence. The municipality does not have statistical data on cases of violence.

Marginalized Groups The municipality’s efforts to ensure funds through projects for disabled children speak of the LGU’s commitment to this marginalized group. Also, the municipality has made available a vehicle to provide transport for these children to and from school. Some services are also provided to the elderly in urban areas. Regardless, rural areas are short of rehabilitative services to children with disabilities, elderly, and women which are victims of domestic violence.

Protection from Discrimination The urban community is informed on the existence of a Law on Protection from Discrimination not only because the municipality has designed specific programs on protection from discrimination, but also because schools have done a good job in this direction. A dissimilar case applies to rural community, which is not aware of this law. Rural residents do not know about the Commissioner on the Protection from Discrimination, even though the Municipality collaborates with this Commissioner.

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5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads Infrastructure Citizens think that the municipality is doing a good job in increasing the number of roads of high quality standards. The municipality’s road maintenance specialists think that lack of funding has created difficulties in the maintenance of secondary roads, while major roads are well maintained. The LGU has a long-term plan for intervention that will ensure stability to this service. It is currently designing this intervention with the new water supply network, which will be complete by year 2017. This will help to improve the roads, which will be of high standards. The municipality has also determined priorities on construction and maintenance of roads to be achieved in accordance with the number of residents and proximity with major businesses. It has solicited the opinion of the Citizens Advisory Pane in public hearings conducted for this very purpose. These public hearings on the General Local Territorial Plan helped to determine, among others, the construction of sidewalks for all uses, including disabled people and the elderlies. Citizens think that project developed should design better road projects with meaningful impact and safety. Road signage is in good conditions, because the enterprise maintaining this signage is cooperating with the Service Department to ensure a quality product. Cooperation with the traffic police is also satisfactory.

Lighting System While both citizens and the local government unit think that the lighting system is good, there remains much to be done. Lighting service is better in the town than in suburban areas. Work is underway to expand public lighting service to rural areas. The maintenance service specialist pointed out that the poor quality of this service in peripheral areas of the municipality is a challenge because of lack of investments on the part of former communes. New schemes have been planned and designed to improve lighting, especially in the municipality’s peripheral areas and this is also reflected in the increase of the budget line item for this service. One of the difficulties of this service is lack of funding because of shortages in generating revenues.

Cleaning Service The cleaning service is outsourced to a private company that is working to meet contractual obligations. Waste is removed every 6 mornings and residents are happy with the municipality’s work in this direction. They think it is time to implement projects on waste recycling. There are unregulated areas with holes remaining from former oil wells, now filled with uncollected and dumped waste. Hygiene and recreational areas are lacking. The municipality is planning to address the issue of urban waste.

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Greenery Service The Municipality of Kuçova has a significantly large green area. It is protected diligently, but citizens of other neighborhoods are complaining of lack of this service in their localities and inexistent recreational facilities for children, women and elderlies. The municipality has designed plans and allocated budget to expand and increase green areas and maintain them on daily basis.

Water Supply and Sewerage Citizens and the municipality share the same finding – water supply remains one of the greatest challenges to address. Water is supplied on limited schedule and this is quite a concern during summertime. Water supply fee is collected at a rate of 85%. Citizens perceive the quality of water to be better when compared with previous years. According to the specialists, this is due to the rugged terrain and the flow of water in the intended course, unmixed with wastewater. Also, water quality is checked regularly in the control sites and efforts are placed to avoid bacterial pollution in cooperation with the Public Health Department. The new water supply project will need additional breaks of roads and citizens need to be informed regularly on the quality, interruptions or shortage of water supply service during this period. Sewers are also problematic, because of constructions on wastewater collectors. Sewer pipelines are outdated and wastewater is mixed with drinkable water in many instances. The collector channel is open at the town’s exit point. The new water supply grid, expected to complete by 2017, will improve the water supply service quality considerably.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication According to the citizens’ perception, the Municipality of Kuçova has done a commendable work to guarantee to the citizens their right to information required by them. The municipality uses these means to inform the citizens: website, local newspaper, Facebook page, and notices in the information stand. In general, responses to citizens take up to 10 days, with the exception of some cases relative to information requested or specificities of the case. They tend to be straight to the point, even though accuracy of information does not depend on the information desk but rather on the relevant department. An efficient complaint system has been established for citizens who can now file their cases with the permiresoqytetin.al portal, the municipality’s website or personal visit to the information desk to fill in the information/complaint form. This desk publishes notices of interest to citizens in the visual and printed media. Citizens’ demands on infrastructure and their social-economic needs are regularly examined. The local government unit has appointed a public information coordinator, but has not developed a transparency program yet and has not established a requests/complaints register. It has its website www.bashkiakucove.gov.al online. The Citizens’ Advisory Panel is very active in introducing ideas and priorities of development presenting them in public hearings and other meetings with the local government unit.

Participation in Decision-making The municipality organizes public meetings with citizens and has established a mechanism to guarantee their information and participation in these meetings, even though sometimes they do not reach out to citizens. Incorporation of citizens’ opinion/feedback expressed in the decision- making meetings of the municipality/Municipal Council is a challenge to be addressed. Citizens are aware that Municipal Council’s meetings are open and declare that they attend them when 116

they face problems and in rare cases when they like to attend the proceedings of these meetings. Citizens declare that decision-making does not belong to them. Citizens in both areas think that the Municipal Council must be more active in undertaking initiatives to the benefit of the community or in more frequent meetings with them. Residents of this municipality know that a Citizens’ Advisory Panel has been active for several years and that the municipality conducts regular meeting with this organization, particularly for problems directly affecting their lives and also because of its diverse representation. The collaboration between CAP and the municipality is very fruitful. The municipality holds public hearing sessions to discuss development priorities solicited from citizens by CAP before adopting the annual budget. Citizens may also submit their feedback/ideas or complaints via a municipal email address. Citizens have a maximal appreciation of the municipality’s transparency and think that their local government unit is has an open office where they can get quality and timely information and service.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning The entire economic development in the territory of the Municipality of Kuçova builds on the Strategic Plan 2015-2017. While the Municipality has published it in its official website, citizens are not aware of the existence of a strategic development plan. Citizens are familiar with the Development and Coordination Office even though they have no knowledge of its projects and work. The municipality has submitted applications to the Regional Development Fund with projects that seek to promote development of tourism, such as in the area of Sinec, the churches of Kozara and Perondi, in order to create job opportunities and reduce poverty. Day tour guides have been prepared to aim for historic tourism, oil extraction and its history, agricultural tourism, and promotion and marketing of products, guest houses, etc. All these seek to boost local economy and employment, particularly for the youth and women. Priority is given to farmers through irrigation and drainage system as well as the municipality’s connection with the Administrative Unit of Lumas by means of a paved road for a quicker mobility and transport of agricultural products to the consumers.

Business Promotion The municipality’s main strategy on business promotion is fair competition. About 100 business entities pay local taxes and fees. Taxes have decreased by 30% and business registration tax has been removed to encourage businesses. The municipality conducts regular meetings with the business representatives to support them. In addition, it thinks that private business development will encourage employment due to fiscal facilities created for them. There are no, however, figures, statistics or research on the number of jobs created, if any, and on the number of women or vulnerable group people employed. Better coordination between local farmers and the municipality has been achieved for the collection and trade of agricultural crops, even though farmers complain of deficient work in this respect.

Employment Promotion The municipality does not have a special unit to deal with employment issues, but its strategic plan foresees developments and projects that will alleviate unemployment. The municipality has talked over to cut-and-sew businesses for women’s employment, but citizens think that the Labor Inspectorate should conduct inspections on maximal exploitation of labor force on low pay. In rural areas, coordination on collection and sale of agricultural output between farming

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businesses with the municipality is good, but farmers in administrative units complain about deficiencies in this direction. The local government unit does not have a study on the situation of unemployment. The municipality does not have a study on situation of unemployment and citizens perceive that unemployment rate is 70-80%, affecting youth and women mostly, particularly those at 45 years of age. It strives to take upon the role of negotiator with private businesses and jobseekers and is particularly focused in the employment of vulnerable groups.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning Tax collection rate in the Municipality of Kuçova is 86% - 90% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas. No awareness campaign on tax collection has been undertaken to date. Citizens think they are not convened for the budget, while the municipality activates CAP to determine and examine development priorities that translate then into budget figures. Meetings have been held in neighborhoods and administrative units and priorities have been introduced by administrative unit heads and burgomasters, which become part of the working group for drafting the budget. Debates on budget are open. Rural and urban residents are informed by means of fly-outs, brochures, municipality’s website, Facebook profile, and notices through local councilors. The municipality has anticipated a better coordination of local and central structures on some taxes that need to be incorporated into the system. It is proposed that the building tax be incorporated in the power bill, just like the other fees, as the annual tax of 5-6 thousand Albanian Leks is not that unfordable for households.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women The municipality does not have a specific program to address gender-based violence, but has assigned a staff member to deal with gender equality issues. The referral mechanism has not been established yet; a technical council is in place and meetings are held with it only. The municipality states that information campaigns have been organized in cooperation with local women organizations and Regional Education Directorate of Kuçova. Citizens from both rural and urban are informed on the cooperation of women’s organizations with the local government unit on projects focusing on women, even though the municipality does not have specific programs on this problem. Local women organizations are offered premises for free, with paid power and water bills. Their cooperation is, however, short-lived and sporadic. Some challenges confronting the municipality today include shortage of funds and lack of a rehabilitation center for victims of violence. The municipality does not have statistical data on cases of violence. Women’s organizations support vulnerable groups by employing and engaging them in their projects. Cases are also reported from administrative units as well as from the 24-hour toll-free number established for reporting cases of domestic violence. The local government unit does not have statistics on cases of violence. There is good participation of women in local decision-making, considering that 51% of local councilors are women.

Roma and Egyptians The municipality collaborates with local Roma organizations and supports continuous projects for them. Citizens perceive that Egyptians continue to integrate much better than Roma people 118

do in the community, as the latter are more resistant to integration and cooperation. The municipality pays for the food of 8 Roma children in the kindergarten. Participants are aware of the limited financial possibilities of the municipality. They think that considering the local government unit’s financial situation, the work of the municipality is satisfactory. Citizens declare that several awareness campaigns have been carried out, particularly in cooperation with the schools and Regional Education Directorate of Kuçova. The municipality says it does not have structures to deal specifically with this issue.

Marginalized Groups The social service’s priority is to provide timely and quality services to all vulnerable groups – children, women, people with disabilities, households. With current deficient resources, this service has been provided under municipal funding. The municipality has applied for an EU- funded project for disabled community to focus on their physical and electronic mobility. Some of the activities to be run by this project include installation of ramps in schools, conferences, joint meetings with disabled people outside the country, etc. Participants are informed that a facility for elderly is running. In cooperation with the Red Cross, which offers free coffees and organizes various trips and activities, the municipality makes available a room at no charge and pays their local fees. In addition, the municipality has undertaken a healthcare project for this social category. Apart from these, participants mentioned food aid to elderly people of the center as well as for vulnerable groups. Citizens think that the municipality must be more active and show more care about this group by applying for effective projects and collaborations.

Protection from Discrimination The community is informed on the existence of a Law on Protection from Discrimination not only because the municipality has designed specific programs on protection from discrimination, but also because schools have done a good job in this direction. The local government unit has not established specific structures for this issue. Rural residents do not know about the Commissioner on the Protection from Discrimination, even though the Municipality collaborates with this Commissioner.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Road Infrastructure Citizens think that irrespective of the improvements the road connecting with the administrative unit center with Kuçova is still problematic. They do not know what the other interventions will be about, but do know that the administrative unit’s priorities have been submitted to the municipality to be incorporated in the general development plan. Priorities are determined consultation meetings with residents. Perondi residents think that sidewalks are inadequate where they exist, whereas the Kozara people think that their sidewalks are maintained and come to help to the elderly and the children.

Cleaning service Citizens think that cleaning service quality is deficient. Containers have been installed, but residents’ irresponsibility is still a problem, as they dump their agricultural waste outside the 119

containers. Administrators of both units point out that the municipality has planned to introduce improvements.

Water supply The water supply service is unsatisfactory. Water is supplied once a day and in few areas twice a week. Sewers are outdated and oftentimes drinkable water is mixed with wastewater. Service improvements have been proposed with top priority from both administrative units during consultations on development plan and budget.

Forests and pastureland According to local residents, forests and pastureland are maintained. Both administrative units are committed to this issue. Heads of villages of both units cooperate with the administrators and the public order police to refer cases of damage to forests.

Irrigation and drainage canals The Municipality of Kuçova has planned to make investments in the irrigation and drainage system. Local people declare that the situation has improved compared with the last year, but bad weather and stormy rainfall still flood land and render drainage difficult. Lack of investments for a considerably long time has turned maintenance into a challenge.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication Administrative units guarantee the citizens’ right to obtain data/information or copies of municipality’s acts/decisions. Information is published up in the notification stand, letters, messengers, or word of mouth in village’s coffee bar. Residents are happy with their administrators’ work in the administrative units of Kozara and Perondi. These administrators are ready to give their locals accurate information. Administrative units have public meeting days for the locals, but the latter may find information on the municipality’s website. There is no complaints system with the exception of meetings in the office, cafés, streets and anywhere possible. Residents’ priorities and needs are identified in the meetings and then presented to the municipality.

Participation in Decision-Making Inhabitants of both administrative units declare that public meetings and consultations have been held in cooperation with CAP to discuss budget priorities and issues that affect their life directly. Some CAP members come from these areas and solicit locals’ priorities from friendly conversations. Hot topics included unemployment, poverty, water supply, roads, drainage canals, transport of agricultural and livestock production to markets, etc. In citizens’ perception, burgomasters are very collaborative with the administrative units and report any problem, conflict or violations. Local people know that Municipal Council’s meetings are open but admit that their challenge is the civic indifferentism and the vague, sometimes deficient, role of the administrative unit’s municipal councilor.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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Strategic Planning Administrative units’ administrators think that the development plan gives importance to quality improvement of services through investments. Locals and administrative units see investments in kindergartens and nursery homes as well as cooperation with civil society organizations or municipality’s intervention in cut-and-sew businesses for employment of women and girls as a sensitive gender element. Priorities for other administrative units include drainage and irrigation canals, water supply, and roads.

Promotion of Businesses/Employment Administrative units’ priorities include investments in drainage and irrigation canals, promotion and assistance to farmers that generate revenues from 0.5 ha of land given to them rent-free. Rural residents declare that administrators must demand subsidy for fuel for the transport of agricultural products, tractors and combines, as well as the construction of a facility to collect their agriculture and livestock outputs.

Collection of Revenues Citizens are informed of their tariff obligations through notifications. Participants in focus groups stated that the current level of collection of revenues is mostly linked with the limited economic possibilities of several households. Locals and administrators think that the revenues will be transferred as investments in roads, water supply and sewerage, drainage and irrigation canals, and in a better life.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Issues of Gender Equality and Addressing Domestic Violence Citizens perceive that there is no violence. They think that the community is aware of the gender-based violence and say that the education institutions are doing a good job with activities in this direction. There are no statistics on domestic and gender-based violence. Violated and vulnerable women are sporadically assisted by charity activities or by the community itself, indicating the lack of municipality’s role in providing rehabilitation services to them. Both the community and the administrators are not cognizant of programs that address violence.

Marginalized Groups The community thinks that the municipality must have special programs on the protection and guaranteeing of the rights and social inclusion of this group. Administrators point out that the municipality has made available a vehicle to provide transport for these children to and from school. However, rural areas are short of rehabilitative services to children with disabilities, elderly, and women which are victims of domestic violence

Protection from Discrimination Inhabitants have no knowledge about the work done by the municipality on this issue, but administrative units’ administrators are aware of the existence of the Law on Protection from Discrimination. They do not know whether the municipality has a particular program focusing on protection from discrimination.

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations refer to problems identified by the community in the entire territory of the municipality.

• The evaluation process has indicated the many differences between the urban and rural areas within the municipality territory and that the local authorities need to address these differences in order to eliminate them gradually and to respect the citizens’ right to equal services irrespective of their location.

• Interventions in secondary and interchange road infrastructure and keep up the good practices of making sidewalks accessible to all users (including disabled people, baby and elderly carriages).

• The municipality should intervene with the public transport to make it connect urban and rural areas.

• Extend lighting services to rural areas and address the problem of lighting in suburban areas.

• It is time to implement projects on waste recycling. Former oil wells filled with waste must be cleaned in areas where they are not regulated. In rural areas, in addition to placing extra containers, work should be carried out to make residents aware of their use.

• Expand green and recreational areas in inner neighborhoods of the town.

• The new water supply network solves the problem raised by the community, but it is recommended that citizens are informed of the works, service interruptions or lack of water supply. The problem of sewers caused by settlements built on collectors must be addressed.

• The municipality should continue with the mechanisms and the very commendable practices on information and involvement of community in the decision-making. The coordinator of the right to information should develop a transparency program and prepare a register of complaints/requests.

• The Municipal Council must be more active in undertaking initiatives to the benefit of the community or in more frequent meetings with them to better understand community’s needs and priorities and how the municipality addresses these needs channeled in the council’s decision as well as to eliminate the indifferentism that locals show to the council’s activity.

• The municipality should pay more attention to the collection and analysis of statistical data that would help to better evaluate priorities and policies to be pursued. In particular, data on employment/unemployment, cases of domestic violence, etc. should be collected and analyzed.

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• Rural residents have recommended subsidies for fuel for the transport of agricultural products, tractors and combines, as well as the construction of a facility to collect their agriculture and livestock outputs.

• The municipality should play a more active role in addressing domestic violence, especially in rural areas. The awareness campaigns undertaken by the educational system are highly important, but should be coordinated by the municipality and should include all stakeholders that are part of the mechanism, which addresses domestic violence (municipality, police, healthcare, social services, etc.) in order to achieve the required impact. Regardless of the insufficient financial resources to provide rehabilitation and emergency services to domestic violence victims, the municipality should interact with the region or other national stakeholders to guarantee the necessary services to this group.

• In terms of social services, it is recommended that the municipality develop a social plan that would consider the vulnerable groups and individuals, their needs for services and project services to be provided and their detailed costs.

• It is necessary to inform the community in the entire territory and the members of the Roma and Egyptian communities as well as the people with disabilities, etc., on issues of discrimination and on the legal instruments that protect them from discrimination.

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COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2016

MUNICIPALITY OF LUSHNJE

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1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF LUSHNJE

The new Municipality of Lushnje borders with the municipalities of Rrogozhina and Peqin to the north, with the Municipality of Divjaka to the east, municipalities of Fier and Roskovec to the south, and the Municipality of Belsh to the west. The city of Lushnje is the center of the new municipality. The municipality of Lushnje is composed of 11 administrative units, which are: Lushnje, Allkaj, Bubullima, Hysgjokaj, Golem, Dushk, Karbunara, Ballagat, Fier Shegan, Kolonja and Krutje. All administrative units are part of the District of Lushnje and County of Fier. The new municipality administers one city and 85 villages.

According to the 2011 Census, the Municipality of Lushnje has a population of 83,659 residents, while the Civil Registry says the population is 127,438 residents. The new municipality lies in an area of 372.72 km, and has a population density of 244.7 residents per square kilometers using Census data or 341.91 residents/km² as per Civil Registry data. The new LGU administers a generally rural area. 63% of its population lives in 85 villages. Lushnje is Albania’s most important agricultural area with arable crops, vegetables, melons, and livestock product in lowlands, and olive trees and vineyards hilly land.

Lushnje has the proximity of its arable land with the major consumer markets of the country, such as Tirana, Durres and Vlora. In the last two decades, Lushnje farmers have employed production techniques that seek to ensure early yields from their fields and greenhouse vegetable production to have plenty supplies for wintertime as well. Agricultural products are generally merchandized in local markets of Lushnje and then exported to the Balkan or Central and Eastern Europe markets. Some of the production is also delivered to domestic market. Some farmers are engaged in breeding of livestock, cattle and sheep and goats, and in producing milk by-products

In terms of urban area, entities of service, trade and other private enterprises are the only source of income for many local residents. In the past, the majority of local population was employed in the Plastic Production Factory, which closed down with the collapse of the communist system. Interchange road infrastructure with the major villages of the area has improved considerable during the last few years, but preventive maintenance of these investments is an ever-lasting concern. Located in the Administrative unit of Kolonja, the Monastery of Ardenica is now part of the new municipality and is expected to help boost tourism in the area.

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2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Lushnje and the administrative units of Kolonja, Fier-Shegan, and Krutje were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 68 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well-balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 31 men and 37 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial-administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Lushnje. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and his staff, other attendees of this event 126

included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Lushnje, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens were also discussed in this event. The mayor considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

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3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Lushnje center, Kolonja, Fier-Shegan, and Krutje. Municipal staff, including deputy mayor, and service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 3.3 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 1.8 unit Service providers 2.5

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 2.8 unit Service providers 3.5

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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Interviewees Score Citizens 3.3 City Service providers 3.8 Administrative Citizens 2 unit Service providers 3

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 1.5 unit Service providers 2.5

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4. MAIN FINDINGS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Road Infrastructure Citizens appraised the municipality’s commitment to invest in the reconstruction of the city’s main roads, entrance to the city, and installation of traffic lights and signage that directly affect community life. More work needs to be done for the suburban streets and roads in order to increase the quality of the investments made in this direction.

Public Lighting Public lighting service is evaluated positively, even though much remains to be done. Investments should be planned not only for the center but also for suburban neighborhoods as the service quality deteriorates the farther you go from the center.

Cleaning Service One of the most serious problems identified by city residents and the majority of rural administrative unit inhabitants relates with the quality of cleaning service, which is deficient and problematic in terms of frequency of service delivery, chlorination of waste collection location and lack of performance on the part of the company that has won the tender to provide this service.

In administrative units, this service is almost inexistent; waste is thrown on the canal embankments and other inadequate locations, waste containers are missing; waste is not removed thus causing infections and odor. Residents are not happy with the quality of performance of the municipality and demand urgent improvement of this system.

Public Greenery Service Citizens have a positive perception of the municipality’s fast-paced work on greenery in the city center. Most neighborhoods have a problem in this respect and demand from the municipality to ensure green areas in every zone, easily accessible to citizens, and outdoor recreational parks for children, youth, women, and the elderlies.

Water Supply and Sewerage Citizens and the municipality share the same finding – water supply remains one of the greatest challenges to address. Water is supplied on limited schedule, 1-1.5 hours per day. The water quality is very bad and supply pipelines are broken and outdated. The German KfW Bank is investing in the installation of new pipes and extending the service improvement in terms of water quality and quantity in other parts of the city. Some of the roads have broken because of this investment and citizens are unhappy with the quality of roads now. Sewers are also problematic, because of constructions on wastewater collectors. Sewer pipelines are outdated and wastewater is mixed with drinkable water in many instances. Water supply from the water utility is also problematic, because water supplied in administrative units is odorous, dark and can only be used for washing and irrigation, but not for drinking.

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Drainage and Irrigation Canals The municipality’s work in cleaning irrigation and drainage canals is evaluated positively, even though much remains to be done in many villages of the administrative units. Residents were happy with the initiation of work on land upgrades while the municipality has already completed a local census and is about to prepare an asset inventory.

Public Transport It is a fact that no public transport is provided in administrative units where the CBS was conducted, with the exception of the city of Lushnje and its neighboring villages. Commute to and from these villages is ensured by vans and private taxi service, which incurs costs to the residents of these communities.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE According to the citizens’ perception, the Municipality of Lushnje has done a commendable work to guarantee to the citizens their right to information required by them. The municipality uses these means to inform the citizens: website, local newspaper, Facebook page, and notices in the information stand. In general, responses to citizens take up to 10 days, with the exception of some cases relative to information requested or specificities of the case.

Official replies from the municipality tend to be straight to the point, even though accuracy of information does not depend on the information desk but rather on the relevant department. An efficient complaint system has been established for citizens who can now file their cases with the municipality’s website or personal visit to the information desk to fill in the information/complaint form. This desk publishes notices of interest to citizens in the visual and printed media.

Citizens’ demands on infrastructure and their social-economic needs are regularly examined. The local government unit has appointed a public information coordinator, but has not developed a transparency program yet and has not established a requests/complaints register. It has its website www.bashkialudhnje.gov.al online. The Citizens’ Advisory Panel is very active in introducing ideas and priorities of development presenting them in public hearings and other meetings with the local government unit.

The municipality organizes public meetings with citizens and has established a mechanism to guarantee their information and participation in these meetings, even though sometimes they do not reach out to citizens. Incorporation of citizens’ opinion/feedback expressed in the decision- making meetings of the municipality/Municipal Council is a challenge to be addressed. Citizens are aware that Municipal Council’s meetings are open and declare that they attend them when they face problems and in rare cases when they like to attend the proceedings of these meetings. Citizens declare that decision-making does not belong to them. Citizens in both areas think that the Municipal Council must be more active in undertaking initiatives to the benefit of the community or in more frequent meetings with them.

Residents of the Municipality of Lushnje know that a Citizens’ Advisory Panel has been active for several years and that the municipality conducts regular meeting with this organization, particularly for problems directly affecting their lives and also because of its diverse representation. The collaboration between CAP and the municipality is very fruitful.

The municipality holds public hearing sessions to discuss development priorities solicited from citizens by CAP before adopting the annual budget. Citizens may also submit their 131

feedback/ideas or complaints via a municipal email address. Citizens have a maximal appreciation of the municipality’s transparency and think that their local government unit is has an open office where they can get quality and timely information and service

Rural residents declare that there is no information office; no notice is given to them on public hearing sessions or other events; some meetings are simply formal and their opinion is not considered. There is no notification stand; many residents read information from notices posted up in electrical poles.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

One of the indicators of local economic development assessment reveals that the Municipality of Lushnje does not have an economic development strategy, but only a midterm budget. The municipality has recently adopted a territorial development strategy as part of the general local territory plan.

In terms of business promotion, the municipality has created incentives by means of local tax cuts expecting that these incentives will generate employment. There are no, however, figures, statistics or research on the number of jobs created, if any, and on the number of women or vulnerable group people employed.

The municipality does not have a special unit to deal with employment issues, but its strategic plan foresees developments and projects that will alleviate unemployment. The municipality has talked over to cut-and-sew businesses for women’s employment, but citizens think that the Labor Inspectorate should conduct inspections on maximal exploitation of labor force on low pay.

The local government unit does not have a study on the situation of unemployment. The municipality does not have a study on situation of unemployment and citizens perceive that unemployment rate is 65-80%, affecting youth and women mostly, particularly those at 45 years of age. It strives to take upon the role of negotiator with private businesses and jobseekers and is particularly focused in the employment of vulnerable groups.

In rural areas, coordination on collection and sale of agricultural output between farming businesses with the municipality is good, but farmers in administrative units complain about deficiencies in this direction.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

The municipality does not have a specific program to address gender-based violence, but has assigned a staff member to deal with gender equality issues. The referral mechanism has been established and operates on 24-hour basis. The municipality provides statistics on the number of cases of domestic violence. During 2016, 33 cases domestic violence were reported and the courts issued protection order. Only four of these cases are included in the economic aid scheme.

The information collected on administrative units reveal that rural areas have not reported cases of gender-based or domestic violence. Locals admit that the phenomenon is present, but victims’ mindset and economic conditions affect reporting and demand for help to related institutions. 132

The Law on Gender Equality has been implemented well in the local administration. Twenty out of 41 local councilors are women.

The municipality collaborates with local Roma organizations and supports continuous projects for them. The municipality has developed an action plan on Roma and Egyptian communities. Thanks to central government (Ministry of Urban Development), investments made in the rehabilitation of Roma and Egyptian settlements have improved the life of this community in the neighborhoods of Saver and Loni Dhamo. Investments are underway in the village of Zham of Dushk Administrative Unit. Respondents think that the municipality should be more active and commit to this marginalized group by applying for projects and effective collaborations.

The community is informed on the existence of a Law on Protection from Discrimination not only because the municipality has designed specific programs on protection from discrimination, but also because schools have done a good job in this direction. The local government unit has not established specific structures for this issue. Rural residents do not know about the Commissioner on the Protection from Discrimination, even though the Municipality has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with this Commissioner.

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5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

- Continue work on improvement of road network even in city’s suburban areas; - The lighting system should be more efficient not only in the city center but also in other neighborhoods and suburban areas - The cleaning service should be delivered on real terms starting from installation of waste bins and containers, cleaning of waste collection points, and asking citizens to dump their waste in the designated locations; - Invest more in green spaces and outdoor recreational facilities in both city center and in other neighborhoods and suburban areas; - Make more investment to improve water supply and sewage system in the city and clean collectors.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

- Work more on informing citizens about public meetings and hearings and ensure that their feedback is taken into consideration; - The notification system on public hearings and other public events should function for real, not formally and citizens’ opinion should be truly considered; - The Municipal Council should be more active in undertaking iniatives to the benefit of the local community; - Encourage citizens to be more active in the decision-making process as a mechanism to improve services and the living standard of the community;

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

- Cooperate with local Labor Office to open or operate at local government unit premises information offices on employment, vocational training in order to increase community access to job, or programs/demand for employment and skilled workers; - Establish a database with real figures on employment, number of jobless and jobseekers in the city of Lushnje; - Conduct more inspection to cut-and-sew businesses to guarantee respect of workers’ rights and decent work conditions;

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

- Increase awareness on domestic violence programs in order to eliminate the phenomenon; 134

- Create a special fund to help this category and establish mechanisms to employ women in various businesses registered in the municipality’s jurisdiction; - Include as many identified cases in the economic aid scheme; - Implement the action plan on marginalized communities not only in the neighborhoods of Saver and Loni Dhamo but also in other areas where this community lives; - Increase cooperation between local authorities and NGOs on activities and initiatives to the benefit of this community and improve its life; - Make more efforts on protection from discrimination and conduct awareness campaigns and other activities, particularly in the schools.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

- The cleaning service should also be delivered to administrative units, because it is inexistent there; place waste bins and containers where missing, and remove waste on daily basis; - Improve the water supply and sewerage service in both urban and rural administrative units; - Continue work on cleaning the drainage canals in arable land; - Reinstate public transport service in all administrative units as soon as possible.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

- Operate an information office in administrative units and inform local residents on public meetings and hearings and ensure that their feedback is taken into consideration; - Create a notice stand in most administrative units; - Train administrative unit officials on how to deliver information.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

- Establish and operate collection points for farmers’ production and provide incentives or grants to them; - Improve service quality of administrative unit officials and fair allocation of payments on services realistically delivered to citizens; - Design specific development plans and initiatives to generate job opportunities.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

- Develop various activities focusing on marginalized groups and provide timely and quality services to them - Increase allowance of economic aid to marginalized groups - Provide vocational training courses to enhance professional capacities of marginalized groups.

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COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2016

MUNICIPALITY OF SHKODRA

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1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF SHKODRA

The municipality of Shkodra borders with the Municipality of Malesia e Madhe to the north, Montenegro to the west, the Municipality of Tropoja to the east, and with the municipalities of Vau i Dejes and Lezha to the south. The city of Shkodra is the center of this municipality, which administers one city and 93 villages, and is composed of 11 administrative units - Shkodra, Ana e Malit, Berdica, Dajç, Guri i Zi, Postriba, Pult, Rrethinat, Shala, Shosh, and Velipoja. According to the 2011 Census, the Municipality of Shkodra has a population of 135,612 residents, while the Civil Registry says the population is 200,889 residents. The new municipality lies in an area of 872.71 km, and has a population density of 230.18 residents per square kilometers with Civil Registry data or 155.39 residents/km² according to 2011 Census.

The Municipality of Shkodra’s geographic position and climate ensure comparative advantages for development of agriculture and tourism. Within an area span of 100 km, the county possesses optimal natural conditions for balneal and lake tourism (with Velipoja and Lake of Shkodra), mountain tourism (Thethi), cultural tourism (the city of Shkodra and Rozafa Castle), and agri-tourism. The natural resources, proximity with Montenegro and traditional relations with the cross-border community constitute another important instrument for Shkodra’s social and economic development.

The municipality has experienced significant developments and major infrastructure investments in the recent years, including large-scale investments such as Buna Bridge, Muriqan Border Crossing Point, Shkodra-Hani i Hotit Highway, completion of the city ring road, and the construction of pedestrian paths.Floods are among the major problems to Shkodra causing considerable damages to the majority of the new municipality, which is addressing the challenge of identifying and implementing a final solution to this problem through interventions in the Buna River and construction of embankments in the rivers of Drin and Kir.

The cut-and-sew businesses have developed significantly in the city of Shkodra over the last few years alleviating the problem of unemployment. Yet, unemployment rate remains quite high in this northern city. After the territorial-administrative reform, it is necessary to generate employment by revitalizing the former industrial area. Shkodra is the only university area in the northern part of Albania and one of the most important sources (in addition to the University of Tirana) for educated elite in this part of the country.

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2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Shkodra and the administrative units of Berdica, Dajç, and Ana e Malit were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well-balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial-administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision- making.

Public presentation: Public presentation of the scorecard evaluation process was the final phase of the CBS in the Municipality of Shkodra. It was held as a public forum with the citizens of this local government unit. In addition to the Mayor and her staff, other attendees of this event included representatives of civil society organizations operating in Shkodra, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with 138

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3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Shkodra center, Berdica, Dajç, and Ana e Malit. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. A score scale of 1 to 5 was used in this process. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 2.8 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 2.5 unit Service providers 3.5

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.5 City Service providers 4.5 Administrative Citizens 2.5 unit Service providers 3.5

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

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LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score Citizens 2.8 City Service providers 3.5 Administrative Citizens 1.7 unit Service providers 3

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 3 City Service providers 4 Administrative Citizens 2.3 unit Service providers 3

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4. MAIN FINDINGS

COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF EVALUATION OF URBAN AREA VERSUS RURAL AREA

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

• There is a significant difference of the evaluation of citizens involved in the CBS process on the quality of roads and sidewalks in the municipality and between the municipalities and its administrative units. It goes without saying that the quality of roads is deemed to be better in the main neighborhoods of the city. It somehow deteriorates in the Mark Lula neighborhood and aggravates Berdica, Dajç and Anën e Malit.

• Similar disparity is also noticed in the lighting and cleaning for which good work is reported for the central areas of the municipality and problems are reported in the suburban areas and secondary roads.

• The water supply is problematic for all administrative units involved in this evaluation. Lack of regular water supply increases expenditures for consumers, because they are forced to use water pumps and deposits to ensure uninterrupted water supply in their households. In certain areas of the city, illegal drilling for water extraction and use of drinkable water for irrigation or car wash are reported.

• In the three rural administrative units, Berdica, Dajç and Anën e Malit, the community involved in the CBS process is unhappy with the constant blocking of drainage canals, as cleaning interventions are sporadic and during the storm season only.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

• A common feature of both urban and rural areas from the viewpoint of information and communication with local authorities relates with their possibilities to obtain information from the local government unit. The forms of obtaining information are various. Internet is mostly used in urban areas. In rural areas, information is obtained from the local administration and informational stands. Yet, there are disparities within the urban area, as focus group participant living in the suburban areas of the city state that they do not have access to internet and when requesting information from local institution, delays 142

are very common. Oftentimes, municipal staff do not understand the nature of the problem or cause delays to information seekers.

• All focus group participants indicated that they were aware of the fact that the Municipality organized meetings with the community as a form to encourage their involvement in decision-making. Unlike those living in central parts of the urban areas who stated that they were informed of and had participated in such meetings, focus group participants living in peripheral zones claimed that they had not been informed of these meetings. Both groups agreed that their opinion expressed in community meetings was not seriously considered by the municipality, thus triggering disinterest among many citizens.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• There is lack of information on the existence of a strategic plan on economic development. Furthermore, participants from administrative units of this CBS process had no information on what the plan projected for their administrative unit. The same finding applies to respondents from suburban areas. Unlike these groups, the interviewees from the city center neighborhoods were aware of this plan, as they had taken part in public hearing sessions held by the municipality for this very purpose.

• Respondents from all focus groups were not aware of any strategy, policy or plan of the municipality for promoting private business. Participants stated, however, that the municipality had reduced the tax on women-run businesses and more efforts have been placed to encourage new businesses.

• Focus group participants reported the same form of notification of tax obligations from the municipality: invoices delivered to households and similar form of payment: refusal to issue civil certificates and documents in case of failure to pay taxes. Suburban and rural area residents stated that some people do not pay taxes because of their disparate economic situation and the discrepancies between the taxes and fees they pay with the service provided by the water utility. There are areas where no water supply service is provided and residents are yet asked to pay for the service.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

• It is obvious that there is lack of information on the part of rural area residents on the municipality’s activity to address gender-based violence. Unlike participants from urban areas, most focus group respondents from Dajç and Berdica were not aware of the municipality’s program to address gender-based violence and awareness campaign carried out to this end. Some focus group participants from Dajç confirmed to have been informed of the meetings on domestic violence conducted by various associations.

• Focus group respondents from Dajç were informed of the special programs on protection and guarantee of marginalized groups’ rights, because the municipality was preparing a social plan seeking to involve these groups and engage all structures. Berdica participants were not, however, aware of these programs, whereas respondents from Ana e Malit had information about the programs on orphan and Roma community children. All focus group participants stated that the municipality cooperated with civil 143

society on marginalized groups and considered the work of the municipality in this aspect to be “just OK”.

• Unlike the participants of focus groups from the city center neighborhoods who were informed of the municipality’s special programs to protect and guarantee the rights of the Roma and Egyptians and its cooperation with local organizations on these issues, residents from the Mark Lula neighborhood and administrative units had no knowledge of these groups.

• The same finding applies to protection from discrimination. City center participants admit that the municipality has established an office incorporated in the social service department to address issues on protection from discrimination as well as a specific program in pursuance of the relevant law. Dissimilarly, participants from periphery and administrative units had no knowledge of the Law ‘On Protection from Discrimination’ and of any program designed by the municipality for this purpose.

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5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads and Sidewalks Neighborhoods in the center: Road infrastructure interventions have considerably improved in Shkodra. Many roads have been paved, even though citizens involved in the CBS process have said that their quality, particularly in suburban areas, has not been at the required standard. The problem of deficient quality is more evident in peripheral roads. Citizens observe damage or roads, manholes, sidewalks, theft of manhole covers. They link this situation with the quality of supervisors’ work and lack of control on maintenance of constructed roads. Shkodra has no traffic lights, but vertical and horizontal signage is installed, particularly in the main roads. Problems are also identified in the Shiroka road, in which rocks cover the surface usually after heavy rainfall. While the road is newly paved, its sidewalks have started to deteriorate.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Its main roads are in good condition. The ring road is particularly well constructed. Secondary roads are not maintained; some roads are unpaved; the grounds and spaces among apartment buildings is unpaved and unregulated. The sidewalks are not kept in an orderly fashion; their weeds are not removed and their tiles keep moving thus calling for regular maintenance.

Lighting and Quality of Service Neighborhoods in the center: The downtown roads have a lighting system, but peripheral and secondary roads are not lit. When lamps burn out, they are either replaced very late or not fixed at all.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Lighting is available in the main road only and is missing in secondary and peripheral roads.

Cleaning and Its Quality Neighborhoods in the center: The quality of cleaning in downtown areas is good; in peripheral neighborhoods cleaning is deficient. The tiles in the pedestrian street, which is also a tourist path, are unfixed and moving. Dirt is piling up. Stools have been damaged. More garbage bins need to be installed. Sanitation workers dump garbage in manholes causing their blockage particularly during rainstorms. There are sewer water floods in suburban neighborhoods polluting environmental and causing various epidemics.

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The Mark Lula Neighborhood: The cleaning service is not provided in many of the areas and there is a limited number of garbage bins.

Greenery Neighborhoods in the center: The area size of greenery has increased, even though large public spaces in the city are lacking. The local government unit must take advantage of the community’s demand for more greenery encouraging their voluntarism. The city has few green areas, basically private gardens in suburban zones.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Public greenery is lacking. The municipality has made some efforts to arrange for green public spaces.

Water Supply and Sewerage Neighborhoods in the center: There is water supply for the town, even though peripheral neighborhoods are suffering from lack of regular water supply. Citizens do not pay the water utility bill. Household electricity expenses increase as citizens use water pumps to ensure water because of lack of regular water supply. Residents in peripheral areas have drilled illegal wells that affect the regime of underground waters. In addition, drinkable water is used for irrigation of crops, gardens and for car wash.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Water is supplied in certain zones, while sewers are lacking in many streets of this neighborhood. Water supply service is not available in the entire area and many households do not have drinkable water supply. Many households have dug wells to ensure water. No water meter have been installed to measure consumption of drinkable water. This water is used for irrigation of crops, gardens and for car wash.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication Neighborhoods in the center: Focus group participants stated that they had access to municipality’s official information. They obtained data easily from the website and through direct request submitted to the municipality. They said that the information provided to them was clear and understandable.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Focus group participants from this neighborhood admitted that they had difficulties in accessing municipality’s information, because many of the community members did not have access to internet. Some citizens do not know where to go to obtain information on issues of their concern. Delays are quite common when expecting answers for information from institutions. Oftentimes, municipal staff do not understand the nature of the problem or cause delays to information seekers

Transparency in Decision-making Neighborhoods in the center: Respondents were aware of the existence of a website established by the Municipality of Shkodra as well as of the public notifications made by the municipality in its main entrance hall. They stated that the notifications on Municipal Council’s meetings should be made ahead of the meeting date.

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The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Respondents were aware of the existence of a municipality website, but they could not use it because of lack of computer skills or no access to internet. They were also aware of the information office of the municipality. Sometimes they were informed from the media.

Participation in Decision-making Neighborhoods in the center: Focus group discussions helped to draw conclusions on various forms of informing on public meetings. These forms include website, email, press, and invitations. Some citizens said that they had taken part in several meetings held by the municipality. Civil society was a regular attendant of local meetings. Citizens stated that their opinion expressed in community meetings was not seriously considered by the municipality, thus triggering disinterest among many citizens

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Most focus group respondents declared that they were not informed of the public meetings organized by the municipality and that the civil society was more informed of these meetings. They said that notices should be posted up in public stands in neighborhoods. They knew that local council’s meetings were open to citizens, but they were not interested in attending them.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning Neighborhoods in the center: There was a strategic development plan for the city and a development plan for the newly-expanded territory of the municipality is under preparation. Some focus group respondents declared that they were aware of the program, because they had attended few public hearings.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Only a handful of focus group participants were informed of municipality’s strategic plan on economic development. Participants thought that the plans with impact on the community are very few.

Business Promotion Neighborhoods in the center: Focus group respondents declared that there were no specific policies to encourage family-run businesses. They introduced the Gjakova’s example on family business promotion. Business promotion is the sixth priority out of eight announced by the municipality. Business incubators are inexistent. No business consultation office is established to guide business investments. The tax on small businesses for women-run enterprises is reduced and more efforts are made to encourage them to open new businesses. There is no tourist information office in Shkodra.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Participants of this focus group stated that they were not aware of any strategy, policy or plan of the municipality to promote private businesses, particularly in their neighborhood. They said they never thought these plans/strategies or policies existed. Likewise, they were not aware of the services provided by the municipality for local businesses. Participants admitted that there was a great need for employment of women from peripheral neighborhoods, but no assistance was made available from the municipality in this regard.

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Employment Promotion Neighborhoods in the center: Focus group participants declared that youth and women are the ones to suffer most from unemployment. They evaluated the new climate on employment and the efforts made by the Labor Office and vocational training courses to provide skills. Respondents were not informed of the existence of a municipality office intended in employment issues or programs run in this direction. They considered the role and work of the municipality to generate employment for young people and women to be “insufficient”.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Similar to the above group, respondents from this focus group declared that youth and women are the ones to suffer most from unemployment. They were not aware of the efforts of the municipality in this respect. The regional labor office has offered jobs for this group in several cut-and-sew businesses and many women from this neighborhood have attended vocational training courses.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning Neighborhoods in the center: Interviewees said that the municipality notifies them of their obligations to pay local fees and taxes by delivering an invoice to households and by publishing reminders in the municipality’s website. In general taxes are paid. One way used by the municipality to force payment is the refusal to issue civil certificates and documents in case of failure to pay taxes. Suburban and rural area residents do not pay taxes because of discrepancies between the taxes and fees they pay with the service provided by the water utility. There are areas where no water supply service is provided and residents are yet asked to pay for the service. Respondents were informed on budget planning from public hearing sessions held by the local government unit.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Participants from this national government focus group stated that the municipality notifies them of their obligations to pay local fees and taxes by delivering an invoice to households. Some households do not pay taxes because of the economic condition. The municipality refuses to issue local documents, such as birth certificates, as a means to force payment of taxes and fees.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women Neighborhoods in the center: The municipality has established an office and assigned a staff member to treat cases of domestic violence. Focus group discussants deemed that more needs to be done in terms of cooperation with the police, other state actors and associations whose mission is to address domestic violence. The municipality has undertaken several awareness campaigns in cooperation with the civil society organizations, such as Women to Women. Focus group participants were of the opinion that the municipality is more engaged in the issue of domestic violence than in other issues of interest to women, such as participation and involvement in political decision-making, women employment and promotion of women-run businesses. According to them, there is a significant increase of the number of women in Municipal Council and in other senior leading positions. Some 40% (21 councilors) are women in the local council; the mayor and deputy mayor are women. A considerable number of young girls and women are employed in the municipality.

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The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Participants from this focus group stated that there are programs on domestic violence, but most of them are run by civil society organizations rather than the municipality. They said that the local government unit is more engaged in issues of violence against women, because it collaborates with civil society, and in issues of women’s involvement in politics, because the new local administration has employed many women, since the mayor and deputy mayor are women.

Marginalized Groups Neighborhoods in the center: The community involved in this focus group was not aware of the existence of a special program for protecting and guaranteeing the rights of marginalized groups and their inclusion. The municipality is collaborating with civil society organizations, such as The Door and Light Steps, whose scope of work is focused in these target groups. Focus group respondents find the municipality’s work on marginalized groups insufficient.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Participants said that the municipality has a special program for marginalized groups and that it collaborates with civil society organizations, even though this cooperation is selective. The municipality’s work on marginalized groups is evaluated as “should work better”.

Roma and Egyptians Neighborhoods in the center: The municipality has a special program for protecting and guaranteeing the rights of Roma and Egyptian community and their inclusion. It has entered into 2 agreements, with UNDP and Save the Children respectively. The community evaluated the municipality’s commitment in Roma and Egyptian issues as “should work better and more”.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Participants stated that there had no information on municipality’s programs for Roma and Egyptians, but that had heard quite often that funds are planned for this group. They were of the opinion that the municipality collaborates with civil society organizations on Roma and Egyptian community issues. The community evaluated the municipality’s commitment in Roma and Egyptian issues as “sufficient”.

Protection from Discrimination Neighborhoods in the center: The municipality has an office under the Social Service Department that addresses issues relative to protection from discrimination and a specific program in pursuance of the relevant law. The municipality is placing efforts in this area.

The Mark Lula Neighborhood: Most focus group participants were not aware of the existence of a law on protection from discrimination or of any other program undertaken by the municipality for this purpose. They said that their needs, particularly those of their national government, should take up more from the municipality’s attention.

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Roads and Sidewalks Dajç: The community involved in the CBS considered the overall quality of the Dajç zone roads to be satisfactory, but they are not happy with the quality of the neighborhood streets. The road to the Mount Gjymi village is very bad and in urgent need for reconstruction. There is no public transport to the city and surrounding villages.

Berdica: The quality of roads in this unit is judged to be relatively good by the community involved in the community-based scorecard. Public transport is lacking and citizens are unhappy with the unsettled relationship between the municipality and private transport operators.

Ana e Malit: The main road is in good conditions, even though preventive maintenance and control for problems is lacking at all. There is no road signage and lighting. Internal streets of the neighborhoods are unpaved. There is no public transport and citizens are unhappy with the unsettled relationship between the municipality and private transport operators.

Cleaning and Its Quality The community taking part in focus group discussions in each of the three administrative units – Dajç, Berdica and Ana e Malit– have given the same score for the quality of the cleaning service: average, i.e., considerable improvements are required.

Drinkable Water, Sewers, and Drainage Canals Dajç and Berdica: Community of these administrative units are very unhappy with the water supply service, as there is no water supply and sewerage service provided. Poor drainage, lack of irrigation and depreciated canals are of great concern to participants. Drainage canals have been cleaned and set to work after flooding, while constant interventions are required. The service is poor.

Ana e Malit: Community has mixed opinions on the water supply situation – some say the service is good as water supply service is available for several hours and residents use privately-dug wells, while others think the situation is bad. Sewers are in place. Drainage canals that are in place are not maintained.

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication Participants in each of the focus group said that they could take information from the administrative unit. Informational stands are installed at the administrative units and brochures are handed out. They stated that when necessary they request clarifications from the local administration.

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Transparency in Decision-Making The respondents of the three focus groups said that the only form to get informed on the municipality’s decision is the administrative unit itself.

Participation in Decision-Making Meetings were the only form to solicit community opinion on the part of municipality known by focus group respondents. The latter clarified that they were informed by the village head about meetings to be conducted in their locality and sometimes by email or text messages. Participants from focus group in Berdica and Ana e Malit mentioned other forms of notifications, such as phone calls, announcements and oral communications. Some participants confirmed to have taken part in meetings held by the municipality, but stated that the opinion expressed in these meetings was not taken into consideration. All three groups declared that head of administrative units and villages were active in conveying the concerns of their communities.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning There is lack of information on the existence of a strategic plan on economic development and what the plan projected for their administrative units. This is obvious in the comments made in the three focus groups. The Dajç comments were: “An urban and social plan is under development, but many people are not informed about it; in Berdica focus group participants commented: “the plan is in the course of preparation”, and in Ana e Malit “the plan is being prepared, but we know nothing about it, because they have not informed us.”

Promotion of Businesses/Farmers Focus group participants coming from Dajç, Berdica and Anën e Malit were asked: Are there any programs/incentives to support farmers? Many of the respondents said that there no programs are in place. Those that declared the existence of such incentives were unable to provide details or to state their impact.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning Focus group respondents declared that they knew about their local tax obligations, because they were informed by means of invoices delivered to them and that in case of failure to pay taxes no official certificate service was provided. They said that they did not pay taxes because of economic distress. Participants from Berdica said that some 70% of residents paid taxes and that the cleaning fee was too high to justify the quality of the service provided to them. All focus group respondents declared that local taxes are very high.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women The majority of focus group participants in Dajç and Berdica were not aware of the existence of municipality’s programs to address gender-based violence and of awareness campaigns undertaken in this direction. Some participants from Dajç said that they were informed of meetings on violence against women organized by civil society organizations. Participants from Ana e Malit declared that the municipality has programs to address women violence, but these 151

programs were not implemented. They said that women violence and women employment were two issues to be prioritized by the municipality and evaluated the work on this issue to be “relatively good”. Ana e Malit respondents considered women violence an issue to be prioritized by the municipality.

Marginalized Groups With regard to the existence of specific programs on protection and guaranteeing of the rights of marginalized groups, the Dajç focus group participants were informed of the fact that the municipality was designing a social plan that sought to involve these groups and engage all structures. Berdica participants did not know that the municipality had programs for this purpose, whereas Ana e Malit respondents were informed about programs on orphan children and Roma community. All three groups declared that the municipality cooperates with civil society for these groups and they evaluated the municipality’s work to be “sufficient” in this respect.

Roma and Egyptians To the question on the existence of programs on the protection and guaranteeing the rights of Roma and Egyptian communities, all focus group participants gave the same answer: “We do not have Roma and Egyptian communities in our administrative unit and we don’t know of any programs for them.” Only Berdica respondents declared to be aware of municipality’s efforts and cooperation with the civil society, because they were informed from the media.

Protection from Discrimination Most focus group participants were not aware of the existence of a law on protection from discrimination or of any other program undertaken by the municipality for this purpose. Only a few Berdica respondents declared to be knowledgeable about the existence of this law. Ana e Malit interviewees referred to a case of a woman violated by her husband and that she had found no support from the police. In general, they pointed out the need to be informed on the law on protection from discrimination.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are given to address problems identified by the community in the entire territory of the municipality:

• A common denominator of all evaluations conducted in five various territories of the Municipality of Shkodra is these communities’ low level of information on municipality’s activities. Likewise, the population living in the central area of the municipality did not have information on what the municipality had done on certain issues under evaluation. This part of the population stated that they use the municipality’s website to get information on its activity. Yet, a verification of this website reveals that a considerable number of its sections have not been updated since year 2014. For this reason, we recommend that the municipality design and implement a good communication strategy in order to inform communities all over its territory as well as to solicit their opinion on issues of interest to them.

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• It is requisite for the municipality to address the public transport issue so as to connect urban and rural areas.

• Lighting should also be installed in suburban and rural areas and preventive service will have to be planned by the municipality.

• More attention should be paid to cleaning the city’s peripheral areas and an additional number of garbage bins need to be stationed in these areas.

• Regular cleaning of drainage canals in Berdica, Dajç and Ana e Malit are recommended.

• The municipality will have to pay more attention to collecting and analyzing statistical data that would help to better assess priorities and policies it should pursue. In particular, the local government unit must collect data on employment/unemployment, cases of domestic violence, etc., so that it develops a strategy and action plan that will address deficiencies in the policies and services for specific groups.

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required impact. It goes without saying that the domestic violence service should be expanded to both rural and urban areas.

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COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD 2015-2016

MUNICIPALITY OF VLORA

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1. A PROFILE OF MUNICIPALITY OF VLORA

After the adoption of the Law No. 115/2015, “On Territorial-Administrative Division of the Local Government Units in the Republic of Albania”, the Municipality of Vlora is composed of five administrative units, which are: Vlora, Orikum, Qender Vlora, Novosela and Shushica. All these administrative units are part of the County of Vlora. The new municipality administers two towns, Vlora and Orikum, and 37 villages. The list of villages includes the island of Sazan. The new municipality of Vlora borders with the Municipality of Fier to the north, with the Municipality of Selenica to the east, and with the Municipality of Himara to the south. The city of Vlora is the head center of the municipality. The municipality’s territory includes three important centers of maritime tourism: Vlora, Radhima and Orikum, and a livestock buffer zone, such as Dukat. This area incorporates the coastal-maritime Sazan-Karaburun Park, unique in our country.

Population: According to the 2011 Census, the new municipality has a population of 104,827 inhabitants (Source: INSTAT). Yet, the civil registry of this municipality indicates that the population of the new municipality is 194,147 inhabitants (Source: Civil Registry). The area size of the new municipality is 616.85 km². According to Census data, the population density in this municipality is 169.9 residents per km², whereas by Civil Registry data, this density is 314.73 residents per km². Various data by administrative unit show that the urban part of the Municipality of Vlora is composed by the old Municipality of Vlora, which has increased while the population of administrative units has dropped, including Orikum, Novosela, Shushica, and Qender. The 2011 Census data reveal a gender structure of the resident population of an almost equal division, indicating that the migratory movements have not stabilized eliminating the irregular distribution of population by gender. Taking into consideration the territorial expansion of the Municipality of Vlora, the distribution of population according to the Civil Registry shows provides an overview of the city-village division. The urban areas, mainly in the city of Vlora, have 71% of the population, where the rural and semi-urban areas (Orukum) have 29% of the municipality’s population.

Unemployment: The Census data indicate that the unemployment rate in the Municipality of Vlora is 27%, a little lower than the national rate of 29.3%. Also, unemployment rate among youth at municipal level is 51.5% vs 52.9% at the national rate. Youth unemployment rate of 54.1% in the city of Vlora is particularly concerning, which is higher than the national rate and that of other administrative units of the Municipality of Vlora. The increase of unemployment rate in the city is due to the population movement to the city. The 2011 Census data show that in the Municipality of Vlora women are most discriminated in regard to employment: 31.5% of unemployed are women compared to 24.3% of men.

Employment: Employment and distribution of employed in the new municipality as per the 2011 Census are assessed for the three most important sectors: industry by 26.7%, agriculture 31.1%, and services 60.2%. These data indicate not only the employment rate but also the 156

features of the regions that are part of the Municipality of Vlora. The sector of services employs most people in the city of Vlora, 68.4%. The administrative units with the lowest employment rate revealing social disparities are Novosela with 26.2% and Shushica with 30.9%. This distribution shows the characters of the areas, where the administrative units of Shushica and Novosela with over 50% of the employees work in agriculture, followed by the administrative units of Qender with 41.9% and Orikum with 30.3%, indicating the rural character of these units.

Important Sectors of Economy

Industrial development: The city of Vlora is a large demographic development and employment center, and the second largest port of Albania. This city is home to a fishing port and an industrial and commercial center that generates revenues from the service and manufactures. The city’s economy is linked with the economy of the port, construction, tourism and other related services. A share of the urban area of the Municipality of Vlora is planned to become an industrial and petroliferous area.

Development of tourism is highlighted as one of the priority sectors for the municipality’s economic development. Vlora’s geographic location, including the former communes from the Vjosa Delta up to the mountain of Llogora, facilitates a diverse tourism potential. The favorable geographic position, the two seas – Adriatic and Ionian- the many natural and cultural heritage monuments are some of the features that help to boost the balneal, agri, and fishing tourism. Development of tourism is one of the most important sources of economic development, where balneal tourism combines quite well with cultural tourism. Yet, the protection of cultural and environmental heritage (of national and international tourist attraction in the municipality) requires a change of model in tourism development pursued to date to guide it to a more social and environmental sustainability. This implies the creation of a diverse tourist offer to include the coastline and remote areas in the thematic itineraries as well as the well-preserved attractions and high quality accommodation and services.

Agriculture is a priority sector for Municipality of Vlora’s economic development. It is also defined in the General Local Plan. Administrative units of this municipality are oriented to local agricultural production. Due to the high agricultural production, fruit trees in general, some factories for the processing of olive oil, non-alcoholic beverage, winery, etc. have been built. In addition to agriculture, livestock is also developed. Other products include milk and its byproducts, eggs, meats, which have real potentials for further development of this sector. The Administrative unit of Novosela has a saltmarsh and factory, which is expected to increase its production and processing capacities and produce for export in the near future.

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2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2015

The community-based scorecard in the Municipality of Vlora was carried out during 2015-2016. Organized ahead of local elections, the CBS process of 2015 involved citizens of the Municipality of Vlora and neighboring communes to be merged with the municipality after the territorial-administrative reform. The needs and priorities produced from this process were presented to candidates for mayor with the aim of incorporating them in their electoral agendas and programs, so that to translate them into local development plans and programs after the elections.

The process was run in several phases, which are detailed below:

The first phase included the development of the CBS methodology to identify community’s priorities (from men and women) in four administrative units (then the Municipality of Vlora, Municipality of Orikum, and the communes of Novosela, Shushica and Qender) prior to the territorial-administrative reform. During this phase, CAP members were informed on the CBS process as well as on the territorial-administrative reform. Focus group discussions held with the local communities helped to identify problems by means of CBS system.

During the third phase, civic debates were held in forums with candidates and through awareness campaigns.

This process not only was fully implemented in Vlora, because no public meeting of the candidate (now the mayr) with the citizens was conducted. The candidates did not present an official document to introduce his platform. While these recommendations will be the core of the 4-year term in the office for the Mayor of Vlora, the group undertaking this initiative has prepared a summary of the progress to date based on the recommendations of 2015 to compare with those of 2016, which are long-term recommendations.

COMMUNITY-BASED SCORECARD IN 2016

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To monitor the progress of this process commenced in 2015, the Project experts and the Vlora CAP members analyzed the implementation of recommendations presented to the Municipality of Vlora, employing the same methodology for year 2016. In addition, a comparison was drawn between recommendations of 2015 with those of 2016. These results will be used for local authorities’ accountability and reporting.

The community-based scorecard undergoes some phases, which are detailed out below:

Focus groups: Five focus groups with representatives of the community and citizens of Vlora and the administrative units of Orikum, Novosela, Shushica and Qender were organized with the aim of soliciting citizens’ opinion during the month of July. Among 66 attendees were representatives of civil society, community marginalized groups, active citizens, heads of villages, etc., who used scoring to evaluate municipality’s performance and identify citizens’ needs and priorities. Well- balanced gender participation was identified in the community’s evaluation of the governance process 30 men and 36 women. During the focus group meetings, participants were informed on the goal and objectives of the project, territorial- administrative reform, change of local governance legislation, and on mechanisms intended for citizen participation in decision-making.

organizations operating in Vlora, marginalized groups, active citizens, administrators, and heads of villages – part of focus group discussions. Findings from this process were presented and recommendations produced from meetings with citizens were also discussed in this event. The deputy mayor considered the process to be a good opportunity to solicit citizens’ opinion and a useful way to enhance cooperation and communication with them in the future. These recommendations will be considered in the course of preparing the next year budget and will become part of the territorial planning strategy, which is in the development phase.

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3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

As already explained earlier in this reports, the community-based scorecard process involved citizens of administrative units of Vlora center, Orikum, Novosela, Shushica and Qender. Municipal staff/ service providers were also interviewed during this process. The issues under monitoring and evaluation were similar to those discussed in focus group with the community in order to obtain data on these issues from the community as the service beneficiary and from the municipality as the service provider. Below are the results produced and analyzed from this evaluation.

a) Quality and efficiency of public services - roads/ sidewalks, lighting, city cleaning, greenery, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage canals, and forests and pastureland.

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Interviewees Score Citizens 2.7 City Service providers 3.7 Administrative Citizens 2.1 unit Service providers 2.6

b) Local democracy/ good governance – Information and communication, transparency, participation in decision-making

LOCAL DEMOCRACY/ GOOD GOVERNANCE Interviewees Score Citizens 3.3 City Service providers 4.7 Administrative Citizens 3.0 unit Service providers 3.8

c) Local economic development - Strategic planning, budget planning, business promotion, employment promotion with particular focus in women and youth

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LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Interviewees Score Citizens 2.3 City Service providers 3.6 Administrative Citizens 2.1 unit Service providers 3.1

d) Human rights at local level - women, marginalized groups, Roma and Egyptians, protection from discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL Interviewees Score Citizens 2.6 City Service providers 3.7 Administrative Citizens 2.4 unit Service providers 3.1

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4. MAIN FINDINGS

FINDINGS FOR THE CITY

• During 2015, citizens generally recommended improvement of main and secondary roads, installation of traffic signage (traffic lights and white lines). In 2016, citizens appreciated the changes as the Municipality of Vlora has now started major investments and/or continuing with project implementations.

• Increase of sites and bins for waste collection in the entire municipality; during 2016, the cleaning service provider company has improved its performance by offering a better service to the citizens;

• Build a landfill; there is no information on the status about implementation of the recommendations made in 2015 CBS on the promise to build a landfill for the municipality.

• In 2015, CBS recommended expansion of green areas in the city; during 2016 these areas have increased considerably; a major problem relates with the replacement of palm trees in the main promenade;

• The situation has not changed with regard to the recommendations to rehabilitate the water supply system in the city, installation of water meters and elimination of flat fee billing.

• In terms of 2015 recommendations to involve community in participatory and gender budgeting, it should be pointed out that by the end of 2015 and during 2016, this process was carried out in cooperation with local organizations. Spending is planned on community needs (women, marginalized groups, etc.).

• In 2015, citizens recommended that the Municipality of Vlora enforce the Law on Public Information and Consultation and facilitate all internal procedures to implement the law so that citizens can access information in a timely fashion. The citizens’ perception on municipality’s performance in this recommendation is positive.

• Citizens recommend more meetings between the public and interest groups and the municipal staff. During 2016, several meetings have been conducted and memoranda of understanding between CAP and/or other NGOs and the municipality have been signed.

• Citizens demanded a comprehensive study on economic potentials as well as on the economic development perspectives of the Municipality of Vlora in 2015. The General Local Territorial Plan of Vlora is currently in the final stage.

• In 2015, citizens recommended the establishment of a Consultative Economic Council to operate at the Mayor’s office, but this council has not been established to date.

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Irrespective of this, civil society members and economics experts are frequently asked to provide their opinion on issues of public importance.

• Complete computerization of financial services under the authority of the Municipality of Vlora; this recommendation is in the implementation process by the local government unit.

• There is no procurement contract in the Municipality of Vlora that would implement the recommendation of procurement of social services delivered to marginalized groups; there are, however, financial collaboration with various organizations operating in this sector.

• Citizens demanded better services in 2015 by establishing a multifunctional center for social services. This center is expected to be operational soon in cooperation with donor and civil society community.

• One of the recommendations made by citizens in 2015 included social cooperation roundtables with particular focus on issues of gender equality and promotion of women and girl representation in local decision-making. Year 2016 has shown some positive trends in this direction, including working groups on issues of women, children, etc.

• Citizens recommended development of Zone Social Plan for 2016-2018. At present, the municipality is considering development of specific plans for the youth, Roma and Egyptians, women, children, etc.

FINDINGS FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

• While during 2015 citizens demanded new roads and/or maintenance of existing interchange roads among villages, an analysis of the municipality’s budget shows that no funds have been planned for this purpose.

• Municipality of Vlora’s administrative units are coping with problems regarding services that used to be provided by former communes but that are unaddressed yet (cleaning, transport, pastureland, etc.).

• Residents said that they have had no meetings with municipal officials since elections.

• Residents recommended cleaning/rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage canals.

• They expressed the need for programs/support on agriculture, agribusiness, livestock, and tourism.

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5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CITY

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Road Infrastructure Citizens appraise the municipality for undertaking infrastructure investments. They, however, demand interventions is needed in some of the city streets, particularly in informal areas. - It is recommended that the municipality exercise pressure on completion of ‘Lungomare’ promenade and ensure that the implementing company does a good quality job - Interventions are recommended in the ring road, “Pelivan Leskaj”-“Sazani”, “Zigur Lelo”, “Ramize Gjebrea”, and other roads. - Repairs of secondary roads are recommended - It is recommended to strictly control the quality of road works - Road works should be planned ahead in order to avoid difficulties in citizens’ mobility

Public Lighting Citizens recommend more work on maintenance of this service not only in main roads and squares, but also in neighborhood streets, particularly in those areas with works underway.

Cleaning Service - It is recommended to improve the quality of city cleaning service - It is recommended to add more waste bins because of insufficient number of collection containers, and place bins for differentiated collection.

Public Greenery Service Citizens have a positive perception of the municipality’s work on greenery. - Various decorative shrubs and trees have been planted, while the main problem in the boulevard is the need to replace old palm trees with new ones. - It is necessary to establish green areas in every zone, easily accessible to citizens, and outdoor recreational parks for children.

Water Supply and Sewerage - It is recommended to improve water supply and lift supply restrictions, particularly during summertime by which period water is indispensable for tourism development; - It is recommended to set to operation the wastewater treatment facility - It is necessary to undertaken urgent interventions in city sewers; while the project is under implementation, restoration of road good status remains a concern to citizens.

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LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Information and Communication - It is recommended to enhance communication between the citizens and the municipality; - Use of participatory and gender budgeting is recommended to be implemented in all administrative units; - The information office should become a one-stop-shop in order to avoid bureaucracies.

Transparency in Decision-making - The information in the municipality’s website should be coherent and updated regularly. - The Municipal Council decisions must be updated regularly. - The stand of notifications should have updated information.

Participation in Decision-making - Train municipal staff on implementation of the Law on Public Information and Law on Public Notification and Consultations. - It should be pointed out that Municipal Council meetings are open to the public. However, the municipality should promote participation of citizens in decision-making.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Strategic Planning - The municipality is in the process of developing a territory strategy that will constitute the main document upon which the strategic planning will be based in the coming years. It is recommended to undertake a preliminary consultation and information process with the citizens who will benefit from this strategic planning.

Promotion of Businesses - Open a store/workshop to integrate the work of artisan women and sell their products; - It is recommended that the municipality develop programs that promote employment in cooperation with other state institutions. - It is recommended to enhance cooperation with private businesses in order to develop local economy.

Collection of Revenues and Budget Planning - It is recommended that citizens be informed on how their taxes are used.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Marginalized Groups - Citizens appraised the work done by the Municipality of Vlora with marginalized groups through various organizations and donors.

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- It is recommended that the municipality put more efforts in protecting and guaranteeing the marginalized groups’ rights and ensure their social inclusion - It is recommended to enhance cooperation of the municipality with local NGOs in order to guarantee all social services to these citizens. - A solution should be identified for the homeless.

Roma and Egyptians - Develop a local strategy or plan on integration of Roma and Egyptian community. - Create opportunities for employment to Roma and Egyptian community.

Protection framework Discrimination - It is recommended that the municipality undertake awareness campaigns in order to ensure social-cultural interaction and break discriminatory barriers.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Road Infrastructure - Citizens of the Administrative Unit of Novosela recommend improvement investments in the Pompa-Akernia-Aliban road and investment in the entrance part of the Akernia Road. - Citizens of Orikum request investments in the lower part of the road to the village of Radhima. - The administrative unit of Shushica demands urgent intervention for the interchange road connecting the city of Vlora with this unit - The center of the Llakatund village needs reconstruction. - The internal road of Llakatund need asphalting. - The healthcare center needs reconstruction. - It is recommended to pave the interchange roads to the villages of Bunavi and Grabian. - It is recommended to improve the interchange roads of the villages of Mekat and Çeprat. - It is recommended to install lighting in the Alibani-Dëllinja Road. - Mifoli road needs improvement investment. - Conduct regular maintenance for the Tre Vllazër-Skrofotina road.

Public Transport - It is recommended to establish public transport service at least for the Administrative Unit of Novosela.

Cleaning - Place more waste bins in administrative units - Increase funds for service improvement

Water Supply and Sewerage - Invest in installation of pipelines - It is recommended to improve water supply and lift supply restrictions, particularly during summertime in coastal areas; - The use of the many water sources of Shushica is recommended for water supply - It is recommended to extend the water supply network in Bunavi.

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Forests and Pastureland - Citizens recommend investments for the sector maintenance - Improve drainage/irrigation canals - Urgent cleaning of canals, because they are needed for irrigation

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Transparency in Decision-making - The notice stand in each administrative unit should be operational and updated regularly. - Provide information and communication: - Each administrative unit should have a specific stand for posting up notices and updated information. - It is recommended to improve communication between citizens and the municipality.

Participation in Decision-making - It is recommended to enforce the Law on Right to Information and Law on Public Consultation - Make comprehensive notifications on public meetings and consultations; in addition, citizens’ feedback should be protocolled and recorded. - The residents of Shushica demand direct meetings with the mayor, because they feel they are neglected.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Promotion of Businesses/Employment - It is recommended that the municipality create programs/incentives to support farmers; - It is recommended that the municipality provide assistance to farmers on the creation of agricultural cooperatives; - Collection of revenues and budget planning; - It is recommended that citizens are informed on their obligations to pay local taxes and fees and be given notice on any changes made to them; - It is recommended that citizens are informed on how their taxes are used.

HUMAN RIGHTS AT LOCAL LEVEL

Women - It is recommended to undertake awareness campaigns on gender-based violence in cooperation with local NGOs. - It is recommended to support priorities identified by women forums in administrative units. - It is recommended to organize fairs where artisan and handmade products can be merchandized; - It is recommended to support transport of low-income women for their training in vocational courses.

Marginalized Groups - It is recommended that the municipality work harder on the protection and guarantee of the rights and social inclusion of special-needs groups. 168

Roma and Egyptians - It is requested that the municipality in cooperation with private businesses undertaken programs on employment of Roma people; - Buildings are already collapsing in Llakatund - Social housing

Protection from Discrimination - It is recommended that administrative units enforce the Law on Protection from Discrimination and work in pursuance of this law when delivering services to citizens. - It is recommended that the municipality undertake awareness campaigns in order to ensure social-cultural interaction and break discriminatory barriers

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ANNEXES

ANNEX I

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COMMUNITY BASED SCORECARD (TO BE USED IN THE CITY)

CITY MUNICIPALITY DATE

ISSUE I PERFORMANCE SCORES COMMENTS/RATIONAL INDICATORS PUBLIC SERVICES – QUALITY AND EFFICENSY Roads/ Quality of service Sidewalks Quality of roads Quality of sidewalks Quality of traffic signs Lighting Quality of service: - In your neighbourhod - In the city Cleaning & Quality of service: waste - In your neighbourhod management - In the city Greening Quality of service: - In your neighbourhod - In the city Water & Quality of service: sewage - water - sewage ISSUE II PERFORMANCE SCORES COMMENTS/RATIONAL INDICATORS GOOD GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL DEMOCRACY Information and Can you get information, communication data or documents from the municipality?

Where/how do you get information from municipality? Can you easily access public documents?

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Is the information clear and easily understandable? Transparency in Does the municipality have decision making a website or information office?

Does the Municipality have a stand to publish all public information/notifications?

Does municipality use local media (TV or press) for public announcments? Participation in Are you notified for public decision making meetings? If yes, how?

Have you participated in public meetings? If yes, do you think that your opinin will be taken in consideration?

Does municipality has any procedure/mechanism for getting citizen input (surveys, public meetings, public hearings, etc.)

Do you know that municipal council meetings are opened for public? If yes, do you ever participate? ISSUE II PERFORMANCE SCORES COMMENT/RATIONAL INDICATORS LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Strategic Are you aware of the Planning existence of any strategic documents/plans?

Are you familiar with its content? If yes, are there concrete plans/programs that reflect community needs?

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Do you think this plans have any gender consideration and include vulnerable group needs? Business Are you aware of the Promotion existance of any: - Strategy, policy or plans related to business promotion? - Incentives for business promotions? - Services ofered to local businesses?

How do you think the municipality is supporting the business to open new jobs?

What about their work with the businesses run by women and youth? Employment Which social group suffers promotion more from unemployment?

Are you aware of any efforts that municipality has related to employment promotion?

Is there collaboration betwwen central and local government regarding this?

Is there a structure/department in the municipality that works with this issue?

Does municipality has business promotion programs related to women and vulnerable groups? Tax collection Do you get any notification and budget 173

planning on tax liabilities?

Do you pay taxes? It not, what does municipalities do to collect them?

What do you think about local fees and taxes related to the quality of services you get?

Are you aware of any awareness campaign related to tax collection?

Are you aware of public meetings organized regarding planning of the annual budget? ISSUE IV HUMAN RIGHTS IN LOCAL LEVEL Women Are you aware of any programs that address gender violence?

Are you aware of any awareness campaign regarding gender violence?

From which of the topics below, the municipality is more committed: - Gender violence - Participation in decision- making - Employment opportunities - Women business promotion - Other

How many women are in the Municipal Council?

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Is there cooperation with CSOs working with gender related issues?

Is the Law on Gender Equality well implemented in the municipality?

Are local programs well- coordinated with gender consideration Special needs Are you aware of any groups program that address social cohesion and protection of these groups?

Is there cooperation with CSOs working with this issue? Roma and Are you aware of any Egyptians program that address social cohesion and protection of these groups?

Is there cooperation with CSOs working with this issue? Protection Do you know the Law for against Protection Against discrimination Discrimination?

Are you aware of any program that address this?

Is there a structure/department in the municipality that deals with this issue?

ANNEX II

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COMMUNITY BASED SCORECARD (TO BE USED IN ADMISTRATIVE UNITS)

ADMISTRATIVE UNIT MUNICIPALITY DATE

ISSUE I PERFORMANCE SCORES COMMENT/RATIONAL INDICATORS PUBLIC SERVICES – QUALITY AND EFFICENSY Roads Quality of roads Quality of secondary roads Quality of roads that connect villages Public Quality of service Transportation Cleaning & Quality of service waste management Water & Quality of service: sewage - water - sewage Forest & Quality of service pastures

Irrigation Quality of service systems ISSUE II PERFORMANCE SCORES COMMENT/RATIONAL INDICATORS GOOD GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL DEMOCRACY Information and Can you get information, communication data or documents from the municipality?

Where/how do you get information from municipality?

Can you easily access public documents? 176

Is the information clear and easily understandable? Transparency in Does the municipality have decision making a website or information office?

Does the Municipality have a stand to publish all public information/notifications? Participation in Are you notified for public decision making meetings? If yes, how?

Have you participated in public meetings? If yes, do you think that your opinin will be taken in consideration?

Does municipality has any procedure / mechanism for getting citizen input (surveys, public meetings, public hearings, etc.)

Are you familiar with its content? If yes, are there concrete plans/programs that reflect community needs? Business Are you aware of the /Employment existance of any Promotion program/incentive related to

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rural area development Tax collection Do you get any notification and budget on tax liabilities? planning Do you pay taxes? It not, what does municipality do to collect them?

What do you think about local fees and taxes related to the quality of services you get? ISSUE IV HUMAN RIGHTS IN LOCAL LEVEL Women Are you aware of any program of the municipality that addresses gender violence?

Are you aware of any awareness campaign of the municipality regarding gender violence?

From which of the topics below, the municipality is more committed: - Gender violence - Participation in decision- making - Employment opportunities - Women business promotion - Other

How many women are in the Municipal Council?

Is there cooperation with CSOs working with gender related issues?

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Is the Law on Gender Equality well implemented in the municipality?

Are local programs well- coordinated with gender consideration Special needs Are you aware of any groups program that address social cohesion and protection of these groups?

Is there cooperation with CSOs working with this issue? Roma and Are you aware of any Egyptians program that address social cohesion and protection of these groups?

Is there cooperation with CSOs working with this issue? Protection Do you know the Law for against Protection Against discrimination Discrimination?

Are you aware of any program that address this?

Is there a structure/department in the municipality that deals with this issue?

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