UNDP through the Leave No One Behind (LNB2) programme supports ongoing Albania social protection reform, and scales up the reform roll-out, guided by the vision of providing decentralised social services to all vulnerable people and promoting national system building. With LNB2 support, the government of Albania has adopted a range of significant strategies and action plans as part of social protection reform.

The most important contribution of UNDP/LNB2 programme is the promotion of best models and practices in the delivery of social care services which enabled more quality services for the ones that lack both the knowledge and access to such services. LNB2/UNDP has developed and supported an innovative yet appropriate model for social services that has the potential to reduce poverty and counter exclusion. Through the LNB2 programme, the UNDP has strengthened cooperation between stakeholders, increased the density and frequency of available social services, increased outreach and improved the quality of social services provided, which is expected to have a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable people, including vulnerable families, Roma and Egyptian communities, women and girls, older people, vulnerable children and people with disabilities. By adopting a rights-based approach, the UNDP/LNB2 programme has played a crucial role in empowering marginalised groups and ensuring that no one is left behind and that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, has access to social services and opportunities to lead a fulfilling life and participate fully in society.

In view of scaling up of the reform roll-out, UNDP through LNB2 has supported the GoA to strengthen the functionality of the national Social Fund mechanism facilitating broad consultative meetings (2022) and providing technical assistance in analyzing the existing legal framework of the Social Fund (2023), in order to ensure that it enables the proper functioning of this mechanism and its goal to meet the social service needs of vulnerable groups throughout the country. More importantly, the UNDP has directly contributed to improving the organisational and operational capacity of local authorities to set up and manage new social services. Since July 2023, LNB2 has allocated 27 grants to LGUs to set up and maintain new social services for vulnerable individuals and families, benefiting around 8,000 people (mainly elderly, R/E, children with disabilities, and vulnerable families). 

Additionally, UNDP through LNB2 programme has established and maintained efficient partnerships with a large number of CSOs supporting them with capacity and institutional building interventions including grants for provision of services. Partnerships with CSOs representing persons with disabilities and R&E communities have resulted effective to reach out the targeted communities, expand knowledge on rights and entitlements among the groups of interest, design and test new models of social care services, and hold the government authorities accountable. The triangular cooperation between the central and the local governments and the civil society promoted by LNB2 constitutes a great model of approach to a sustained social integration of vulnerable groups. 

To ensure the professionalization of the workforce, UNDP has continued to support the training of assistant teachers working with students with disabilities through the LNB2 programme's partnership with Quality Assurance of Pre-University Education, including collaboration with local community centers for children with disabilities. In addition, UNDP is supporting three social work faculties at the universities of Tirana, Elbasan and Shkodra in strengthening social work curricula and the further training of in-service professionals.