Economic growth in Albania is too low to converge with European Union living standards and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The November 2019 earthquake in Albania and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the need to address disaster risk management and the socioeconomic impact of these events, particularly on vulnerable groups and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

UNDP supports  policies that accelerate an inclusive, productive, and sustainable economy, enhance climate resilience and adaptation planning, and transition into a clean green economy, in line with the Government’s national strategies and plans.

This will be done through:

1. strengthening governance mechanisms to address climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and land degradation.
2. promoting ecotourism and circular bioeconomy
3. promote a “source-to-sea” approach, and strengthen transboundary cooperation for water resources management in the Drini River Basin;
4. address the skills mismatch of youth and women for innovation and digitalization
5. support value chains of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, decent jobs and inclusive employment, particularly for persons with disabilities and women.

UNDP supports industries to become more energy-efficient, increase the potential of the forestry sector for removal of greenhouse gasses, and support the country’s green growth trajectory. UNDP promotes nature-based tourism that sustain livelihoods and protected areas, while improving ecosystem services and financial sustainability.

UNDP supports national entities to have improved systems and capacities to design and implement innovative policies, particularly in relation to qualitative skills development that promotes a digital economy, entrepreneurship, and competitive green businesses.

UNDP focuses on integrated multisectoral solutions that provide: the necessary skills, vocational education, and training; access to decent jobs and innovative technology; sustainable livelihoods; and business opportunities. With young people (aged 15-24) comprising 25 per cent of the population, UNDP will continue to promote youth as productive human capital and partner with labour-market stakeholders to boost employment and entrepreneurship. UNDP will consolidate reforms, strengthen capacities, address skills mismatch, and increase labour force participation especially for women and young people, persons with disabilities, the Roma and Egyptian communities and the long-term unemployed.

With inclusive growth being a key driver for reducing vulnerability and building resilience, particularly for the poor and most disadvantaged, UNDP will continue to support policies and measures leading to an expedited economic recovery and increased competitiveness and productivity of (female-led) micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

UNDP will work towards improved environments for digital innovation through support for data-driven innovations, bringing higher education closer to the labour market and supporting new course curricula for future skills. Increasing vocational education and training to match labour market demands and integrating small and medium-sized enterprises in global value chains are additional strategies. A vision and road maps for green growth and a blue economy will be formulated, thus ensuring growth that protects natural resources.

To contribute to a strengthened risk and disaster management system, UNDP assists the  Government in driving policies and actions that focus on prevention and reduction of disaster-related risks, increasing resilience of infrastructures, ecosystems, and society, and enabling adaptive capacities, all to reduce the long-term vulnerability of the population and protect development investments, particularly in at-risk areas. With a “knowing better, losing less” approach, UNDP will focus on local-level risk assessments, utilizing data and knowledge in parallel with prevention measures. Raising the national ambition to combat climate change, increasing resilience to natural and human-induced risk, and gender-responsive disaster strategies remain priorities.