OSCE Presence in Albania

Presence in Albania's 2008 Extra budgetary projects

Below please find the list of extra-budgetary projects that the Office is either managing, or fundraising for.

Security Co-operation

Funded:

Crime investigation: interview and interrogation training

Goal: To strengthen the capacity of the Albanian State Police in professional interview and interrogation techniques. A special focus is placed on trafficking cases and the inclusion of female police officers both in training and at work. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 31,440 Donor: US.

To be funded:

Albania State Police Equipment Enhancement Project

Goal: To improve the operational efficiency of the police by providing around the clock observation and intervention capacity through the provision of infrared night vision devices. Extra-budgetary amount needed: EUR 59,950. Donor/Status: US, partially funded (15,680 EUR)

Border Support Unit Development Project

Goal: To assist the Albanian Border and Migration Police with the development and implementation of a specialized border tactical unit, which will be intelligence-led and under the direct command and control of the Director of Border Police. This unit will be a dynamic resource to the Director in his or her efforts to combat transnational crime. Extra-budgetary amount needed: EUR 1.3 million. Donor: To be identified.

Support to Albanian Border and Migration Police - Solar Panels

Goal: To provide a back-up electrical system to key Albanian border crossing points (BCPs), two Ministry of Interior (MoI) Datacom repeater sites, and selected Border and Migration Police Special Operations Group (SOG) buildings via solar panels. Extra-budgetary amount needed: EUR 84,000. Donor: To be identified.

Governance in Economic and Environmental Issues

Funded:

Ensuring public participation in environmental impact assessments/Strategic environmental assessments

Goal: To support relevant Government institutions in introducing formal mechanisms for public consultation and participation in routine operating procedures, relating to planning with environmental implications. Extra budgetary amount: EUR 24,000. Donor: CIDA; Spain.

Supporting the Government in implementing the Aarhus Convention

Goal: To establish the Aarhus Convention's institutional infrastructure in order to enable its practical implementation. Extra budgetary amount: EUR 20,000. Donor: ENVSEC.

Supporting the Government in implementing the National Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings

Goal: To assist the implementation of a comprehensive victim protection and assistance system based on human rights principles, to ensure that all trafficked persons have access to adequate services, legal assistance, personal safety and reintegration. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 163,200. Donor: Austria.

Supporting female mayors of Albania

Goal: This multi-year programme aims to support female mayors and municipal councillors through awareness-raising, advocacy and networking, as well as to directly assist the country's few elected female mayors. It aims to provide the mayors with short-term training in professional skills required for holding public office, such as skills for local governance, project management, public speaking as well as computers and assistance and consultancy in establishing websites for the respective municipalities. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 30,000. Donor: Germany.

To be funded:

Good governance approaches to solid waste management (SWM)

Goal: To promote improved systems of SWM by involving civil society in local authority planning and decision-making. Extra budgetary amount: EUR 24,000. Donor: To be identified.

Electoral Reform/Civil Registration

Funded:

Address Civil Registration Modernization Project

Goal: To provide technical assistance to the Government to modernize its address and civil registration systems, and to improve the personal data protection framework. The overall objective of the project is to support Albania to improve its public administration services and democratic governance. It is envisaged that by the end of the project Albania will have the necessary legal framework, procedural and technical structures and capacities to manage and utilise a modern system of addresses and a computerised civil registration, including the personal data protection framework. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 2,507,590. Donor: EC, US

To be funded:

Opinion Polling Project:

Goal: To help establish a monthly polling tradition in Albania. With the exception of a few isolated opinion polls organized and funded by various international and national entities, polling has not been used in Albania. While the project should become self-sustainable after ten polls in one year's time, this proposal only covers the cost of the first three polls and will involve hiring a politically impartial agency with a proven track-record in the field. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 158,000. Donor: To be identified.

Parliamentary Capacity-building

Funded:

Parliamentary Support Project - Phase II

In partnership with the Assembly, this project aims to help strengthen the capacity and infrastructure of the Albanian Parliament. In addition to building on the activities of the first phase, the project also aims to improve procedures for parliamentary committees, modernize the library and archives, enhance transparency and support an internship programme. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 1,209,467. Donor: Netherlands.

Legislative and public administration reform

Funded:

Public participation in legislative drafting

Goal: To increase the quality and quantity of consultation in drafting legislation. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 105,000. Donor: Finland.

Human Rights

To be funded:

Development of a probation education system in Albania

Goal: To support the development of a trained workforce necessary for the establishment of a national probation service in Albania as criminal justice specialized institutions which would ensure just and efficient enforcement of community sanctions and measures. This will include university-based professional qualifying training and the development and implementation of a continuing education and training strategy. A specific objective of the project is to qualify a minimum number of social workers and psychologists which has a vital role in enabling a step-by-step organization and functioning of the probation services throughout Albania. Extra-budgetary amount: Euro 60,150. Donor: To be identified.

Civil Society Development

To be funded:

Continuation of the National Network of Civil Society Development Centres (CSDCs)

Goal: To promote civil society development and good governance through six CSDCs which train and co-ordinate local civil society activists and link them to local government institutions with the aim of increasing public participation in local decision making. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 160,220. Donor/status: Germany, UK, Norway, SIDA/partially funded.

Gender/Domestic Violence

Funded:

Support to national mechanisms for gender equality

Goal: To assist the national gender machinery in establishing an efficient structure and effective work procedures to implement the Gender Equality Law. This follows a project run jointly by the National Gender Equality Committee, the OSCE Presence in Albania and the UNDP in 2005-2006 to improve the underlying legal and sub-legal framework of the Gender Equality Law. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 10,200. Donor: Lichtenstein.

To be funded:

"No" to domestic violence: Kukes Women's Counselling Centre

Goal: To provide counselling services for female victims of violence and trafficking, and raise public awareness about the problem of violence against women and its relation to gender inequalities. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 34,276. Donor/Status: Germany/ Norway/partially funded.

Establishment of a network of women's counselling centres in Albania

Goal: To establish a structured civil society based network of four women counselling centres in northern Albania aiming at prevention of domestic violence and trafficking in human beings as well as promoting gender equality in society. Extra Budgetary amount: 204,420 Euro. Donor Status: Ireland (potentially)

Head of Mission Programme

To be funded:

Opinion Polling Project

Goal: To help establish a monthly polling tradition in Albania. With the exception of a few isolated opinion polls organized and funded by various international and national entities, polling has not been used in Albania. While the project should become self-sustainable after ten polls in one year's time, this proposal only covers the cost of the first three polls and will involve hiring a politically impartial agency with a proven track-record in the field. Extra-budgetary amount: EUR 158,000. Donor: To be identified.

Contacts

Vesselka Mladenova
Project Finance Officer
Vesselka.Mladenova@osce.org

Cristina Turci
Donor and Project Co-ordination Officer
Cristina.Turci@osce.org

Last update: December 2007