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Emergency Response and Recovery 1. Pilot Programme for Weapons in Exchange for Development in the District of Gramsh PROJECT NUMBER: ALB/98/008 EXECUTING AGENCY: UNOPS GOVT. COUNTERPARTS: Ministry of Local Government
The objective of this pilot programme is to develop, through an exercise of voluntary weapons surrender, a scheme of disarming the civilian population in exchange for development incentives. Given the complexity of the matter and the considerable resources needed for national coverage, the current programme will follow a five-fold strategy of symbolism, advocacy, community reward through development incentives, voluntary weapons surrender and public weapons destruction in several communities of Gramsh District. In addition, taking into account the fact that social insecurity represents one of the main impediments for the programme to be successful, a small but visible assistance will be provided by the programme for the strengthening of the public order capacities in Gramsh. This limited assistance is meant to anticipate the eventual support coming from the central Government, through global assistance programmes funded by bilateral sources. As part of a pilot programme, a national public awareness campaign focusing on the Gramsh experience will be extensively developed for maximizing the level of leverage to be achieved by the programme, and raising additional funds for extending the project to other districts.
Click here for more background and an update on the project. (WFD UPDATE) Click here to find out about Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas’ visit.
2. Area Rehabilitation and Recovery Operations (ARRO)
The project was designed to shape the UNDP response to the challenge of facing the humanitarian crisis created by the influx of Kosovo war refugees to Albania. It comprises a set of efforts to bridge the short-term emphasis on relief interventions that characterized the crisis period with medium-term rehabilitation and recovery interventions that will lay the foundation for future sustainable development. During the Kosovo crisis, refugee populations were not evenly distributed across Albania. Some municipalities experienced a population increase of several hundred percent, yet received minimal assistance from the international community. UNDP deployed the ARRO Offices in three of these areas, the southern prefectural capitals of Gjirokaster, Fier and Elbasan, to assist in bridging relief aid to development for the host communities at the height of the crisis. With most refugees now back in Kosovo the offices are well situated to concentrate on developing and implementing long-term rehabilitation strategies with local government and civic bodies. The current ARRO project is engaged in building the capacity of local government structures in these and other regions to define their own strategies for development at the commune, district and prefecture level. A further goal is to establish a framework for all levels of local government to include civil society in the discussion and creation of these strategies. The ARRO offices collect data and information concerning the needs of each region and channel this information to local and national Government authorities and to the international community. Now that the vast majority of refugees have left these areas, the rehabilitation of the structures they occupied, including schools, sport, and other public facilities, is necessary. The ARRO offices are continuing the identification and prioritization of rehabilitation needs directly related to the refugee crisis and bringing them to the attention of the international community. However, this is only a portion of the activities that the offices are undertaking within the larger development perspective. ARRO target interventions include: road and bridge rehabilitation, sewage system improvement, vocational training for entrepreneurs, the upgrading of telecommunications systems, and solid waste disposal. In addition, the project is funding small-scale activities that will have an immediate impact on the improvement of local community life. The Norwegian government has provided additional funding and support for the project. Pending donor support, the programme will continue to build the capacity of local governments to effectively create strategies for long-term development, to bring regional development concerns to the attention of the international donor community and to extend its operations to other regions in Albania.
3. The Albanian Human Development Report 1999
The aim of the annual Human Development Report (HDR) is to bring Albanian development issues into focus in a comprehensive, thoughtful, and stimulating manner for the Government and Albania itself, as well as donors, and the international community in general. In order to produce a useful Report, UNDP encourages the collective participation of government institutions, a wide array of national experts, and local NGOs that have shown excellence in their respective fields. The 1999 Report will focus on the persistent and deep-rooted effects of migration for Albania during the 90’s, and their impact on, and role in the general social, economic, and political aspects of Albania’s transitional development. The Kosovo crisis and the Stability Pact, with their profound effects on Albania, as well as a macroeconomic overview, and the evolving relationship between citizen and state, will also be addressed.
The objective of this project is to provide support to the national efforts in facing the immediate humanitarian crisis brought on by the arrival of refugees from Kosovo, while simultaneously aiming to bridge the gap between relief interventions and mid- / long-term development initiatives. The project will address the needs of the refugee and local population in the Mjekes area of Elbasan district. Lack of sufficient potable water necessary to satisfy the basic needs of 5,000 refugees and 15,000 local inhabitants has become a serious concern, threatening the health of both the guests and the hosts. Local authorities of Elbasan district and the Turkish Red Crescent, which manages the Turkish refugees’ camp in Mjekes, are facing serious difficulties in finding a solution to this problem. The project consists in the provision of some new water supply equipment and the rehabilitation of part of the existing piping to ensure a satisfactory supply of potable water. This intervention will lay the groundwork for a long-term solution for water supply to the area.
5. Weapons in Exchange for Development (Elbasan and Dibra) *Currently discussing further cost sharing with donors
The objective of this project is to expand in the district of Elbasan and Diber the scheme of disarmament of the civilian population in exchange for development incentives, which has been successfully applied in Gramsh District, Albania. The project strategy focuses on the connection between illegal weapons surrender and development (advocacy, public awareness and community rewards through development incentives), and lowering the number of weapons available for crime and violence (weapons collection and destruction, as a message of returning to normalcy). In addition, through the promotion of community participation (community involvement), community-police relations can be enhanced (symbolism for voluntary weapons surrender) with a positive effect on other social development programmes. The Gramsh pilot experience has shown that the combination of disarmament conditionality and development needs represents an ideal priority for the country and an attractive and acceptable way of growth for the communities. In order to keep the momentum and extend such a successful experience, substantial donor support and collaboration has been pledged for the extension of the project. 6. Support to Emergency Preparedness in Albania PROJECT NUMBER: ALB/99/011 EXECUTING AGENCY: Govt. of Albania BUDGET: TRAC 1.1.1&1.1.2 US$ 42,920 After the unexpectedly quick mass departure of Kosovo refugees from Albania, emergency response mechanisms and structures that had been laboriously created were in danger of collapse. This project was formulated with a view to aiding in the transition from relief to rehabilitation, and with the conviction that the experience gained from the refugee crisis should be applied to the creation of long-term solutions to emergency preparedness in Albania. Assistance is divided among three important initiatives: (1) support to the Emergency Management Group operations through the end of 1999; (2) building the capacity of the Humanitarian Information Center (HIC); and (3) support to a "Mine Awareness Education" campaign by an NGO. (1) The Emergency Management Group (EMG), located in the Prime Minister’s Office, was created in March of 1999. The EMG served as an important focal point for all donors and stakeholders, including UN Agencies, NATO, the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and NGOs, leading and coordinating them into a single, cohesive mechanism to respond to the needs of the Government. UNDP support was based on two principles: (1) enabling the EMG to continue operations through the autumn rehabilitation period, and (2) enabling the Government to assess the EMG structure as a basis for formulating a response strategy to cope with future national emergencies and natural disasters. (2) In Albania development assistance and humanitarian aid went hand in hand in 1999 due to the refugee crisis. Over 180 international NGOs poured into the country to assist the refugees, and the donors already present allocated millions of dollars in emergency aid. The Humanitarian Information Center (HIC) was created in April of 1999 with the original remit of providing an information flow between the NGOs and the EMG, UNHCR, Govt. of Albania, International Organizations and UN agencies. Although a large number of international NGOs left the country along with the refugees, scores have remained to work on rehabilitation and development projects in Albania. UNDP support is allowing the HIC to continue its important role as information focal point for both international and local NGOs, and to become a resource center for local NGOs, through Dec. 2000. The HIC maintains contacts with the line ministries and donors, channeling information to the NGOs, and vice versa. For further information concerning HIC activities and NGOs in Albania, see the NGO link on our homepage. (3) The war in Kosovo has left a devastating legacy in Albania; the problem of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination in the northern border regions of the country. UXO contamination is also the result of the civil unrest of 1997, during which explosions in military depots scattered live munitions over vast areas of countryside, and affects several sites in the country. UNDP is funding the NGO Care International to conduct a mine and UXO awareness/education campaign in order to reduce the number of casualties. The campaign will be concentrated in the high risk areas of the northern border regions, with educational, public awareness, and training components. |
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