To create an environment for the advancement of women through sustainable human development by concentrating on four main areas; policy formulation, data collection, capacity building and empowerment/advocacy. This project builds the capacities of the Government of Albania, national and regional institutions as well as women NGOs. It develops and implements a national methodology in gender statistics and builds the capacity to develop and implement gender sensitive policies and programmes. It empowers women through use of the media and through related project activities carried out by the women NGOs. A group of Albanian women participated in the International Women Conference in Beijing, China and follow-up activities are taking place. An increase of the project budget to the amount of US$ 100,000 from UNDP resources has been carried out. This extension serves to expand collaboration between the Government of Albania and women NGOs in order to sensitize public opinion on women’s issues. Within this framework, these organisms are working closely to promote the Beijing Platform for Action and after to adapt the Albanian Platform for action that is an important document for the future.

The long-term objective of the project, financed by the Government of Italy, is to promote women's participation in the social, economic and cultural development of the country through support to governmental and non-governmental institutions. In particular:

Objective 1: To support the competent governmental institution for the protection and promotion of women's rights

Identification of priority areas of intervention on gender issues by elaborating a sustainable National Post-Beijing Platform for Action;

Sensitisation of line Ministers on gender issues also in view of the GA Special Conference on Beijing +5; In preparation to the general Conference of Beijing +5 in June 2000, the project promoted the organisation of three thematic conferences, one for each area of concern of the National Platform (Rights, including equality and leadership, Economy including poverty and entrepreneurship, and Violence/Trafficking);

Training of the staff of the Committee Woman and Family and of the Prefecture Gender Focal Points;

Exposure to West and East Europe national mechanism for the promotion and protection of women's rights;

Elaboration of initial and second CEDAW report;

Radio programme on gender issues: the project contracted Radio Tirana for a series of weekly radio programmes on women's rights, health, economic situation, violence and decision-making. The programme totalled nearly seventeen hours of transmission and reached most of Albania and also Albanian women living abroad.

Creation of Web Page and databases for the Committee Woman and Family (CWF): this governmental entity, entrusted to promote and protect women's rights in Albania, was provided with powerful databases able to store and report statistical data and graphics, information on women's NGOs operating in the territory and information on texts available in Albania on gender issues and with a WEB page relaying all the information gathered. The WEB page created provides in English and Albanian language international instruments regarding women's rights, the main national legal provisions protecting women's rights, activities of the CWF and links to previously selected international web pages dealing with gender issues, the complete list of women's NGOs operating in Albania and some selected statistical data (www.icc-al.org/~ardita/cwf/).

Gathering of data disaggregated by sex and age: publication in collaboration with INSTAT of two booklets entitled "Men and Women in Albania", collecting most of the information dissagregated by sex for 1998 and 1999;

Preparation of a National Gender Report;

Creation of a Gender Studies Centre at the University of Tirana: in collaboration with the Gender Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Sciences and with Soros Foundation ALB/95/R51 promoted and co-financed the creation of a Gender Institute at the University of Tirana.

Objective 3 To promote NGOs activities in gender programmes,

Improvement of NGOs capacities in the design and implementation of gender programmes through training activities on project design, management and evaluation;

Financing of delocalised small-scale pilot projects: sixty-six projects financed and implemented. The three Prefectures with the highest number of projects are Tirana, Elbasan and Shkoder, while the centre-south is the least financed. The preferred thematic areas remain training, sensitisation, and surveys. The projects financed are mainly short-term (an average of 4 month), also due the financial ceiling decided (maximum of USD 10,000 per project).

Objective 4 To promote women’s managerial capacities and women’s entrepreneurship development,

Research on women's entrepreneurship in Albania;

Establishment of micro-credits scheme: in collaboration with CIES (Centro di Informazione e Educazione allo Sviluppo) a Saving and Credit Union was established in the District of Durress to disburse credits for income-generating agricultural activities managed by women.