Decentralization and Local Development Program (dldp) in Albania

Projet terminé

Selected municipalities in Northern Albania will be strengthened in managing local finances and improving their waste management process for offering better services to communities in enlarged territories. The learnings from the long term Swiss support will be transferred sustainably to national actors and will be embedded in regulations and standards at local and national level. 

Pays/région Thème Période Budget
Albanie
Governance
Décentralisation
01.01.2018 - 30.06.2020
CHF  1’500’000
Contexte

Territorial Administrative Reform (TAR) merged the former 373 local government units (LGUs) into 61 municipalities. The reform’s objective is the improvement of service delivery for citizens’ by increasing the efficiency and good governance through functional decentralisation.

Several cornerstones of the wide-reaching reforms have been completed with the approval of the key strategies for local government and related laws. General focus shifts now from broad system design to making systems and processes work in order to improve outcomes in municipal governance, service delivery and development. The emphasis is put on regulations and service standards for implementing laws and capacity building for municipal staff. 

Objectifs Inclusive quality service delivery to citizens (men and women) is maintained through strengthened capacities and internal cohesion of reconstituted local governments in Northern Albania, anchored dldp products at the national and international level and by contributing to a conducive legal framework.
Groupes cibles

The end beneficiaries are:

  • Citizens in the municipalities of Northern Albania

The direct beneficiaries are:

  • Administration of municipalities in the North
  • Administration of municipalities country wide
  • Public administration service at central and local level
Effets à moyen terme
  • Partner municipalities have consolidated their planning and financial management capacities for quality service delivery as a response to developed policies (standards)
  • Developed knowhow (packages) and conducive policies that are anchored in the system, trigger systemic changes
  • Dldp capitalised results that contribute to a structured learning
Résultats

Principaux résultats attendus:  

  • Partner municipalities’ technical capacities in budgeting and Waste Management are consolidated;  Socially- sensitive models of budgeting and waste service delivery improve the effectiveness and efficiency of newly developed national standards
  • Dldp tools and curricula are disseminated on national scale through supported institutions, platforms and liaising with development actors; Dldp and partners provide locally validated inputs to consolidate policy reforms at the national level
  • Dldp learnings and experience is capitalized and shared through operational national and international platforms


Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

Key contribution in conceptualizing and technical accompanying the implementation of the Territorial and Administrative reform, decentralization strategy, Law on organization and functioning of Local Government and the Law on Local Finances.

On Public Finance Management (PFM): a first-ever Law on Local Finances approved with project input on PFM part; 4 training curricula on planning and budgeting were developed and delivered with Albanian School of Public Administration (ASPA). 450 staff (170/280F) trained and contributed in the development of strategic documents and instruments; 5 General Local Plans developed with municipalities are linked with mid-term planning; national transfer was increased by 22% (2017vs.2016) to LGU partners.

Dldp’s model of Cost and Tariff in Local Waste Management established as a unified system and successfully implemented in 6 partner municipalities; roll out planning and cost tariffing curricula for 61 municipalities conducted with ASPA and included in the training plan for local administration; 127 staff/38F trained and involved in waste management policy development; revenue from collection of waste tariff increased by 5.1% in 2016 vs 2015 in 6 supported municipalities.

109 administrative services have been digitalized and offered to community through functional One Stop Shops in 5 supported municipalities; dldp’s methodology for administrative service identification and workflow served as a tool for implementing national standards; the model developed applied as a unified system for collecting tariffs for administrative services in at least 3 municipalities.


Direction/office fédéral responsable DDC
Crédit Coopération avec l'Europe de l'Est
Partenaire de projet Partenaire contractuel
Organisation suisse à but non lucratif
  • HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation


Coordination avec d'autres projets et acteurs

The Government of Albania’s Integrated Policy Management Groups also serve to coordinate the initiatives of development partners (EU, WB, GIZ, UNDP, Italian Development Cooperation, USAID and Sweden) on support to good governance. Switzerland is chairing the subgroup on decentralization and regional development.

There are synergies and complementarities among Swiss funded projects on support to local government, regional development and social care and social services reform. 

Budget Phase en cours Budget de la Suisse CHF    1’500’000 Budget suisse déjà attribué CHF    1’358’603
Phases du projet

Phase 5 01.01.2018 - 30.06.2020   (Completed)

Phase 4 01.01.2014 - 31.12.2018   (Completed) Phase 3 01.03.2010 - 31.12.2013   (Completed)