With Swiss support: How Albania’s Social Services Became Closer, Fairer, and More Human

UNDP Albania

January 23, 2026

With Swiss support: How Albania’s Social Services Became Closer, Fairer, and More Human — The Community Center in Pogradec, established in the context of the LNB programme.

UNDP Albania

Author

Nora Kushti

Communications Specialist, UNDP Albania

“Leave no one behind.” You hear it everywhere. In speeches. In strategies. In project documents.

But what does it really mean? Who does it reach? And how do we make sure it is more than a promise on paper?

Leaving no one behind is not a slogan. It is not a box to tick or a line in a report. It becomes real only when it shows up in people’s lives — in changed realities, restored dignity, and renewed hope. It lives in women and men whose voices are finally heard, and in communities that believe a fairer future is possible.

This is what it looks like in practice:

When Mira walks into the community centre in her municipality today, she no longer feels invisible.

A mother of two, one of whom has a disability, Mira spent years navigating a fragmented system—moving from one office to another, unsure of her rights, often unheard. Today, she receives integrated social services close to home, tailored to her family’s needs. She has access to information, professional support, and—perhaps most importantly—a voice.

Mira is one of nearly 178,000 vulnerable people benefiting from Phase II of the Leave No One Behind (LNB2) Programme financed by the Government of Switzerland. which has supported Albania’s journey towards a more inclusive, rights-based, and accountable social protection system.

From policy to people: closing the distance

Between 2021 and 2025, LNB2 worked with communities, municipalities, and national institutions to ensure that social services are not just policies on paper, but real support that reaches those who need it most—persons with disabilities, Roma communities, older persons, women, children, and families at risk of poverty.

The results are visible. Albania recorded a decline in the population at risk of poverty from around 22 percent in 2021 to 19.2 percent in 2024, alongside steady improvements in human development. While challenges remain—particularly gender and child poverty gaps—the progress confirms that targeted, inclusive social investment works.

Empowering people to access services as a right. Get the numbers.

At the heart of LNB2 was a simple but transformative principle: access to social services is a right, not a favour.

Through integrated social services delivered in 4 municipalities more than 3,300 people received coordinated support addressing multiple needs at once. Families benefited from social care, economic empowerment, and employment pathways—291 families were supported economically, 135 women and men enrolled in vocational education, and 70 others secured employment.

For older persons, newly established municipal services reached 1,220 elderly people, reducing isolation and improving daily wellbeing. For children with disabilities, community-based services supported nearly 400 children, while education support was strengthened for over 4,100 students with disabilities through the training of 2,000 assistant teachers.

Preventing exclusion early proved equally critical. Through the Home Visiting Programme, almost 4,000 vulnerable children received support during their earliest years, while 4,530 at-risk students received scholarships to stay in school.

Through targeted outreach and support, more than 500 at risk young people and 300 detainees gained access to essential prevention and behavior change services addressing substance use, HIV, STIs and AIDS. This effort was reinforced by setting up dedicated Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) units in Berat Male Prison and the Tirana Prison Hospital—creating, for the first time in these facilities, a safe and confidential space for health screening. As a result, they were able to receive testing for HIV, hepatitis and other STIs, marking an important step toward better health, protection and dignity for people in detention.

Beyond services, LNB2 invested in participation. Nearly 1,700 vulnerable women and girls engaged in participatory budgeting processes, influencing local decisions that affect their lives. Civil society organizations reached 2,450 people through advocacy, awareness-raising, and information—ensuring that no one is left behind simply because they lack information.

Strengthening municipalities where change happens

While people like Mira experienced change firsthand, that change was made possible by stronger local institutions.
LNB2 supported all municipalities in Albania to improve their capacity to plan, finance, and deliver inclusive social services, with 32 municipalities receiving tailored, in-depth support. Over 4,500 municipal staff and service providers were trained, strengthening professional standards and accountability.
Municipalities updated and costed 16 Local Social Care Plans, developed 17 Social Housing Plans, and established new services aligned with local priorities.

In Divjakë and Patos, new community centres now serve as hubs for social inclusion, while a nationwide network of 18 community centres for children with disabilities connects professionals and improves outreach to remote areas.
Importantly, municipalities are no longer working in the dark. The consolidation of the Social Fund financing mechanism and use of Mapping of Social Services has enabled evidence-based planning, better targeting of vulnerable groups, and improved financial sustainability of services.

Through 27 local grants, municipalities expanded service delivery, directly benefiting more than 4,100 vulnerable people—turning plans into tangible support.

Building a system that lasts

Sustainable change requires strong national leadership. LNB2 supported Albania’s shift from fragmented interventions to a coherent, regulated, and data-driven social protection system, aligned with EU accession priorities and international human rights standards.

Key national strategies were adopted, including the Social Protection Strategy 2024–2030 and the Social Inclusion Policy 2024–2028, alongside action plans for children’s deinstitutionalization and older persons. Disability rights were strengthened through CRPD monitoring and progress toward alignment with EU accessibility standards.

Quality and accountability were reinforced through improved Social Fund regulations and standardized monitoring methodologies, enhancing transparency across the sector. At the same time, partnerships with universities strengthened social work education, research, and internships—investing in the future workforce.

Professionalization accelerated across the system: 1,227 social workers upgraded their qualifications, 575 were licensed, and national professional networks were strengthened. New evidence—from wellbeing indicators to social service mapping and expenditure analysis—now informs smarter, fairer policymaking.

Looking ahead: transferring results, sustaining impact

As LNB2 concludes, its results do not end—they transition.

The forthcoming LNB3 exit phase focuses on transferring ownership of systems, tools, and good practices to national and local partners. Through a structured, six-phase process, institutions will fully integrate LNB results into their operations, ensuring continuity, scaling-up, and sustainability—especially for municipalities and communities still at risk of being left behind.

For people like Mira, this means that the support she receives today will still be there tomorrow—not because of a project, but because the system now works for her.

And that is what leaving no one behind truly looks like.

The second and third phases of the United Nations Joint Programme Leave No One Behind are funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, and UN Women, in partnership with the Government of Albania.