LocationsUNDP Albania
Thirty-Five Years of Solidarity: The UNDP and Albania Journey
August 13, 2026
This is a story of solidarity translated into lasting, people-centered change.
UNDP Albania
For thirty-five years, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stood alongside Albania, supporting the country through some of its most defining moments of transformation. What began as a partnership in the uncertainty of post-communist transition has evolved into a forward-looking partnership driving European accession, institutional strength, and sustainable development. This is a story of solidarity translated into lasting, people-centered change.
The journey of UNDP Albania began in 1991, as Albania emerged from decades of isolation.
UNDP Albania
The journey began in 1991, as Albania emerged from decades of isolation. The UNDP office in Tirana, inaugurated by then Prime Minister Ylli Bufi, marked more than a symbolic presence — it signaled a long-term commitment to rebuilding the foundations of a functioning state.
The challenges were immense. With GDP per capita at just $211 and only one in three Albanians employed, poverty defined everyday life. UNDP's early work focused on economic empowerment, community-level interventions, and reconnecting Albania to the world.
Over the following decade, UNDP and its partners cleared 1.7 million square meters of contaminated land. In 2009, Albania was declared mine-free, restoring safety and livelihoods.
UNDP Albania
UNDP provided internet services to government institutions — the Prime Minister's Office, Parliament, line ministries — and at least 230 NGOs received email access through telephone modem devices.
This early push for connectivity opened Albania's institutions to information, exchange, and opportunity. In parallel, the Government, with UNDP support, opened the first Public School of Administration in the late 1990s. The school is operational to this day and has trained thousands of young Albanian men and women in management, civil service, and public administration.
UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas during his 1999 visit to Gramsh, Albania, where he visited the UNDP-supported Weapons for Development pilot project.
UNDP Albania
The late 1990s brought profound instability. The collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997 triggered unrest, leaving the country flooded with weapons. UNDP responded with the Weapons in Exchange for Development programme, linking disarmament directly to community development — in exchange for surrendered weapons, communities gained roads, schools, and infrastructure, reinforcing a simple truth: development depends on security.
As the decade closed, the Kosovo* crisis introduced landmines scattered across Albania's borders. Over the following decade, UNDP and its partners cleared 1.7 million square meters of contaminated land. In 2009, Albania was declared mine-free, restoring safety and livelihoods.
the designation of Karaburun-Sazan as Albania's first Marine Protected Area signaled a growing commitment to safeguarding natural heritage and paved the way for the expansion of protected areas nationwide.
UNDP Albania
The new millennium marked a shift from recovery to transformation. Albania became the first country to adapt the Millennium Development Goals at the sub-national level, translating global ambitions into local action. In Tirana, the clean and green project reclaimed public space along the Lana River, reversing years of informal construction and restoring the city to its citizens. Along the coast, the designation of Karaburun-Sazan as Albania's first Marine Protected Area signaled a growing commitment to safeguarding natural heritage and paved the way for the expansion of protected areas nationwide.
The Vreshtas Water Supply Project, inaugurated in March 2004, brought improved access to water to the local community
UNDP Albania
In 2007, Albania became one of eight pilot countries for the One Programme reform, aligning UN support more closely with national priorities and the country's European integration path. A defining milestone of this period was the territorial and administrative reform, supported through the STAR programme. Launched in 2013, this ambitious, multi-partner effort, trusted UNDP for implementation, consolidated municipalities, improved service delivery, and strengthened local democracy — creating more capable, transparent, and citizen-focused institutions as a cornerstone for long-term development and EU alignment.
In 2015, Albania adopted the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNDP Albania
In 2015, Albania adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, embedding them into national planning and turning them into a practical framework for reform.
With support from the European Union, UNDP played a central role in recovery — supporting the reconstruction of 63 modern, resilient schools across 11 municipalities, today serving more than 24,000 students and teachers.
UNDP Albania
When a devastating earthquake struck in November 2019, this foundation was put to the test. With support from the European Union, UNDP played a central role in recovery — supporting the reconstruction of 63 modern, resilient schools across 11 municipalities, today serving more than 24,000 students and teachers. The long-term response, with support from a myriad of donors, focused on social protection service delivery; local economic recovery and resilience; and strengthening disaster risk preparedness and response.
As Albania advances toward European Union membership, the partnership with UNDP has deepened — focusing on both systemic reform and tangible improvements in people's daily lives. Young people, women, and groups at risk of being left behind are gaining access to skills, training, and employment aligned with EU labor market standards, with vocational education increasingly linked to real-world work through dual learning models. Albanian businesses — particularly in agri-business and sustainable tourism — are adopting sustainable practices and integrating into European value chains. Social protection systems have expanded to better reach families, persons with disabilities, Roma and Egyptian communities, and survivors of violence, while free legal aid and specialized services for survivors of gender-based violence have grown across the country.
Vjosa, Albania
UNDP Albania
Environmental sustainability is increasingly central to Albania's development path. Protected areas now cover over 21 percent of land, climate adaptation is being integrated into national planning and budgeting, and investments in disaster preparedness are strengthening resilience to growing climate risks.
From expanding access to justice to advancing digital governance and AI-assisted tools, Albania is building more transparent, efficient, and citizen-focused institutions — all in close partnership with government, municipalities, civil society, the private sector, and international partners.
Today, Albania's story is no longer defined by transition alone, but by convergence — with European standards, sustainable practices, and a more inclusive and resilient future.
“Thirty-five years of partnership with Albania tell a story not only of how far the country has come, but of what can be achieved when there is trust, shared purpose and a commitment to people. From moments of crisis and transition to today’s path towards European Union membership, UNDP has been privileged to stand alongside Albania and its people. As we look ahead, our commitment remains the same: to help turn ambition into lasting progress, strengthen institutions, expand opportunities and ensure that no one is left behind.” — Randi Davis, UNDP Resident Representative in Albania
Thirty-five years reflect the resilience of a country and the strength of a partnership that has evolved across decades of change — from rebuilding institutions in the early 1990s to supporting EU accession today.
The work is not finished. But the foundation built over these decades is strong — and the path forward is clear.
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None of this would have been possible alone. Across thirty-five years, every milestone — from clearing landmines to rebuilding schools, from reforming local governance to expanding social protection — has been achieved through the power of partnership. We are grateful to: the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, Japan, Türkiye, the Republic of Korea, France, Croatia, Estonia, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, GEF, Adaptation Fund, GCF, the United States, and UNDP.
The Government of Albania has been the cornerstone: a committed counterpart that has driven reform, owned the agenda, and turned vision into policy. UN sister agencies have brought complementary expertise and a shared commitment to leaving no one behind.
International development partners have provided resources, trust, and long-term perspective that complex transformation demands. Civil society and academia have kept the work grounded in reality — challenging, innovating, and ensuring that evidence shapes action. And the private sector has increasingly stepped forward as an engine of inclusive growth, connecting reform to opportunity.
Partnerships at this depth are not transactional.
They are built over years of shared challenges, honest dialogue, and mutual accountability.
They are what transforms a programme into a movement, and a milestone into lasting change.
As Albania continues its journey toward the European Union, this coalition of partners remains its greatest asset — and UNDP's proudest contribution is not any single project, but the relationships that made them all possible.
*All references to Kosovo are understood to be in the context of UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
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