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2.1 Participation in PRS implementation (overall perspective): At large, hardly any progress was made during NSSED implementation: political frictions led to three changes of government in 2002 and, thus, accounted for a precarious political situation. The JSA of states that the Albanian government did little to deepen and institutionalize participation of civil society in NSSED updating. Consequently, on side of civil society, the lack of institutionalization and sustainability of participation was lamented; in addition, CS indicates that the individual processes were oftentimes uncoordinated and ill organized, following a rather ad hoc approach. By means of the latter, civil society argues the processes were poorly or sometimes not at all aligned with the PRS processes. Despite consultations and public relations, the bigger part of the Albanian public and local governments were not sufficiently familiar with the PRS and its processes. 2.2 Participation in Policy Reforms linked to the PRS (specific perspective): No specific information available. 2.3 Participation in PRS Monitoring: In 2002, M&E units were set up in a total of 12 ministries and their tasks and structures defined. Civil society is involved through its membership in the technical sector working group; soon after the launch of the M&E phase, CS developed a number of proposals to build capacity for CSO involvement in monitoring However, detailed information on the operationalization of societal participation in the M&E process are owing to date. Within the Labor and Social Ministry a so-called "Poverty Center" is to be set up; the GPRS Technical Secretariat of the MoF acts the part of the institutional coordinators in order to ensure transparent and efficient monitoring. 2.4 Participation in PRS Revision: The government
intends to invite CSOs to join the annual review of the PRSP process,
and add their independent report to the annual PRSP progress report (Coyle/Evans
2003: 15). The first NSSED-APR was elaborated with the help of local consultants
and eventually presented by the government in 2003. A year prior, consultations
regarding the compilation of the Medium Term Programs 2003-2006 as well
as the APR were carried out; in total 16 nation-wide consultations had
been organized at national and local between January and April of 2003.
These consultations during the fabrication of the Progress Report included
civil society, the private sector, local governments, parliament, and
donors. Participants discussed problems during PRS implementation as well
as progresses made and challenges to be accepted in the course of the
process. Revision was concluded in a big national conference in April
2003. According to the Albanian government, results of these consultations
were incorporated into the Progress Report for Implementation.
3.1 Structures: CSAGs, the NCSAG, STWGs as well as the Working Group are first elements of the institutionalization of non-state stakeholder participation. Thus, the Albanian government managed to integrate civil society actors into the PRS process. The NCSAG significantly added to the fact that experts of target groups re integrated into the STWGs and, therefore, their concern have been fed into the PRS process. Undoubtedly, the institutionalization of participation is promoted by the creation of specific working groups; however, civil society input in structural and macroeconomic matters was rather limited because it was not represented in the fundamental working groups such as Trade and Economy. 3.2 Legitimacy: Civil society actors lament the variable degree to which the various stakeholders participated in the PRS process: For instance, rural NGOs are hardly integrated into the process, while international donors and international NGOs are said to have great influence on the process. Domestic NGOs play a growing role within the development context of Albania. While there a many reputable NGOs that do good work, there is a reason for caution toward others. NGOs are often viewed by the public as a means of influential people to make a living, often at international levels of income, which are considerably higher than domestic levels. There are many former ministers and deputy ministers who became directors of various non-governmental organizations, many of the former politicians being in the opposition party. To date, there appears to be few if any rural NGOs. Many domestic NGOs work at the municipal level to arbitrate disputes among the communities and the governments and offer training to local NGOs and local governments (Gamisonia undated: 5). 3.3 Capacity: The absence of a well-organized
and well-established civil society as well as lack of participatory traditions
hampered the active involvement of non-state stakeholders in the PRS process.
Moreover, Albanian NGOs lack of sufficient funding and staff, which limits
their capacity to act. Another problem is the shortage of time: most often
civil society actors simply had not enough time to acquaint themselves
with the different drafts of the PRS prior to the consultations. In order
to overcome capacity deficiencies, the Albanian NGOs Forum (ANGOF) was
founded recently.
4.1 Statistical data a. Developmental status
b. Indebteness Albania is not participating in the HIPC II initiative. For more information on Albania's debt status see: Paris Club - Albania debt treatments World Bank: Albania Estimated Debt Service Payments c. Further statistical resources Albania Institute of Statistics (Instat) World Bank: Albania Data & Statistics 4.2 Important documents a. Official PRS-related documents IMF/IDA (2004): Albania. Joint Staff Assessment of the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report. June 18. IMF/IDA (2003): Albania. Joint Staff Assessment of the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report. June 13. IMF/IDA (2002a): Albania. Joint Staff Assessment of the
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. May 28. Republic of Albania / Ministry of Finance (2004): Progress
Report on Implementation of the National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development
during 2003. Objectives and Long Term Vision. April. Republic of Albania / The Council of Ministers (2003): National
strategy for socio-economic development (NSSED). Progress report for implementation
2002, objectives and long term vision of the NSSED, priority action plan
2003. Tirana, May 8. Republic of Albania / Ministry of Finance (2002): Supplement
to the National Strategy For Socio-Economic Development (GPRS). 20 May. Republic of Albania / Council of Ministers (2001): National
Strategy for Socio-Economic Development. Tirana, November. Republic of Albania (2000): Albania Interim Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper. May 3. For the most recent official PRSP documents see b. Major donor-related documents IMF (2005): Albania: Sixth Review Under the Extended Arrangement
Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. Washington D.C., August
3. UNDP Albania (2005): Country Evaluation. Assessment of Development
Results. UNDP Albania 2002-2004. UNDP (2005): Advancing Development through Sub-national
MDG Reports: a case study of Albania. World Bank: Albania Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) For further donor-related strategy documents see http://www.countryanalyticwork.net 4.3 Reports and analyses a. PRSP-related publications Bojö, Jan et al. (2004): Environment in Poverty Reduction
Strategies and Poverty Reduction Support Credits. World Bank, Environment
Department, Environmental Economics Series, Paper No. 102, Washington
D.C., November. (includes data on Albania) Bojö, Jan/Rama Chandra Reddy (2003): Status and Evolution
of Environmental Priorities in the Poverty Reduction Strategies. An Assessment
of Fifty Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. World Bank, Environment Department,
Environmental Economics Series, Paper No. 93, Washington D.C., November.
(includes data on Albania) Caillods, F./J. Hallak (2004): Education and PRSPs. A review
of experiences. A review undertaken with the support of DFID, UNESCO,
Interational Institute of Educational Planning, Paris. (includes data
on Albania) Coyle, Erin/Evans, Alison (2003): PRSP Synthesis Note 6.
Experience with PRSPs in tranisitions countries. PRSP Monitoring &
Synthesis Project, Synthesis Note 6. (includes data on Albania) Dewachter, Sara (2005): The Participation Conditionality
under Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: The Joint Staff Assessment -experience.
University of Antwerp, Institute of Development Policy and Management,
IDPM-UA discussion paper 2005-6, April. (includes data on Albania) Egulu, Lawrence (2004): Trade Union Participation in the
PRSP Process. World Bank, Social Protection Unit, Social Protection Discussion
Paper Series, Washington D.C., August. (includes Albania case study) European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD) (2002):
Private Sector Development - Pro-poor, or merely Poor, Service Delivery?
Brussels, April. (includes data on Albania) Fox, James W. (2003): Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers:
Review of Private Sector Participation. USAID Development Information
Services (DIS), Washington D.C., October 31. (includes data on Albania) Gamisonia, Rostom (undated): PRSP Rapid Assessment in Georgia
and Albania, NGO Working Group on the World Bank. GTZ (2004a): National Monitoring of Sustainable Poverty
Reduction Strategies / PRSPs. Volume 1: Main Report. Eschborn. (based
on Albania case study) GTZ (2004b): National Monitoring of Sustainable Poverty
Reduction Strategies / PRSPs. Volume 2: Country Study Albania. Eschborn. Heidel, Klaus (2004): Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
- blind to the rights of the (working) child? The (I-)PRSPs' perception
of child labour. A problem outline and annotated collection of source
material. Kindernothilfe/Werkstatt Ökonomie, Duisburg/Heidelberg,
March. (includes data on Albania) Hewitt, Adrian/Ian Gillson (2003): Review of the Trade and
Poverty Content in PRSPs and Loan-Related Documents. Report commissioned
by Christian Aid, Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London. (includes
Albania case study) High-Level Forum on the Health MDGs (2004): MDG-Orientated
Sector and Poverty Reduction Strategies: Lessons from Experience in Health.
Abuja, December. (includes data on Albania) Holmes, Malcom/Alison Evans (2003): Implementing Medium
Term Expenditure Frameworks in a PRSP Context: A Synthesis of Eight Country
Studies. Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, Discussion Draft,
November. (based on Albania case study) IMF/IDA (2002b): Review of the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper (PRSP) Approach: Early Experience with Interim PRSPs and Full PRSPs.
Prepared by the Staffs of the IMF and World Bank, Washington DC., March
26. (includes data on Albania) International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2002): Disability
and Poverty Reduction Strategies. How to ensure that access of persons
with disabilities to decent and productive work is part of the PRSP process.
Discussion Paper, Geneva, November. Joint Donor PRSP Training (2004): PRSP-related coordination
challenges in Europe; the case of Albania. Preliminary draft, May. Kanani, Alma (2002): Case Study Albania. Linking the Medium-Term
Expenditure Framework and th GPRS. Overseas Development Institute (ODI),
Centre for Aid & Public Expenditure, London. Kashta, Anesti (2002): Albania Growth & Poverty Reduction
Strategy. Civil Society Involvement in Setting the Priorities. Killick, Tony (2002): The 'Streamlining' of IMF Conditionality:
Aspirations, Reality and Repercussions. A report for the Department for
International Development (DFID), Overseas Development Institute (ODI),
London, April. (based on Albania case study) Ladd, Paul (2003): Too hot to handle? The absence of trade
policy from PRSPs. Christian Aid, April. (includes data on Albania) Lucas, Henry/David Evans/Katherine Pasteur (2004): Research
on the current state of PRS monitoring systems. Institute of Development
Studies (IDS), Discussion Paper 382, Brighton, December. (includes data
on Albania) Mancellari, Ahmet/Sybi Hida (2005): Macroeconomic Policy
Choices for Growth and Poverty Reduction. The Case of Albania. The North-South
Institute, Policy Brief, May. Marcus, Rachel/John Wilkinson (2002): Whose Poverty Matters?
Vulnerability, Social Protection and PRSPs. Childhood Poverty Research
and Policy Centre (CHIP), Working Paper No. 1. (includes data on Albania) ODI (2005): Linking Policies and Budgets: Implementing Medium
Term Expenditure Frameworks in a PRSP Context. Overseas Development Institute,
ODI Briefing Paper, London, June. (includes data on Albania) OECD/DAC (2004): Role of Infrastructure in Economic Growth
and Poverty Reduction. Lessons Learned from PRSPs of 33 Countries. DAC
Network on Poverty Reduction, Berlin, October 27-29. (includes data on
Albania) OECD/DAC (2003): Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) as of January 2003.
OECD, Global Forum on Knowledge Economy, Paris, 4-5 March. (includes data
on Albania) Schmidt, Mary Beth (2002): Review of the Integration of
Social Funds With Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and Country Assistance
Strategies. Consultant's Report to Human Development Network, World Bank
Group, Washington D.C, May 31. (includes data on Albania) The Carter Center (2000): Carter Center to Launch Development
Strategy Initiative in Albania. World Bank Operations Evaluation Department (OED) (2004):
OED Review of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) Process. Albania Case
Study. Corporate Evaluation and Methods Group, Washington D.C., July 6. World Bank Operations Evaluation Department (OED)/IMF Independent
Evaluation Office (IEO) (2005): The Poverty Reduction Strategy Initiative.
Findings from 10 Country Case Studies of World Bank and IMF Support. Washington
D.C. (includes Albania case study) World Bank (2005): Poverty Reduction Support Credits: A
Stocktaking. Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), Washington
D.C., June 24. (includes data on Albania) World Bank (2004a): A Review of Poverty Reduction Strategies
- Do They Empower Stakeholders? Work in progress - draft, Poverty Reduction
Group (PREM), Washington D.C., January. (includes Albania case study) World Bank (2004b): Poverty Reduction Strategies: Their Importance for Disability. Disability and Development Team, Washington D.C., July 7. World Bank (2004c): A Review of Population, Reproductive
Health, and Adolescent Health & Development in Poverty Reduction Strategies.
Population and Reproductive Health Cluster/Health Nutrition and Population
Central Unit, Washington D.C., August. (includes data on Albania) World Bank (2002a): Aligning Assistance for Development
Effectiveness. Promising Country Experience. Comprehensive Development
Framework Secretariat/Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), Washington
D.C., February. (includes Albania case study) World Bank (2002b): Participation and Civic Engagement in
Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRSP). Good Practice & Lessons Learned
- The Case of Albania. Participation and Civic Engagement Group, Washington
D.C. World Development Movement (2005): Democracy and the Poverty
Reduction Strategy process: Country cases. May. (includes Albania case
study). World Health Organization (2004): PRSPs: Their Significance
for Health: second synthesis report. Geneva. (includes data on Albania) b. Background reading American Bar Association/Central European and Eurasian Law
Initative (ABB/CEELI) (2004): Judicial Reform Index for Albania. Volume
II. February. American Bar Association/Central European and Eurasian Law
Initative (ABA/CEELI) (2001): Judicial Reform Index for Albania. December. Freedom House (ed.) (undated): Albania, in: same, Nations
in Transit 1999-2000, p. 44-67. Hoxha, Artan (2002): Local Self-Government and Decentralization.
Case of Albania. History, Reforms and Challenges, Reforms and Challenges,
Tirana, January. Human Rights Watch (2002): The Cost of Speech. Violations
of Media Freedom in Albania, in: Human Rights Watch, Vol. 14(5), June. Issues of the Implementation of the Law "On Non-profitable
Organizations". First National Conference "Development Issues
of NPOs in Albania", September 2002. NPO-State Relations. Conference "Problems of Non-Profitable
Organizations (NPO) in Albania", September 23-24 2002. Stability Pact Anti-Corruption Initiative (2001): Empowering
Civil Society in the Fight Against Corruption in South East Europe - Albania:
Civil Society Assessment Report. SPAI Regional Conference on Civil Society. UNDP Albania: Albania and the Millennium Development Goals a. PRSP Albanian Ministry of Finance b. Civil society Albanian Center for Human Rights Albanian Human Rights Group Information and Research Centre for Children's Rights in
Albania Network Women's Programm (NWP) Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania Partners for Democratic Change Tirana Women's International Group Women's Center Tirana Directory of Development Organizations (national / international) c. Donors / International actors Aid Harmonization & Alignment Iniatiative - Albania
country profile International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Albania country profile World Bank - Albania country profile United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Albania country
office 4.5 General country information Development Gateway International Crisis Group (ICG) - Albania country profile Freedom House - Albania country profile 4.6 General links that also provide country-specific information European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) International Monetary Fund (IMF) The World Bank Group Paris Club
Source : www.prsp-watch.de (September 2005) © German Version: VENRO |
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