Albania

UNDP Albania supports government efforts to effectively implement its commitments towards the Millennium Development Goals and the National Strategy for Social and Economic Development, with the aim of reducing poverty and decreasing inequality. In this regard, UNDP has initiated and launched in September 2002 the "Support to Participatory Poverty Monitoring at the Local Level" project. This project is helping to introduce a participatory poverty monitoring system at the local level on a pilot basis in three regions in Albania.

Participatory approaches to monitoring involve local citizens directly in generating monitoring information, then interpreting and analyzing it. Participatory Poverty Monitoring has an important role to play in helping Albanias local governments monitor the implementation of their Communal or Municipal Development Plans. This role will become increasingly important as local governments take on greater responsibilities with decentralization. It can provide benchmark information and promote the idea of citizens participation in measuring the quality, adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency of local government services.

This project is focused on building sustainable capacities and institutional structures for establishing effective monitoring system at the local level.

The project, therefore, represents an essential tool for monitoring of NSSED and MDG implementation and their impact at the local and regional levels.

Intended project outputs:

• Support provided for establishing a system of participatory poverty assessment and monitoring at the local level in 6 pilot communes
• The local governments are equipped with detailed and structured Manual for organizing and conducting a participatory poverty monitoring at the commune level
• Enhanced capacities of the CSOs in active participation in policy monitoring