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About UNICEF Albania
UNICEF Programmes
- Available in:
- English
- Shqip
UNICEF Albania supports a program that helps all children to enjoy their human rights. UNICEF wants to make sure that no child is left behind, and that development takes place with equity.
In our work, we focus on children from the most vulnerable and marginalized groups. The main issues Albanian’s children face:
- Disparities and lack of access to quality services (health and education)
- Social exclusion and discrimination
- Violence, and access to justice
UNICEF works for an Albania:
- where all children rights are respected,
- where strategic investments in children will help to achieve national development goals, and
- where is the very best place for a child to be born, grow and realise his or her full potential.
UNICEF promotes sustainable and equitable development, social inclusion in line with international norms and fulfilment of international obligations, in support of the integration of Albania into the EU.
Strengthened Governance for Equity and Social Inclusion
- UNICEF works in partnership with Albanian government to ensure social inclusion of children’s and women’s, including the most vulnerable populations. Policies that address health, nutritional, educational and developmental needs of young children at the critical age of 0-3 and 3-6, especially those coming from vulnerable family backgrounds.
- To achieve this, we advocate with government to put child rights at the top of the national agenda. The work is to line up national policy priorities with the Convention of the Rights of the Child. UNICEF work to establish a system of data collection based on the implementation of the National Plan of Action for use by national, regional and local authorities.
Protection and Justice for Children
- By 2021, ensure quality access to justice system, including children who are victims or witnesses of crime, violence, abuse
- Social care system reform that offer individualised counselling and referral guidance to children, women and families in difficult life circumstances
- Increase social and child protection practitioners’ capacity to assist families in situations of vulnerability/at risk of separation
- Number of national mechanisms collecting evidence and addressing violence against children will be increased
Strategies
- UNICEF in partnership with government act to ensure that all children are registered and stay in school and that they are equipped with the basic tools they need to succeed in later life. We encourage child friendly policies that prevent and reduce marginalization in education.
- UNICEF act to make certain, that children survive and thrive all the way to adulthood. UNICEF strongly advocates equal opportunity in financing and access to health care for the most vulnerable who most need health care and cannot afford to pay.
- For children conflicts with law, UNICEF provide support to implement laws and reduce time spent by youth in pre-trial detention centers. We work to ensure treatment of youth in custody in accordance with international accepted practice.
- The world we want to build, is the world where girls and boys are free from violence, exploitation, and unnecessary separation from family; and where laws, services, behaviour and practices minimize children’s vulnerability.
- UNICEF works to reduce inequalities, and help government to sustain social protection reform until it works for children.
Impact
Albanian institutions manage the data effectively, and ensure that laws and programs that protects the rights of marginalized children are in place and implemented.
- When children’s rights are violated and they decide to seek help, they are supported by community members, lawyers, social workers or NGO. Prevention and reintegration program for youth into the society are part of the government commitment to ensure access to justice for all children.
- Children from vulnerable groups are assisted, through specific government programs, to be healthy and take full advantage of all educational and developmental opportunities.
- Social services improved so that marginalized children can be detected and cared for, including the prevention vulnerability to future threats.
- Education, health and protection policies improved and budgeted for to support social inclusion of children in early years, especially those with vulnerable backgrounds, such as Roma.