20 January 2010 - Austria announced today funding of 200,000 Euros in support of Albania’s development and integration efforts through the United Nations. This is Austria’s second contribution to Albania through “Delivering as One UN”, a global UN reform initiative. The contribution brings the total support for Albania to 450,000 Euros making the Austrian Government a significant contributor to the One UN Programme.

The agreement was signed today by the Austrian Ambassador to Albania Mr. Florian Raunig and the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania Ms. Gülden Türköz Cosslett.

Mr. Florian Raunig highlighted: “Austria as a member of UN and as a host country of UN - with Vienna as one of the UN centers in the world - and as a reliable partner of Albania is proud to be part of this initiative. Delivering as One UN means delivering more and delivering more efficiently, greater ownership for the Albanian Government and a streamlined focus on UN measures and programmes providing a better life for Albanian people.“

Minister of State Pollo, who is in charge for donor coordination, thanked Austria for this second contribution to the One UN Coherence Fund and highlighted the Government commitment to make the One UN pilot programme in Albania a success story. “It has enhanced the efficiency of the UN assistance here and we look forward to the UN reform which would benefit from the wide One UN pilot experience” Minister Pollo said.

“We appreciate Austria’s contribution and commitment to our efforts to “Deliver as One UN” in Albania. This initiative has made the United Nations a more focused development partner, working more coherently with national and international partners to deliver efficient development assistance to Albania”, - said Ms. Gülden Türköz Cosslett. The Austrian contribution is allocated to the UN Coherence Fund, un-earmarked, in support of national priorities within the One UN Programme.

The United Nations, in close partnership with the Government, has been working to deliver as one by bringing together the expertise of fourteen UN Agencies to enhance its service delivery and help the country achieve the Millennium Development Goals and European Union accession.

The One UN Programme aims to maximize the UN’s impact in five main areas: more transparent and accountable governance; greater inclusive participation in public policy and decision-making; increased and more equitable access to quality basic services; regional development to reduce disparities; and environmentally sustainable development. Seven joint programmes are currently under implementation.

In the area of sustainable environmental development, UN’s joint assistance focused on preparation of the Second National Communication of Albania on Climate Change which was presented at the Copenhagen Conference, together with the Policy Paper for Carbon Finance; implementation of adaptation measures in the Drini–Mati River Deltas, the implementation of Environmental Plans for the Park of Prespa as well as the finalization of the hot spots inventory.

UN agencies have also brought together their expertise and skills to support the rights of the Roma Community through a programme aiming to strengthen vulnerable groups. Thanks to this intervention, Roma community members have benefited from civil registration which has enabled them to be part of the social assistance scheme as well as benefit from vocational training programmes targeted to this community.

The UN Joint Programme on Youth, Employment and Migration is providing more employment opportunities for young people and better aligning national strategies on youth, employment and migration. The programme targets young workers in the regions of Shkodra and Kukes, highly affected by informal employment and youth migration.

The Austrian Government is one of the key donors to the UN Coherence Fund. The One UN Programme has benefited from the support of the European Commission, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

Photo: (left to right) United Nations Resident Coordinator Ms. Gülden Turkoz-Cosslett with Albanian Minister of State for Reforms Mr. Genc Pollo and the Austrian Ambassador to Albania Mr. Florian Raunig.