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Program for strengthening gender equality in access to economic opportunities in Albania

Project

Gender Equality
creche-Elbasan-albanie
© Marie Tihon
Project start date
Status

Ongoing

Project duration
12 years
AFD financing amount
51 500 000 €
Country and region
Western Balkans
Location
Albanie
Type of financing
Loan, Grant
Partners
World Bank
Beneficiaries
Albanian government
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This program aims to support and promote more inclusive and equitable growth in Albania by acting on the factors that deprive women of economic opportunities equal to those of men. In co-financing with the World Bank, this public policy budget loan will support the Republic of Albania in strengthening public policies relating to the issue of gender equality.

Context

The economic and social empowerment of women is a major issue for the economic development of Albania: each year the country loses around 20 % of its GDP potential due to the limited access of women to the labor market. The differentiated access of women and men to economic opportunities stems from traditional social norms and attitudes persistence, the weakness of childcare arrangements and dependent persons, the limited supply of employment assistance, property access and recognition problems, or labor legislation.

In the context of Albania's gradual convergence with European Union standards, gender equality has been identified by both the Albanian authorities and the EU as a major issue for the integration of the acquis communautaire .

Description

The program aims to improve women's access to economic opportunities by:

  • Promoting greater equity in access to assets, through the recognition of rights acquired by women in real estate and land ownership
  • Developing policies for access to employment, the application of labor law and measures in favor of children to promote the participation of women in the labor market
  • Strengthening the institutional mechanism for gender mainstreaming at the national and local levels, in particular through budgetary and statistical levers.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Albania will coordinate the action of the various engaged ministries and public agencies.

In parallel with the loan, Expertise France will set up technical expertise to support the Albanian government in strengthening the regulatory framework and to promote exchanges between Albanian and French peers.

Impacts

This program will promote the productive inclusion of women and strengthen their contribution to the country's economic potential. It will not only help to provide salaried jobs and self-employment (entrepreneurship) but also to reduce the share of the informal economy and the precarious situation of women faced with underemployment. Albania's competitiveness and social cohesion will be strengthened.