Albania's national report on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (2019-2024). In addition to achievements and challenges, the report includes the country's priority for the next 5 years. The reporting process was led by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, with the technical support of UN Women.

This report aims to identify how the financial rebalancing during COVID-19 affected the advancement of gender equality in the country as per the legal acts issued by the central government in response to the unprecedented health, social and economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

This publication compiles and analyses the results of Rapid Gender Assessment surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on violence against women (VAW RGAs) in Albania.

The report offers a concise, data-driven look at the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and issues a clarion call for stepping up progress to realize the promises of Beijing. It covers countries from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe region and it is based on available data and information in the regional and global databases.

In May 2020, UN Women initiated online consultations with gender equality mechanisms from 14 countries in the Western Balkans and Turkey, Eastern Partnership and Central Asia sub-regions to discuss challenges and priorities for the gender dimensions of the short- and long-term COVID-19 response.

The report on “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on specialist services for victims and survivors of violence in the Western Balkans and Turkey: A proposal for addressing the needs” is a rapid assessment of specialist services to women who experienced violence to better understand the challenges posed to service delivery, as well as to explore new opportunities for innovative approaches in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid assessment was undertaken within the EU-UN Women Regional Programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds.”

To bring women’s views and solutions to the forefront of discussions and decisions on COVID-19 response, UN Women initiated rapid consultations with women’s organizations across the Europe and Central Asia region. The consultations provided an opportunity to hear directly about the specific risks and challenges that women and girls face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; they also focused on the opportunities and solutions they are providing so that the strategic focus of support can be adjusted in a gender-responsive manner to reflect their differentiated experience.