Albania joins Global Goals Week by engaging youth and institutions on gender equality issues
Date:
25 September 2019 – UN Women in Albania took part in the Global Goals Week with events organized around the country from 23 to 27 of September.
Throughout the week, a dedicated SDG Day was organized in the Municipality of Gjirokastra where different UN agencies held a series of events. UN Women, in partnership with the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), organized a User-Producer Dialogue – a presentation and discussion of the findings of the latest survey on Violence Against Women and Girls in Albania. The event brought together members of parliament, local women councilors and members of the Referral Mechanism against Domestic Violence in Gjirokastra.
“Violence against women is a global pandemic that unfortunately spares no countries. Data play a key role in developing and monitoring policy responses to protect the rights of women and girls”, UN Women Representative in Albania, Michele Ribotta highlighted.
Participants focused on the use of statistics to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 5, achieving gender equality and women empowerment. The presentation encouraged intensive debate on the critical need for local data and statistics that support the drafting and implementation of policies to prevent and combat violence against women and girls. The event was part of the UN Women’s global gender data programme ‘Women Count’.
“We welcome all initiatives that are focused on gender equality issues. We appreciate the support that UN Women is giving on this area”, Jorida Muho, Deputy Mayor of Gjirokastra said.
During the day a Town Hall dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goals was organized by the office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Albania, with the participation of the Mayor of Gjirokaster and stakeholders.
Also, during the week, Elbasan and Vlora joined the Global Goals Week with activities organized around Goal 5 and Goal 10 of the SDGs. In Elbasan, girls and boys from the Muslim community discussed gender norms and stereotypes and how to tackle them in society. In Vlora, service providers for disadvantaged groups were informed on the relevant services to be provided to women survivors of violence. These activities were organized in cooperation with Woman Forum Elbasan and Albania Disability Rights Foundation, which are part of the EU - UN Women regional programme against gender-based violence in the Western Balkan and Turkey. Activities were organized also by UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP during week.
Global Goals Week that celebrates the 4th anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals is a collective effort by UN Agencies in Albania to maximize the value of events and activations held during the UN General Assembly week– with a focus on supporting local action.