More than 40 women entrepreneurs participated in the “Women’s Entrepreneurship EXPO 2024” satellite event, held for the second consecutive year in Tirana, Albania, on November 18-19, 2024.

Through the UN Joint Programme and UN Women’s intervention, nearly 500 women and children received support with healthcare, legal aid, counseling, vocational training, and housing, resulting in 69 women securing employment and over 250 families receiving rental assistance in Albania.

The media forum provided a dynamic space for knowledge exchange, interactive sessions, and collaboration with gender and human rights experts. Journalists were equipped with new tools to report on sensitive issues with accuracy and inclusivity, challenge harmful stereotypes, and adopt innovative approaches.

This innovative methodology, introduced by ESD Albania with the support of UN Women and funding from the Swedish Government, aims to prevent violence and reduce bullying in schools. This is the story of a dedicated teacher and her students at “Karl Gega” High School in an Albanian village, and how ESD has transformed their lives.

Over the past decades, women and girls around the world have demolished barriers, dismantled stereotypes and driven progress towards more just and equal societies. Women’s rights were recognised as fundamental and universal human rights.

A two-day workshop on gender participatory budgeting and community outreach practices brought together civil society organizations, local government representatives, activists, and gender-responsive budgeting experts from Albania and North Macedonia.

Gjeline Doda, from Lezha, northwest Albania, is one of the first educators in Albania certified as an Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) instructor in 2021. Apart from teaching high school math, which she has been doing for almost 15 years, she is now working to empower and teach personal safety to a new generation by boosting students’ self-esteem and communications skills to prevent and mitigate the risk of violence.

The local government elections on 14 May are an important opportunity to strengthen local democracy in Albania, and to consolidate past achievements in promoting women leadership in decision-making. Ahead of the start of the campaign, the United Nations in Albania reached out to political party leaders, advocating for women’s full and meaningful participation in local elections, and presenting a set of recommendations in three key areas.

Around 20 journalists and media experts joined the media forum on "Media and Violence Against Women in Politics and Elections" organized prior to Albania’s Local Elections taking place on the 14th of May, by UN Women and its partner organization "Together for Life". Participants in the event discussed the various challenges faced by women in politics and elections and the crucial role of the media in addressing them.

Verie Tahiraj is a strong and determined woman, who has been supporting her family through economic hardship for years. When the opportunity to secure a source of income by becoming a part of the artisan value chain presented itself, she seized it without hesitation.

Women artisans engaged in the handicraft value chain and market now better equipped to earn higher incomes.

Aferdita Kote’s* old Nokia phone had only one contact: that of her husband of 10 years. He called her constantly to know her whereabouts. But she did not tell him when she got a new smartphone equipped with a mobile application (Bright Sky) to report violence.

On 24 February 2023, the Government of Albania and UN Women hosted a sub-regional consultation for the Western Balkans and Türkiye, in preparation for the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67). The consultation provided an opportunity to discuss the gender gap in digital access, women's underrepresentation in certain professions, women’s entrepreneurship, decision-making in the digital transformation, as well as online discrimination and violence in the region.

Fabiola Laço Egro is the founder and leader of the “Today for the Future” Community Center as well as a member of National Council of Civil Society in Albania and the Monitoring Network against Gender-Based Violence. One of the most prominent civil society activists in Albania, Ms. Laço Egro shares her perspectives and lessons learned on building networks and alliances to advance the gender equality agenda.

The UN Women office in Albania teamed up with the government, civil society organizations, international partners, and other UN agencies operating in the country to mark this year's 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence with a variety of public events, university lectures, trainings, social media campaigns and much more.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection and UN Agencies in Albania launched the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign supported by UN Women. The event brought together government and international partners, feminists, women’s rights activists, as well as many others who work every day to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.

The plans were adopted following broad-based and inclusive consultations with public and nonpublic institutions, the civil society, academia, youth, and private sector representatives. The entire process was technically supported by UN Women, as part of the Joint Programme “European Union for Gender Equality in Albania,” financed by the European Union through the Albania SDG Acceleration Fund.

UN Women in collaboration with the Municipality of Kamza, a town 11 km from the capital Tirana, organized an awarding event with 16 women participants of the Women’s Small Business Program. They presented their business ideas and plans in front of a professional jury and business representatives following five months of training and coaching.

The initiative aims to engage young creators and artists from all around Albania practicing photography and illustration, who will use their artworks to convey messages and help spark a conversation around this theme.

Klodiana Mere* has more than 30 stitches on her head, the same number as the number of years she lived in terror of her life and the lives of her two children. She survived a deadly attack by her ex-husband four years ago but the agony did not end there.