Dialogue for inclusive evidence-based policy development in Albania

13.07.2022

Summary

Co-PLAN, the Institute for Habitat Development (Tirana) in cooperation with the European Policy Center (Brussels) and with the financial support of the European Union, are jointly implementing the project ‘ideAL – Dialogue for inclusive evidence-based policy development in Albania’. The project aims to contribute to the improvement of the public policy dialogue in Albania, by strengthening the policy dialogue in the reform process, and facilitating engagement and dialogue between central and local state institutions and non-state actors. ideAL envisages working closely with state and non-state actors in support of dialogue between the parties, creating a capacity development platform to support non-state actors in policy-related areas, and financially supporting through one substantial grant program, non-state actors engaged in policy research. Financial and capacity development support, has been offered to a pool of 20 civil society organisations by supporting 16 policy-influencing initiatives both on a local and national level. These initiatives cover a wide spectrum of high priority topics, including: environment and climate change, tourism development, healthcare reform, decentralisation, food safety, structural reforms, etc.

Overall Objective

Contribute to the improvement of public policy dialogue in Albania, through strengthening policy dialogue in reform processes, and by facilitating engagement and dialogue between central and local state institutions and non-state actors. 
Expected Results
1) The initiation and/or consolidation of evidence-based policy dialogue in key reform processes, including public administration, economic development, social development, governance, elections, environment, among state actors relevant non-state actors/civil society sector in Albania; (2) The creation of a comprehensive knowledge-making and capacity development lab for civil society, think tanks, media, researchers, and academia, covering different aspects of the policy cycle and key reform processes; (3) The operationalisation of a functional advocacy hub for sharing, exchanging, networking, cross-fertilising experiences, and for echoing good practices, lessons learned, policy recommendations, and any innovative approaches. 

Activities

(i) Establishing a policy network lab to: conduct in-depth policy research, monitoring, and analysis; draft methodologies for policy research and advocacy processes; produce/issue (state of the art) position papers; (ii) An advocacy hub to: designate and set up the online resources platform; arrange regional exchanges (that is, among think tanks in the region) and exchanges between Balkan/Albanian and EU- based policy think-tanks and institutions; communicate findings and know- how produced in the policy hub; engage in networking activities; organise policy (implementation) dialogue between regional/local government and non-state actors; (iii) Direct Financial Support to third parties; (iv) Capacity Development, particularly for non-state actors, including: content of workshops, three policy dialogue workshops (methodologies, exchange and cross-fertilisation, communication of policy) and continuous coaching to grantees to deliver policy products and to implement advocacy processes; and overall (v) Project Management and Monitoring.  
 

Albania
Project Value: 1,000,000.00 €
Ongoing
Other
European Union
Implementing partner: Co-PLAN, Institute for Habitat Development (Albania) in partnership with European Policy Center (Belgium)
EU Contribution: 1,000,000.00 €
IPA II