UNDP, EU review investment in northeastern Kukes

KUKES, Sep. 19 – Representatives of the European Commission and UNDP went to a two-day trip to Kukes to review the progress made on the Kukes Regional Development Initiative and the Mine Action Completion Initiative funded by the EC and implemented by UNDP Albania.
The overall total of both programs under implementation during the last four years amounts to 10.6 million Euros, from which the EC contribution is 8.7 million Euros.
The KRDI project, with an EC contribution of 4.2 million Euros, began in February 2005. The project aimed to improve basic infrastructures including water supply systems, sewage systems and school reconstruction for the poorest villages in the Kukes Region.
During their visit, the delegation also reviewed progress of the Mine Action Completion Initiative which the EC has contributed 4.6 million Euros to developing. The Albanian Mine Action Program is a multi-phased project, initiated in early 2002.
The overall objective of the Program is to clear Albania from the remains of explosive mines and un-exploded ordinance by the end of 2009. The program includes a comprehensive Mine Action package of components including clearance of high and medium impact areas, maintenance of a due level of awareness of at-risk groups and mine victim assistance through improved medical care, physical rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration.
The average unemployment rate across the Kukes region is just under 30%, compared to a national average of 14.6% recorded in 2001. With regard to women, the Institute for Gender Applied Policies notes that within Kukes town, 67% of women are unemployed; this figure is likely much higher in the rural areas;
56% percent of the population receives social aid, compared to a national average of 22%;
Necessary infrastructure (roads, water, electricity, etc) is largely not functional or poorly maintained (e.g. less that 32% dwellings in Kukes Region have indoor plumbing), thus hampering efforts of the citizens to establish sustainable livelihoods for themselves;
The region also suffers from high infant and maternal mortality rates (4-5 times higher than the EU average);
Only 27 percent of students in rural areas attend secondary school (with the vast majority of female students not attending at all).