International aid on regional development

TIRANA, June 12 – Regional development tops Tuesday’s conference agenda in Tirana with representatives of regional and local authorities, line ministries working in the area of regional development, Department for Strategy and Donor Coordination, international organizations, and civil society organizations, came together to discuss the practical and policy aspects of regional development.
The Conference titled:”Bringing Policy and Practice Together” highlights the role of regions in driving development. Discussions focus on the importance of practical change as a way by which regions can progress and prosper. Over 40 regional projects are presented to the government and donor community in Albania, with clear messages from the regions: “we can do regional development, what we need is your partnership and immediate support”.
Zineb Touimi-Benjelloun, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, amongst others highlighted: “The regional communities need to take ownership and initiative of their own destiny. And as we will see today they are doing the job very well by creating strategic development plans, and translating those into real, palpable projects. In this respect there is nothing better than to exercise autonomy and find the regional development assets both physical and human, and use them to create competitive and inclusive regional communities. Empowerment of regions has to come from within. It has to come through practice.”
Under this project, four regions of Albania: Elbasan, Diber, Kukes and Berat have participated in strategic planning processes and regional projects development.
The Project has also has worked at national and regional levels, promoting a national response to regional development and supporting preparations for the Strategic Coherence Framework and IPA III (Regional Development). It has also provided financial support to specific infrastructure projects in the regions concerned.