The start of the 21st Century’s third decade was not only accompanied by the challenges of development and predicaments of sustainability, but once more reinforced the strong connection between social and environmental processes and phenomena at the global scale.

Year 2021 provided a textbook example of how changes in the mechanisms of planning for development and society’s overall mindset are inevitable. If we strive for a healthy environment in which we can live in harmony with nature in our country and the whole region, ad tempore barriers and “closed doors” can be overcome. Accordingly, the Resource Environmental Center in Albania continuously explores new horizons for a better environment and the increased wellbeing of the Albanian society.

Examples from our work in 2021 include:

  • In the Municipalities of Kurbin and Tirana, youth groups pressed Municipal Councils to initiate climate-adaptive measures to curb the effects of floods and heatwaves in their communities;
  • In the plains of Shkodër, more than 600 family and business units were included in processes of assessment of life and property insurance calculations in case of floods, as a preventative measure that serves for reducing economic damages in the area;
  • In the Municipalities of Cërrik, Lezhë, and Tirana, more than 65 teachers and students became involved in a financial education programme with elements of environmental sustainability, and more than 250 students talked about the effects of climate change in our country.

We have also created new horizons in monitoring the country’s strategic frameworks, including the National Climate Change Strategy, the National Strategy for the Waste Integrated Management, as well as the country’s progress towards EU integration. Additionally, we have created new opportunities for cooperation within and outside the country, building new, as well as reinforcing consolidated partners and collaborators.

To download the electronic version of the report, please click here.