ALBANIA

As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2022-2023, Albania’s priorities included strengthening the women, peace and security agenda, human rights and international law, countering violent extremism, and climate and security. 

In 2024 Albania published its latest NAP to cover the period 2023-2027. 

‍

Objectives/Aims of the Albanian NAP 2023-2027:

The Vision and Mission of this Action Plan mirror the approach adopted by the Albanian Government in its earlier Action Plan for 2018-2020 on the implementation of Resolution 1325, thus ensuring the continuity of these policies in the country.

Vision: An Albanian society where women have a strengthened role and are actively involved in the preservation of peace, in conflict prevention and resolution, and a society that makes a sustainable contribution at the international level, guaranteeing the rights of women involved in conflict situations.

Mission: To increase women’s representation and involvement in the security sector by reducing gender stereotypes of women’s participation in the security f ield decision-making processes and enhancing the country’s contribution to international policies that guarantee the rights of women and girls involved in conflict and post conflict situations.

Objectives:

1. Participation, which aims to increase women’s engagement in positions of leadership and their participation by strengthening women and girls’ leadership in all areas connected to peace and security. 27 PART II Policy Goals, Specific Objectives and Primary Measures 
2. Awareness-raising and in-depth expertise about the WPS Agenda, including ensuring qualified staff to deal with cases of victims of violence, including sexual violence and sexual harassment, at all stages and in the areas of conflict resolution, humanitarian aid, asylum procedures, etc. Provision of training in conflict resolution and humanitarian aid, public information on the WPS Agenda and provision of support for the activities of non-governmental organisations involved in the implementation of the WPS Agenda. This would also mean integrating a gender perspective in all policies seeking to prevent conflicts, including environmental and digital policies. 
3. Prevention, which aims to prevent situations of conflict within the country and abroad, by monitoring and reporting conflict-related violations of women and girls’ human rights and promoting zero tolerance policies towards violence, including sexual violence, in order to help put an end to impunity and bring the perpetrators of such crimes before justice. 
4. Protection, by advancing the protection of women and girls’ human rights and improving their access to justice at the local, national, regional and international levels. 
5. Relief and recovery efforts in the context of conflict and post-conflict situations, including natural disasters, in order to meet the needs of women and girls by further strengthening regional and international collaboration

Commentary:

The 2023-2027 Action Plan goes on to set out specific measures that will be taken by various agencies in order to achieve each objective.  Each objective details which agencies are responsible for listed actions, together with progress indicators and a target deadline.  It also includes a budget for implementation for each of the year it covers;  some funds will come from national state resources as well as donor commitments . 

The Plan recognizes the need to support women’s career trajectories throughout security and police forces, a key step in promoting gender-sensitive security policy and transitional justice and peace-building initiatives. The NAP also pays attention to the domestic post-conflict setting and the continued need to implement gender-sensitive justice initiatives while also supporting 1325 implementation overseas and in other transitional justice processes.

‍Civil society engagement in development of the 2023-2027 NAP:

Civil society is mentioned throughout the document, especially in the first strategic objective about education in gender-sensitive approaches to peace and security. However, government departments are still listed as the primary implementers, though the Women Peace and Security Coalition was included in consultation, and civil society is to be included in the in the processes of drafting and reviewing policies related to the implementation of the WPS Agenda in the country.

‍UN Peacekeeping Statistics:

In January 2025 Albania contributed 2 peacekeepers: one staff officer and one expert on mission, both of whom are female.

‍Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission and Personnel Type (January 2025) 03-Contributions by Country and Mission

Women’s role in peacekeeping: 

In October 2019 a progress review of the 2018-2020 was published.  While this showed that since launching the NAP, the number of women officers in the Albanian armed forces had increased by 8% and non-commissioned officers by 10.7%, there was still work to do.  

‍References:

Albania’s WPS NAP 2023-2027:  nap_2023-2027_eng.pdf

The first report on the implementation of Resolution 1325 in Albania launched | UN Women – Europe and Central Asia

‍Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission and Personnel Type (January 2025) 03-Contributions by Country and Mission

‍

Updated April 2025

‍