Swiss Deputy State Secretary for Foreign Affairs visits Shkodra

The cooperation and aid given by Swiss Government to Northern Albania and Shkodra in particular, the activity of Decentralization and Local Development Program in this region and the future of this cooperation, were some of the reasons that brought in Shkodra for a tour of meetings the State Vice-Secretary on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Georges Martin, accompanied by the Swiss Ambassador, Mr. Christoph Graf.

The Swiss delegation met with the Shkodra Mayor, Mrs. Voltana Ademi, who introduced to them the challenges of the new territorial and administrative reform. She also thanked the Swiss Government for the continuous support it gave to Shkodra, and Northern Albania in general, through different programs on waste management, finance management, and public administration modernization, where the One Stop Shop of the municipality was mentioned as the example of a successful investment.

The women elected on June local elections as members of the City Council, as well as women Mps, had the opportunity to discuss with the Swiss delegation problems and challenges women in politics face. There is a lot of interest from sides of the political aisle on the cooperation of the Women MP Alliance with women councillors of city councils. At the end of this meeting, DLDP presented a short movie that showed the history of Women in Politics Network, its many activities, internal cooperation and the prospective future of this network after the DLDP support expires.

The Swiss Government has continuously supported the water system and waste management system, so the visit continued with a trip to a collection and recycling center, which is the result of public-private partnership. A brief visit in a Roma settlement in Shkodra outskirts was carried out, where Mr. Martin and the delegation could see closely the difficult living conditions of this community.

Then the Swiss delegation visited Waste Water Treatment Plant in Shiroka, set up with the funds of the Swiss Government, and Bushat waste disposal landfill, a joint initiative of local and central governments.

Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, through its decentralization and local development program (DLDP), was selected from the Swiss Cooperation Office in Albania (SDC), to present main investments and the results of a successful cooperation, that increases the credibility of the program itself.