Resilience Strengthening in Albania (RESEAL) /UNDP

The 2024 implementation of the UNDP RESEAL project adhered to the approved workplan outlined during the 4th Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting. Key achievements demonstrate significant strides in disaster preparedness, institutional resilience, and community engagement across Albania. The National Civil Protection Agency (NCPA) continued to receive targeted support to enhance its institutional framework, operational scope, and workforce capacity at all levels: -Staff training on data collection facilitated the successful completion of Sendai Monitoring for 2022 and 2023, improving Albanias compliance with international DRR commitments. - Five tailored civil protection training modules were delivered at regional and local levels in MarchApril 2024, equipping participants with the knowledge to strengthen emergency preparedness and response capabilities. The development and implementation of planning documents enhanced the operational continuity of central institutions, following the recommendations of the recently approved National Civil Emergency Plan: Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Continuity of Government (COG) plans were finalized for 14 ministries and key central institutions, including NCPA. These plans included stakeholder engagement, risk assessments, and identification of Mission Essential Functions (MEFs). Comprehensive staff training ensured their effective adoption and sustainability. Disaster Risk Management (DRM) simulation exercises were conducted in 12 preuniversity schools across six regions in the country, selected through a comprehensive discussion process with NCPA and the Ministry of Education and Sports as well as related educational agencies. Over 420 students, teachers, parents, and municipal personnel participated in training, simulations, and collaborative activities. The initiative also produced a comprehensive guideline to assist schools and municipalities in planning, conducting, and evaluating DRM drills. A comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for the Saranda Sea Port were developed and implemented. Collaborative planning, stakeholder engagement, and a Tabletop Exercise (TTX) tested the ports resilience to disruptions, such as a simulated earthquake scenario, ensuring preparedness and operational stability. The "Mobile Command and Control Center van type" is in the assembly phase, with technical specifications aligned to operational needs. Personnel training for operators, technical support staff, and command personnel is planned to ensure its full functionality. Following the recommendation of the NCEP, advancing Disaster Preparedness Through Functional Exercises has been on the focus during 2024, and more specific two largescale functional exercises, "PishëPoro 2024" and "Winter Preparedness 2024," were successfully conducted to test and refine emergency response capabilities: -PishëPoro 2024 (July 23, 2024) simulated a massive wildfire in the Fier region, enhancing institutional collaboration and testing digital tools for emergency coordination. -Winter Preparedness 2024 (October 3031, 2024) addressed a severe winter storm scenario in Dibër and Kukës regions, improving multiagency response strategies and identifying critical areas for system enhancement. At the local level advancements in Local and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategic/planning documents were made by completing the local and regional strategic/planning framework as Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies for the six municipalities of the Fier region were finalized after an inclusive public consultation process and subsequently approved by municipal councils. Development of Civil Emergency Plans for Fier region and its six municipalities began on June 13, 2024. With active participation from regional and municipal working groups, the process has reached the drafting stage, aiming for completion by March 2025. A detailed report on not target municipalities providing insights, gaps and needs has been prepared. As the activity period for the project ends up in July 2025, during 2024 the implementing team and the main beneficiary (NACP), have strongly invested in strengthening its legacy and sustainability of the achieved results by developing the Exit Strategy and Followup Action Plan for the UNDP RESEAL Project in Albania, providing a roadmap for sustaining project outcomes beyond 2024. The project terminal evaluation further validated the achievements and laid the foundation for future interventions. The intervention has achieved significant progress in 2024, enhancing Albania's capacity to manage disaster risks and respond effectively to emergencies. With strengthened institutional frameworks, robust training programs, and community driven initiatives, the project has created a solid foundation for sustainable disaster resilience. The completion of strategic plans, co-financing commitments, and advancements in critical infrastructure underscore the project's success in fostering a safer, more prepared Albania. The project has moved for preparing DRR strategic documents which constitute the foundations of disaster preparedness, to strengthening institutional capacity of stakeholders at central and local level and practical testing of their preparedness through real life case simulation exercises. Sida has attended some of the simulation exercises witnessing a high level of participation and commitment by the central and local institutions. The approach of the intervention to focus on fundamentals first and following up through the local level and individual stakeholders preparations, supported in parallel by awareness raising, has proved adequate and successful. By fostering collaboration at national and local levels and leveraging international expertise, Albania has strengthened its disaster risk governance and created a sustainable foundation for long-term resilience. At the beginning of 2024, based on the project results and its significant impact, the Government of Albania provided co-financing of USD 172,000 ensuring the sustainability of project activities with particular focus on training and education. The remaining implementation period up to July 2025 will serve to complete the set of planned activities. The overall conclusion is that the intervention has been on track and is likely to achieve all planned results until the end of activity period this year.

The present project intends to support the efforts of the Government of Albania for improving the disaster risk management (DRM) system in the country. The overall objective of the project is to strengthen, Albania’s DRM system and support country’s efforts in becoming a fully-fledged member of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The project is also in line with promoting the implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and is developed based on the Albania earthquake PDNA recommendations. Also, in light of the severe and acute public health emergency due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, measures related to risk preparedness and risk mitigation of biological hazards will be provided. The above objective will be attained through supporting the enhancement of institutional coordination and cooperation in DRM system by further developing the DRR framework, providing direct support to key DRM institutions with a particular focus on the National Agency for Civil Protection, and delivering capacity building for strengthening preparedness and response capacities of the national, prefecture and municipal bodies. The project will, in parallel, initiate the Capacity Development Process for the Disaster Risk Management System in Albania, which is indispensable for risk-informed development effectiveness and the achievement of nationally and internationally agreed development targets, and assist prefecture and municipal levels through supporting institutional building as per the legal requirements and the exercises of local risk assessment, local DRR strategies and Emergency Plans. One key ingredient of the DRR legal framework and essential element for building-back-better (BBB) during recovery is the update of the Building Codes, an area within the focus of the proposed intervention. The project will support, during its entire duration, opportunities for capacity building and regional exchanges in order to complement national efforts for reducing risk and contributing to Albania’s aspiration to meet the criteria for joining the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Due to its complexity, the intervention is  structured  in two major modules, in line with the PDNA priorities. The module I focuses on essential building blocks related to the overall DRR framework including policy, legal and institutional  set-up and essential capacities in place, and is designed as a soft assistance. Module II allows for expansion and adoption by especially focusing on securing capital resources for improved monitoring, operation and response for several relevant public institutions ranging from the NACP, prefectural operation rooms and municipal firefighting professionals. The second module is the most demanding in terms of resources and, therefore, it will largely depend on resource availability. However,  being mostly about procurement of goods, it will not require additional human resources and operational costs, but will rely on the project arrangements, resources and operational costs built within the first module.  The intervention is built around three components: Component 1: Strengthening DRM institutional, policy and legal framework in Albania; Component 2: Strengthening disaster preparedness capacities at all levels; Component 3: Sustain Albania’s Regional & International Cooperation. In order to secure that the allocated funding is used for the most crucial and high priority actions, UNDP and GoA have developed a Work Plan for the project based only on resources to be provided by UNDP Albania and Sweden. All the activities and planned results belong to module 1 and the RESEAL Work Plan document will be the guiding tool for the implementation of the intervention.