U.S. Department of State

United States Department of State
Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia
Foreign Operations Assistance Fact Sheet, April 2012*

ALBANIA

United States Government (USG) assistance aims to help Albania strengthen democratic institutions and rule of law, promote sustainable, broad-based economic growth, and integrate the country into European and Euro-Atlantic structures. The development of democratic norms, sustained economic prosperity, and respect for the rule of law are essential for Albania’s Euro-Atlantic integration as well as for regional stability.

Recent Successes by Areas of Focus:

Peace & Security

• Developed an international instructor training course for Albanian State Police (ASP), enabling five ASP Officers to deploy to Afghanistan to advise and mentor the Afghanistan National Police in Kabul, under the umbrella of U.S. forces.
• Supported the development of a national action plan and operating procedures for assisting trafficking victims and provided small grants to train rural women and girls on preventing domestic violence.
• Provided equipment and training to the ASP’s Cyber Crime Unit to increase their technical proficiency and capacity to process electronic evidence, which is key to exploiting digital evidence collected against organized crime and corrupt public servants.

Governing Justly and Democratically

• BY ACCOUNT	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$27,706	$22,650	$20,875
  Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia	$20,000	$16,000	$0
  Economic Support Fund	$0	$0	$10,025
  Foreign Military Financing	$3,992	$3,000	$3,000
  International Military Education and Training	$1,064	$1,000	$1,000
  International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement	$0	$0	$4,450
  Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs	$2,650	$2,650	$2,400

  In the justice sector, increased court transparency through strengthening a network of NGO watchdog groups and building a system to electronically record court proceedings; opened mediation offices to improve court efficiency; and initiated the country’s first Continuous Legal Education program to improve the professionalism of lawyers.
• Improved the Government of Albania’s (GOA) health care system by instituting a telemedicine network that provides medical access to rural communities, and through helping the Ministry of Health established fiscal and quality control standards for hospitals and clinics.
• Provided grants to experienced NGOs to monitor the May 2011 local elections, covering all voting centers in the 65 municipalities and 280 communes, as well as 100 percent of the voting centers. The findings and recommendations of the NGOs were mentioned in the subsequent OSCE/ODHIR elections report.

• BY OBJECTIVE	FY 2011 ACTUAL	FY 2012 ESTIMATE	FY 2013 REQUEST
  TOTAL ($000s)	$27,706	$22,650	$20,875
  Peace and Security	$11,517	$9,776	$8,957
  Governing Justly and Democratically	$7,070	$8,880	$8,473
  Investing in People	$2,550	$0	$0
  Economic Growth	$6,569	$3,994	$3,445

  Supported Albania’s first cyber-security system that will protect and respond to emergencies and cyber-attacks throughout the country’s IT network.

Economic Growth

• Strengthened Albania’s financial system through programs to improve supervision of banks and the insurance market; through international certification of actuaries; and through guaranteeing credit for small and medium enterprises.
• Structured a public private partnership with the GOA, Albania’s largest NGO, and top international IT companies to develop the countries first Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Training and Resource Center that will serve as a business incubator and training center for government, ICT corporations, and startup ICT companies.
• Strengthened associations that support Albania’s growing tourism industry, ICT enterprises, and garment and footwear industries helping them access European markets, streamline business procedures, and advocate with the GOA for reforms.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Coordinator's Office Annual Reports
U.S. Embassy Website
www.foreignassistance.gov
Millennium Challenge Corporation

*This fact sheet does not reflect Peace Corps funding or centrally managed or regional Foreign Operations funding that is not specifically budgeted for Albania.