Photo Credit: Paul Cohn   Twenty-four Albanian municipalities exhibited their best practices on local governance and service delivery at the USAID-sponsored exhibition. The conference is an opportunity for municipalities to learn from one another and replicate best practices in their communities.

Innovative Techniques Lead to Better Services

TIRANA, SEPTEMBER 17, 2009     Local government units throughout Albania are employing innovative ideas to promote good governance, improve service provision, and be more responsive to citizens. Representatives from 65 municipalities, communes, NGOs, central government officials, international donors, and other interested parties assembled for the Best Practices Conference 2009 to recognize and learn from best practices already employed by Albanian local government units (LGUs). The two-day event was held at the National Museum in Tirana showcased the achievements Albanian cities have made to improve the quality of local governance and service delivery for their citizens. Albanian President, Mr. Bamir Topi and USAID/Albania Mission Director, Ms. Roberta Mahoney, delivered remarks at the opening of the conference.

In her remarks, Mahoney emphasized the efforts that have been made to strengthen local autonomy and authority and to build local capacity. 

“These efforts demonstrate that even with limited resources locally elected officials can take actions that make a difference as defined and valued by the communities they serve,” said Mahoney.  “USAID, through the LGPA project, will continue to assist directly the municipalities to improve their local governance and enhance local economic development through greater effectiveness, transparency and enhanced participation by its citizens.”

Through presentations and panel discussions, participants explored important issues like trends in local government revenues, urban planning, and asset management, as well as the results of the annual USAID funded Local Government Survey. The Conference not only showcased municipal best practices, but also resulted in a set of recommendations and next steps needed to enable LGUs to continue improving.

In addition to the panel discussions, the Conference hosted an exhibition of municipal booths highlighting 24 municipalities’ best practices. Selected best practice case studies are included in a compendium of Municipal Best Practices 2009 booklet and represent a small sample of the pioneering approaches used by Albanian local governments to improve the quality of life of Albanian citizens. The publication will be provided to all Albanian municipalities and will be available both on LGPA’s website and the Albanian Association of Municipalities’ website (http://www.aam-al.com/). 

USAID’s Local Governance Program in Albania (LGPA) works with ten municipalities throughout Albania to foster local economic growth, improve local governance, and strengthen civic and private sector engagement in local development. LGPA’s partner municipalities are: Fier, Fushe-Kruje, Gramsh, Himare, Korçe, Kukes, Lezhe, Librazhd, Pogradec and Shkoder.

For more information please contact http://www.lgpa.al/