Executive Summary

Disasters are costing billions of leks (ALL) to Albania’s economy and the capacity of the Civil Protection system is insufficient to manage the growing number of emergencies and recover rapidly. In order to achieve a safe Albania for all citizens to live and work in, every development effort will need to address the risk of disasters and the Civil Protection capacities will need to be strengthened, including at prefecture (Qark) and commune levels.

Disaster risk needs to be elevated as a political priority to ensure the required cooperation across all line Ministries and to bring about the required behavioral change in the Albanian society.

The National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and Civil Protection 2014-2018 is an important document to achieve the above. It presents 5 Strategic Components and priority activities, namely:

Strategic Components 1 Strengthen national, prefect and local institutions and their regulatory frames

Priority Activities

-Pass the revised law on Civil Protection and ensure other key new laws and by-laws, on, inter-alia, water, land-use planning and communication, as well as Albania’s Climate Change Adaptation National Strategy are consistent and contribute to reducing disaster risk.

-Revise the National Civil Emergency Plan (NCEP)

-Engage line Ministries at higher level around disaster risk reduction, including the formalizing the establishment of a multi-stakeholder national platform for disaster risk reduction

Provide legal basis and ensure enforcement of building codes in Albania, adapting current European standards and strengthening required earthquake risk information basis, in particular, microzonation maps.

Priority Activities

-Define roles and responsibilities for Albania’s early warning system with multi-hazard Standard Operational Procedures focusing initially on floods and forest fires. This includes strengthening regional integration of Early Warning systems.

-Strengthen IGEWE operational capacity for hydrometeorological monitoring, analysis and issuance of regular prediction bulletins

-Develop a national multi-hazard risk map and risk assessment guidelines for communes and local authorities.

-Strengthen and promote open source national disaster risk data collection including the national disaster loss database.

Strategic Components 3 Increase national awareness, knowledge and facilitate the exchange of information on disaster risk reduction and civil protection

Priority Activities

-Design and implement a disaster risk reduction and preparedness national campaign (radio, newspaper, internet and television), culminating in a National Day for Disaster Risk Reduction and Civil Protection in Albania.

-Promote research and cooperation between Universities on disaster risk reduction, including through European Commission research programmes.

-Establish a network of Municipality Mayors on disaster risk reduction around urban risk and align with international ‘Safe Cities Campaign’.

Strategic Components 4 Increase preparedness, emergency services and recovery capacities

Priority Activities

-Optimize existing emergency resources and equipment in Albania, through centralized emergency call number, cooperation between Ministries, including enhanced civil-military cooperation.

-Finalize an inter-institution civil protection training and exercise schedule, both for staff training at all level and emergency simulation exercises.

-Strengthening existing emergency planning capacities of line Ministries, with initial focus on health and agriculture/water sectors

-Develop an investment plan for upgrading of emergency response services.

Strategic Components 5 Increase financial protection

Priority Activities:

-Sustain Albania’s contribution in the regional South Eastern Europe and Caucasus Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility (SEEC CRIF).

-Expand insurance coverage of homeowners, small and medium enterprises and farmers to floods and earthquakes.