BUDAPEST (ILO News) – The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, launched in September 2021 by the United Nations, signals the UN system’s collective response for addressing the multiple challenges that threaten to erase development progress. The initiative aims to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and support the creation of decent jobs, primarily in the tourism, green, digital and care economies, and to extend social protection to people who are excluded.
Albania becomes the first pathfinder country of the Global Accelerator to officially endorse its national roadmap for implementation, signalling the country’s commitment to set a strategic direction to accelerate the creation of decent jobs, expand social protection and promote pathways for just transitions.
The roadmap outlines a comprehensive strategy tailored to Albania’s context focused on strengthening adaptive social protection for people with disabilities, building an inclusive social protection system for economic security and social equity, and facilitating private sector involvement in TVET programs, with a special emphasis on digital and entrepreneurship skills development targeting youth and women, including skills development support to women laid off from garment industry, particularly those from vulnerable communities and in rural areas, to facilitate their transition toward jobs available in the Hospitality and Tourism sectors.
This strategic roadmap seeks to address Albania’s economic and social challenges by aligning with national strategies and development plans, such as the National Strategy for Development and European Integration, the National Employment and Skills Strategy, and the National Social Protection Strategy.
Albania’s roadmap was developed through a process of co-creation with the government and the United Nations country teams of UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, and UN Women between October and November 2023 in a series of consultations that included discussions with social partners, International Financial Institutions, civil society organizations, and other key national stakeholders.
Albania’s implementation roadmap was endorsed by the government in June 2024 setting the direction and defining the entry points for the implementation of the Global Accelerator in the country.
The government of Albania confirmed the high-level commitment to join the Global Accelerator on the 1st of August 2023. The process is led by the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
The ILO, as the UN specialized agency in the world of work, actively supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through policy advice, technical assistance, and the promotion of international labour standards. Decent work is the foundation of fair and inclusive growth. This, along with social protection, promotes a more inclusive model of development founded on social justice.
