Ivana Živkovi?, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Assistant Administrator and Director for the Regional Bureau for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States of UNDP, will visit Albania from September 9 to 12, 2024. During her visit, Ms. Živkovi? will meet with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, cabinet ministers, international development partners, and UNDP’s local partners.

A highlight of the visit will be the inauguration of the “Gjergj Kastrioti” 9-year school in Lezha, together with Minister of Education and Sports and EU Ambassador to Albania. The school, which serves 631 pupils and 38 teachers, is one of 63 educational facilities rebuilt or reconstructed in the context of the “EU4Schools” Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP in Albania. The EU4Schools Programme, guided by the principles of #BuildBackBetter and #BuildBackTogether, aims to restore education facilities severely damaged by the 2019 earthquake in Albania.

Ms. Živkovi? will visit the Resilience Center in Lezha, part of the “Improving Community Resilience” project funded by USAID Albania and implemented by UNDP. The project features the establishment of three model resilience centers in Durres, Kurbin, and Lezha, which provide integrated social services to those most in need.