Dear Chairman of the Session,
Ladies and gentleman,

It is an honor for me as the Minister of Health and Social Protection to address the 62nd plenary session of the Commission on the Status of Women on behalf of the Albanian government.
Albania considers this year’s session as an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to the 2030 Agenda, the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action and, above all, cooperation with all actors for the best possible implementation of them. The Albanian government is working to improve policies and programs with a focus on the inclusion of gender equality at all levels, as well as strengthening the implementation capacities of our institutions.
We are also working on harmonizing the legal framework with international standards, improving the collection and use of statistical data, creating appropriate monitoring mechanisms, expanding social services in coordination with various actors.
I want to share with you the news that we recently reconstituted the National Council of Gender Equality, an inter-ministerial body that directs, defines, advises and monitors the implementation of gender equality policies.
Another important national mechanism for gender equality is the law recently passed by the Assembly for the creation of a permanent sub-community for gender equality and the prevention of violence against women.
These measures serve to strengthen the National Gender Equality Mechanism and are in accordance with the Recommendations of the CEDAW Convention.

Ladies and gentleman,
The Albanian Prime Minister has clearly stated in the government’s four-year program the commitment to improving gender equality.
The representation and inclusion of women in decision-making leadership positions is an important indicator for a society that is open and aspires to gender equality in all aspects.
In this direction, Albania has taken positive steps, especially in empowering women in political and decision-making life.
Our government cabinet has the highest number of female ministers, an indicator that places Albania next to European countries that have a high participation of women in the executive.
Also, 45% of the Deputy Ministers and 30% of the seats in the parliament are held by women and girls.
As a result of the increased representation of women in government and decision-making, Albania’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index has improved significantly, ranking 38th in 2017 compared to 53rd in 2016.
Despite this, we continue to have obstacles in the active participation of women in the economy,
The gender gap in employment is 12% and the majority of women and girls are employed in the low-income or informal sector.
There are a number of joint initiatives of the government, civil society and the private sector, which are taking shape.
Issues of gender equality in the economy are also addressed in the National Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2020, as an important step in supporting the empowerment of women and girls in the economy.
Poor women and those living in deep rural areas are particularly benefiting from dedicated government financial programs in the form of grants for empowering women in entrepreneurship as well as increasing their professional capacities and knowledge.
The employment of women is another priority addressed in the Strategy for Employment and Training, as well as the changes in the Labor Code that had as their main goal the improvement of the working conditions of women and girls.
Another positive step is women’s right to property, a change achieved thanks to the assistance of UN Women.
In order to ensure equal access to property, including ownership of agricultural land, legal changes have been approved, as well as the necessary administrative products have been unified.
Thanks to the unification of procedures, we have facilitated registration procedures, as well as guaranteed equal access of women and girls to property and land.
Ladies and gentleman,
Albania has included the principle of gender equality as part of the key principles in the preparation of the budget. The results achieved in the effective inclusion of Gender Budgeting at the central and local level as well as the legal changes in the field of Public Finance Management have enabled the design and implementation of policies with gender sensitivity, as well as increased the institutional responsibility of central and local institutions.
In the Medium-Term Budget Plan, 2.3 percent of the state budget is allocated for programs and investments with gender sensitivity in 24 sectoral programs.
During the last years, the indicators of reporting cases of gender-based violence have significantly improved. Today, women and girls feel safer to report cases of violence.

Addressing the phenomenon of violence against women and girls is a priority in the country’s political and legal agenda, and public awareness of discrimination and gender inequality has increased significantly.

A number of legal initiatives to improve the legal framework are in process and a short time ago the Assembly of Albania approved a Resolution calling on the government to take urgent measures to address and prevent all forms of violence against women and girls.
For the first time in 2017, Albania reported on the measures taken within the implementation of the Istanbul Convention.
The evaluation report pointed out the positive steps taken as well as the gaps that continued to be present, encouraging the government to coordinate and coordinate with all actors involved in the fulfillment of international obligations. Civil society and non-governmental organizations are a strong voice and an important partner in our fight against violence.
Ladies and gentleman,
The 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women places emphasis on rural women and girls.
For decades, international human rights treaties have highlighted the irreplaceable contribution of rural women and girls in the agricultural sector.
The rights of rural women and girls continue to be insufficiently addressed in the legal framework, local development programs, investment strategies or rural programs.
In Albania, 54 percent of women are employed in the agricultural sector and 87 percent of them are contributors to the family economy.
Informality in employment reduces rural women’s access to the pension and social security scheme and increases women’s chances of falling into poverty in old age.
In the fourth periodical report for the country in 2016, the CEDAW Committee in the recommendations made emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive strategy that guarantees equal access of women and girls living in rural areas with women and girls living in urban areas.
I am happy to state that the National Strategy on Gender Equality 2016-2020 has clearly addressed the issue of economic empowerment of women and girls in rural areas.
In recent years, we have provided support to women’s businesses in the agribusiness sector, helping them to become part of the value chain, as well as giving them more opportunities to become an active part of the market and create profitable businesses.
Through this inclusive model we aspire to enable equal opportunities and that no one is left out.
By putting gender equality and women’s empowerment at the center of our policies and commitments, we are sure that in this way we will guarantee the successful realization of the Sustainable Millennium Goals.
The Albanian government is committed to guaranteeing gender equality. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection will continue to play a leading role in coordinating with all institutional actors for the implementation of the Agenda for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls.
The process of the country’s membership in the European Union is an accelerator of our commitment to achieving the targets set in SDG 5 and in this spirit we are determined to work hard to improve the lives of women and girls in Albania.
Thank you!