Mechanism of Gender Equality in Albania

- Commission for health, labour and social issues – is a commission within the Parliament of Albania handling,
mongst the others, also the issues of gender equality.
- Department of Social Inclusion Policies and Gender Equality (DSIPGE) – is a Department at the Ministry of
Social Welfare and Youth. This Ministry is the responsible government body for promotion of gender equality
in Albania. DSIPGE is a structural part of the Ministry, originally (in 2006) vested with the tasks of formulating
and development of policies for gender equality and reduction of domestic violence. Currently, DSIGE
mandate is to mainstream programs of social inclusions with gender equality.
- National Council of Gender Equality – is an advisory body for gender equality established by order of Prime
Minister 3/2009 pursuant to Law no 9970/2008. The Minister of Social Welfare and Youth leads the Council in
his quality as the chairman. This national advisory body is composed by 9 vice ministers’ dhe 3 represatives of
civil society. This council provides relevant opinions and recommendations on approval of legal and sublegal
acts on gender equality, various reports on monitoring gender equality application and gender based violence;
in addition, such structure gives recommendations to be taken into considerations by local and central
institutions during exercition of their tasks on promotion and protection of gender equality and fights against
domestic violence.
- Commissioner for the Protection against discrimination (CPD) - CPD was created in accordance with the Law
“On the protection from discrimination”, as an independent institution which ensures the effective protection
from discrimination and any other form of behavior that incites discrimination as provided by specific law. CPD
is responsible to examinate the complaints of subjects which claim to have been victims of discriminatory
behaviors, both from the public administration and from private subjects. In addition, the Commissioner
undertakes administrative investigations after receiving information for violation of the discrimination law, and
performs monitoring of law enforcement. CPD issues recommendations that should be executed by private
and public subjects, otherwise sanctions are applied as provided by law. Notwithstanding, the sanctions, CPD
may oblige the subjects to undertake actions for informing and raising the awareness of the community, public
administration bodies and private entities, to promote the principle of equality and non-discrimination.
- Referral mechanisms – are gender employees in local and central bodies established pursuant to law on
gender equality. Gender employees are civil servants educated with gender issues and principles, gender
budgeting, gender equality laws etc. They exercise their functions in any local and central unit of public
administration. Up to september 2013, only three ministries had appointed gender employees; all other
ministries have focal point on gender issues; only in 17 units of local authorities there are offices for gender
equality; in 46 other local units focal point on gender issues are established.
- Ombudsman – is an institution not listed as a mechanism for gender equality by the public administration
relevant reports. Notwithstanding the fact that gender equality legal framework does not provide specific tasks
for Ombudsman, taking into consideration that i) the tasks conferred by law to the Institution for the protection
and promotion of human rights, ii) gender equality is substantial part of human rights, it is in the very
substantial nature of the work of Ombudsman to play an imense role for achieving gender equality in the
country.
In light of the above, it results that in Albania there are some nechanisms for addressing gender inequalities, but
there is no dedicated authority for this purpose, such as a national authority for gender equality, as it is in Portugal33 or in
Croatia.
4. Conclusions
- Albania has an advanced legal framework on gender equality;
- Domestic laws imply international standards for protection of women rights;
- Albania has established mechanisms to address inequalities;
- Gender equality and women empowerment is still a challenge in Albania, especially with regard