New Master�s Programme on Gender and Development in Albania

28 November 2006

Gender equality has emerged as an important social issue in Albania. This is reflected by the new master�s programme on gender and development now offered at Tirana University.

At the official launching on 17 November � attended by representatives from Government, international organizations and the media � Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Genc Pollo said that the new master�s programme was a good start in the right direction, and that for the first time, social problems in Albania � whether they were inherited or generated by the chaotic events of the last 15 years � will be analyzed and understood through an academic approach.

The Institute for Gender Studies, Tirana University, offers the new master�s programme to educate and promote gender equality and women�s empowerment as an essential part of sustainable development. The Institute promotes the role of women in society according to internationally recognized principles of human rights and applies best international practices to local conditions.

The new masters� programme � designed in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Albania and Roskilde University in Denmark � explores the gender dimensions of current development processes in Albania at the local level and examines the broader European context. The full-time, two-year programme will share best European experiences with future Albanian researchers and policy makers on gender and development issues. The programme is open to a wide group of people in terms of backgrounds, as enrolment is not limited to social science graduates. The programme is financially supported by the Norwegian Government.

The programme will also provide the qualified expertise needed to complete the legal framework that addresses gender equality, necessary for Albania to be in line with EU legislation.

UNDP Resident Representative in Albania, Gulden Turkoz-Cosslett, said that the master�s programme was yet another example of Albania�s commitment to working towards gender equality through global frameworks and processes such as the Beijing Declaration, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Millennium Development Goals.

�Gender equality and women�s empowerment is critical to the improvement of social, economic and political life of both women and men in Albania,� said Ms. Turkoz-Cosslett.

Ms. Turkoz-Cosslett also said that the involvement of young people in gender issues is key, and promised further UNDP support to promote similar initiatives with other academic institutions of higher education in Albania.