Staff from constituency offices from all over Albania and senior parliamentary administrative officials came together in Shkodra on 14 and 15 July 2023. The co-ordination and training event - organized by the Albanian Assembly with the OSCE Presence' support - aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the MPs offices' staff.
On the first day, participants engaged in an open discussion and evaluation session, and learned from each other experience. On the second day, they participated in a tailor-made training programme focused on the boosting citizen engagement, introducing the Assembly to youth, facilitating meetings between citizens and parliamentarians, maintaining records and preparing evaluations. In addition, parliamentary staff discussed outreach activity plans for October-December 2023 to be implemented with the Presence support in regions such as Gjirokastra, Saranda, Vlora, Dibra, Shkodra, Korça and Elbasan.
"We value the irreplaceable and meaningful role of the Assembly services, and our support is a proof of our long-term commitment to create a more active and healthy relationship between the citizens and their institutions. Civil society and parliament have begun to reach out to each other and we, by supporting similar initiatives, are determined to help narrow this gap from both sides," Ambassador Bruce Berton, Head of the OSCE Presence, said at the opening of the event.
Secretary General of the Assembly of Albania Genci Gjonçaj stressed that parliament is the house of people and it should serve them to the best, also through the constituency offices that act as connection bridges. He considered the role of the OSCE Presence as irreplaceable in this process.
For more than a decade, the OSCE Presence has been working together with the Assembly of Albania to increase parliament's professionalism, accountability, and transparency. In 2015 and 2016, the Presence supported the opening of the constituency offices in Korça and Shkodra, and has since organized activities to consolidate trust and co-operation between the MPs and the local communities.
