Albania

2008 Key Data

Ten-Year Summary

The Republic of Albania ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on 29 February 2000. It completed destruction of its stockpile of 1,683,860 antipersonnel mines in April 2002, and has opted not to retain any antipersonnel mines for training purposes. Albania enacted national implementation legislation in 2006.

Albania has made slow but steady progress in demining, and set itself the target of completing clearance of all mined areas and areas with cluster munition remnants by the end of 2009, well within its respective treaty deadlines.

As of May 2009, the Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE) recorded 272 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties (34 killed and 238 injured) since 1999, all in the mine-affected Kukës region. AMAE also recorded a further 510 abandoned explosive ordnance casualties (72 killed and 438 injured) throughout the country. There have been no mine casualties since 2005 and casualties from abandoned ordnance have decreased.

Risk education activities were conducted by the local NGO Victims of Mines and Arms Association–Kukësi in the northeast of the country—the most affected region—and by the Albanian Red Cross in 10 other prefectures. Victim assistance in mine-affected areas improved significantly since 1999, with increased healthcare, rehabilitation, and psychological support. However, laws and public policy on disability were lacking.

Mine Ban Policy

Albania signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 8 September 1998 and ratified it on 29 February 2000, becoming a State Party on 1 August 2000. It enacted national implementation legislation in 2006, which includes penal sanctions.^[1]

Albania submitted its annual Article 7 report in April 2009, covering calendar year 2008.^[2] It included voluntary Form J, which provides details on Albania’s victim assistance programs.

Albania attended the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November 2008, and made statements on its mine clearance and victim assistance programs. It also announced that Albania would host a regional workshop in October 2009 in preparation of the Second Review Conference. Albania participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in May 2009, and again made statements on victim assistance and mine clearance.

In August 2009, a Ministry of Defense official told Landmine Monitor that there had not yet been an explicit order to destroy antivehicle mines with breakwires.^[3]

Albania is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. As in previous years, it did not submit an annual Article 13 report. Albania is also party to CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War, but, as of June 2009, had not submitted an Article 10 transparency report covering 2008. Albania signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008 and ratified it on 16 June 2009, becoming the ninth country to ratify the treaty.^[4]

Albania completed destruction of its stockpile of 1,683,860 antipersonnel mines on 4 April 2002, more than two years before its treaty deadline, in an internationally funded project carried out under NATO auspices. Albania has opted not to retain any antipersonnel mines for research or training purposes. It stated that “there were no justifiable reasons for the retention of APM [antipersonnel mines] for training or any other purpose.”^[5]

Production of antipersonnel mines in Albania was suspended in 1990 and officially ceased in 1991. Albania may have been a minor exporter of antipersonnel mines in the past. The most recent use of antipersonnel mines in Albania was in 1998 and 1999 in the northeast of the country during the Kosovo crisis.^[6]

Scope of the Problem

Contamination

The northeast of Albania is contaminated by mines and ERW arising largely from the Kosovo crisis of 1998–1999, when forces of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia laid extensive minefields in the border districts of Kukës, Has, and Tropojë. In addition to antipersonnel and antivehicle mines, the area contains unexploded submunitions from at least six NATO cluster munition strikes, which fell within Albanian territory, as well as other UXO resulting from Yugoslav army artillery.^[7]

A general survey by the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) in 1999–2000 identified 102 affected border areas totaling some 15km². Following a decade of demining by the AAF and, since 2002, by DanChurchAid (DCA), Albania reported in May 2009 that the hazardous area had decreased to 743,100m², comprising 11 mined areas (totaling 269,600m²) and nine battle areas (totaling 473,500m²).^[8]

Albania also has a threat from abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO). During a period of internal turmoil in 1997, at least 15 army ammunition storage areas were destroyed and looted, leaving tons of dangerous munitions scattered around. The AAF cleared 15 so-called “hot spots,” but incidents caused by AXO persist.^[9] Albania’s remaining substantial stocks of obsolete munitions, held in 52 poorly maintained military depots near populated areas, also pose a serious threat. Although Albania reports it has destroyed a large number of munitions in recent years, as of July 2008 it still had about 90,000 tons (90 million kg) of surplus dangerous munitions.^[10]

On 15 March 2008, a depot used for demolition of munitions exploded in Gerdec village, in the suburbs of Vora, about 13km from the capital, Tirana, killing 26 people and injuring 300 others, scattering shells to four other villages and contaminating an area of approximately 3.5km² with ERW.^[11] The explosion reportedly destroyed some 4,200 houses, 32 businesses, and 34 farms, inflicting damage estimated at US$18.75 million (€11.8 million).^[12]

Casualties

The Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE) recorded no new mine/ERW casualties in 2008.^[13] The local NGO Victims of Mines and Arms Association-Kukësi (VMA) reported 44 ERW/explosives casualties in 2008 based on media monitoring; no further details were provided.^[14] However, AMAE insists on standardization, verification, and quality management of data before entering casualties into the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database. No IMSMA forms for casualties occurring in 2008 were submitted to AMAE as of 28 May 2009.^[15] This represents a decrease from the 18 AXO casualties recorded by AMAE in 2007 (two killed and 16 injured).^[16] The last mine casualties reported were in 2005.^[17]

In January 2009, there were two military casualties in one incident involving tampering with AXO. One woman died and one man was injured. Both were on duty at the time.^[18]

AMAE maintains two databases on casualty information: one recording mine/ERW casualties in the mine-affected Kukës region (including the districts of Kukës, Has, and Tropojë), and the other recording AXO casualties in the whole of Albania. As of May 2009, the AMAE IMSMA database for the Kukës region contained information on 272 mine/ERW casualties (34 killed and 238 injured) since 1999.^[19] This included at least 53 casualties from submunitions (10 killed and 43 injured) between 1999 and 2006. The number of living survivors is corrected in the Kukës database each time a survivor dies. Another two casualties reported in the media occurred during weapons use and are not included among submunition ERW casualties.^[20]

The Albania-wide AXO casualty data for 1997–2009 included 510 casualties (72 killed and 438 injured).^[21] Most casualties were students, children, or unemployed adults. The most affected districts were Berat, Gramsh, Kukës, Puke, Shkodër, Tirana, and Vlore.^[22] AMAE has estimated there are at least 500 AXO survivors in Albania allowing for the possibility of unrecorded casualties.^[23]

Risk profile

There have been no mine/ERW casualties since 2005. Prior to this, incidents took place in the northeast. Those most at risk are males intentionally handling AXO and cached explosive weapons. Most AXO casualties between 2005 and 2009 occurred during handling or playing with explosive devices and scrap metal collection.^[24] Approximately one third of these victims were aged between 15 and 45, and half of the victims were farming, grazing cattle, or on their way to school at the time of their incidents. Police officers have been wounded or killed by mines/UXO while patrolling the border.^[25]

The risk of mines and UXO is also present in other parts of Albania, particularly from munitions stored in poorly maintained military depots. The concerns caused by the explosion in March 2008 also resulted in private arms caches being abandoned, increasing the AXO threat.^[26]

Socio-economic impact

Although there have been no mine victims in the northeast for several years, mine contamination is said to have hampered development of infrastructure in this isolated, mountainous, and impoverished area. The contamination has blocked access to land and water resources needed by a population mostly dependent on subsistence farming and animal husbandry.^[27]

Program Management and Coordination

Mine action

The Albanian Mine Action Committee (AMAC), an interministerial body formed in October 1999, serves as the “executive and policy making body for mine action” in Albania.^[28] In 2008, AMAC held a series of meetings with stakeholders in 2008 to coordinate responses to the Gerdec explosion, as well as separate meetings with ministries and donors.^[29]

The Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE), set up at the same time as AMAC, is responsible for coordinating and monitoring mine action activities, including risk education, in Albania.^[30] AMAE works through its headquarters in Tirana and a field office in Kukës.^[31]

AMAE coordinated victim assistance (VA) activities in cooperation with local and international partners: the Ministry of Health, Kukës Regional Hospital, the Directorate of Primary Health Care, National Orthotic-Prosthetic Center (NOPC), ICRC, Victims of Mines and Arms Association–Kukësi (VMA), Handicap International (HI), the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), and the Institute for Rehabilitation, Republic of Slovenia (IRRS).^[32] Coordination by AMAE resulted in mine/ERW survivors receiving improved services. Survivors were involved in VA planning and coordination though regular meetings.^[33]

Data collection and management

AMAE maintains a mine action database using IMSMA at its Kukës office.^[34] The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) updated the system in 2008, but AMAE decided not to transfer its data to the latest version of IMSMA to avoid errors in data transfer and because Albania expected to complete clearance in 2009.^[35]

Albania has two mine/ERW casualty surveillance systems. In northeast Albania, AMAE coordinates a well-established data collection mechanism using the IMSMA database installed in Kukës. Information is shared with all stakeholders and updated if a registered survivor dies. Due to lack of resources, no nationwide casualty surveillance system has been established, despite recommendations by GICHD and the ICRC that the Ministry of Health should do so.^[36]

In 2008 and 2009, the Albanian Red Cross Society (ARCS) collected and updated information on AXO casualties throughout the country. The ARCS casualty reporting uses IMSMA and is stored by AMAE in Tirana. AMAE is legally required to provide annual casualty updates to the Institute of Statistics of Albania.^[37] Data in mine-affected areas was collected with the support of the ARCS and VMA through a network of “anti-mine committees” and risk education (RE) programs in 22 villages.^[38]

Mine action program operators

Plans

Strategic mine action plans

In December 2008, AMAC, in cooperation with UNDP, presented a revised National Mine Action Plan for Completion 2009–2010.^[39] The plan set out four main goals.^[40]

• Coordination and monitoring of all mine action activities will continue under AMAE until March 2010. After that date, responsibility will transfer to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Response Section in the Ministry of Defense.
• Survey and clearance: Albania plans to complete clearance of the remaining 0.86 km² of contaminated land (as of December 2008) and release it to the community by December 2009, well within its Article 5 deadline for clearance of mined areas (1 August 2010). With the completion of clearance, demining operations in northeast Albania will close and technical skills may be used for EOD and destruction of UXO in other areas of the country.
• Risk education should be integrated into the school curriculum and implemented in all school districts by December 2009.
• Victim assistance aims to improve delivery and quality of emergency and ongoing healthcare for mine/ERW survivors in northeast Albania and provide vocational training for 90 mine/ERW survivors. The plan called for training of 30 physiotherapists and six prosthetics and orthotics technicians by June 2009 and the preparation of a Level II prosthetics curriculum. During 2009 and 2010, the NOPC should become fully functional with new premises and equipment.

The National Mine Action Plan for Completion was updated in November 2008 and again at the end of May 2009 to take account of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.^[41] The revised plan provided for completing clearance of all known mine and UXO contamination by the end of 2009.^[42]

National ownership

Albania exercises full national ownership of mine action, with advisory support provided by UNDP.^[43] Since the end of 2007, the DanChurchAid (DCA) mine action program has been operated by national staff in all aspects, including planning, operations, training, finance, and administration. The staff is supervised by an international program manager and receives frequent quality assurance visits by technical staff from DCA headquarters.^[44]

UNDP has provided capacity-building to Albania’s mine action program since 2002.^[45] This support was due to end in December 2006, when a victim assistance advisor’s position closed, but it continued to support a quality management advisor until November 2007.^[46] UNDP has progressively reduced technical support to the program, but, under a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Albania’s Ministry of Defense in July 2007, it will continue to provide administrative and financial support to AMAE until the end of 2010.^[47]

National mine action legislation

Law No. 9515 on implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty passed by parliament in April 2006 confirmed the Minister of Defense as the national authority in charge of mine action and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty by AMAC and AMAE.^[48]

National mine action standards/Standing operating procedures

In 2004, AMAE issued technical safety standards for mine action operations, based on the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). In 2007, AMAE drew up national mine action standards (NMAS) adapted from IMAS with support from GICHD, which will become part of the existing law on the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.^[49] The incident in Gerdec in 2008 and elections scheduled for June 2009 held up progress, but AMAE expected that the NMAS would come into effect by the end of 2009.^[50] DCA uses standing operating procedures (SOPs) approved by AMAE as part of its accreditation process.^[51]

Demining and Battle Area Clearance

DCA remained the only mine and battle area clearance (BAC) operator under AMAC in Albania during 2008.^[52] From 2004–2008, DCA conducted community assessments and technical surveys that provided the basis for clearance operations and area reduction.^[53] Under the Completion Plan for Albania, DCA was due to finish clearing the last known area of contamination by the end of 2009.^[54]

In 2008, DCA deployed seven demining teams (six manual demining teams and one BAC team) and one technical survey team. Each demining team consists of one team leader, one deputy team leader, one medic, and six deminers. The technical survey team consists of one team leader, one medic, and four deminers.^[55] DCA maintained the same capacity for 2009.^[56]

The Albanian Mine Action Program’s target for 2008 was to release 500,000 to 600,000m² of mined areas through clearance, technical survey, and land release activities.^[57] The program substantially exceeded the target and released 952,771m², almost double the 2007 figure (492,517m²).^[58]

DCA released a total of 783,771m². This included clearance of 122,433m² of mined areas and 94,640m² of battle areas, resulting in the destruction of 264 antipersonnel mines, one antivehicle mine, 192 items of UXO, and 84 unexploded submunitions.^[59] It also released a total of 566,698m² through survey (technical survey of 262,439m² and general survey of 304,259m²).^[60] AMAE also canceled 169,000m² through a process of community liaison conducted in accordance with AMAE’s Risk Management SOP.^[61] There were also 30 requests from local communities to deal with EOD tasks. ^[62]

After the Gerdec explosion on 15 March 2008, emergency BAC of surrounding areas involved AAF EOD teams with 392 personnel; DCA provided two BAC teams with 16 deminers for two weeks and one team for the month of April;^[63] the Kosovo Protection Corps deployed two EOD teams until 12 April; and Swedish Rescue Services Agency provided two advisers and two large-loop detectors for a month. These operations were coordinated by AMAE.^[64] In May, ArmorGroup North America started a program to clear UXO around the blast area expected to continue until 2011 with more than $6 million from the US Department of State.^[65]

Albanian media reported that in the emergency clean-up phase between 17 March and 3 April, teams cleared 5,712 items of UXO as well as the remnants of 660 exploded shells.^[66] DCA teams cleared a total of 823,308m² and recovered 618 items of UXO and 1,000 pieces of small arms ammunition; 675 houses were released after searching.^[67]

As of July 2008, five Albanian AAF EOD teams were still clearing the area around Gerdec.^[68] The teams were joined by personnel from ArmorGroup in September 2008.^[69]

AMAE conducts quality management (QM) of demining, RE, and VA to ensure they conform to the IMAS and Albania’s adopted Technical and Safety Standards. An AMAE regional office in Kukës that opened in 2002 has a QM section consisting of three operators in northeast Albania to monitor clearance and survey. After completion of clearance operations, the QM team conducts a final quality control check with methods adopted from IMAS.^[70]

Progress since becoming a State Party

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Albania is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 August 2010. Albania’s National Mine Action Plan for Completion aims to complete clearance of all its known mined areas by the end of 2009, well ahead of its Article 5 deadline.^[71] In May 2009, AMAE’s director confirmed to Landmine Monitor Albania’s intention to complete clearance of all mined areas and thereby fulfill its Article 5 obligations by the end of 2009.^[72] It was hoped that completion of clearance could be announced at a regional meeting on mine action planned to take place in Albania in October 2009.^[73]

Mined and battle area clearance in 2000–2008^[74]

Risk Education

Mine and ERW RE activities were conducted in 2008 by the local NGO VMA in the northeast of the country, and by the ARCS in 10 other prefectures. A 2007 GICHD mine action program evaluation found that “it is reasonable to conclude that in Albania the extensive nature of the [RE] program has reduced accidents and casualties.”^[75]

AMAE organized regular coordination meetings between VMA, the ARCS, and UNICEF.^[76] There are national RE and community liaison standards, which were developed with GICHD support in 2007.^[77] The accreditations of VMA and the ARCS were renewed by AMAE in early 2008.^[78] An AMAE field monitor participates in VMA’s activities and conducts quality assurance.^[79] All RE activities are recorded in IMSMA.^[80] VMA RE activities received $79,800 in funding from the US Department of State through the ITF in 2008.^[81]

In 2008, the RE program aimed to keep the 25,500 members of the remaining 22 contaminated villages informed about the mine and UXO threat. By the end of 2008, clearance had reduced the number of mine contaminated villages to 16.^[82] Community-based RE was implemented through monthly gatherings with village anti-mine committees in all communities.^[83] RE mobile theater comedy performances were conducted. VMA reached 13,700 people in Kukës. In Gerdec, 11,630 people received RE; direct emergency RE was previously conducted in the area in response to an explosion at a munitions depot.^[84]

School-based activities such as competitions, leaflet distribution, songs, and role plays took place in 2008 to inform about minefields, mine risk signs, and environmental issues.^[85] The ARCS distributed around 1,300 books with mine awareness messages for pupils in schools near the Kosovo border.^[86] However, UNICEF was unable to mobilize resources as planned for the integration of RE into the school curriculum by the end of 2009. RE manuals had still not been revised as of June 2009, as had been recommended by GICHD, and no progress was reported on teacher training.^[87]

A leaflet with messages promoting safe behavior toward mines and AXO was published by the ARCS, in consultation with AMAE and funded by the ICRC. The leaflet was distributed by ARCS volunteers in ammunition hotspot areas of 10 prefectures in Albania.^[88] TV spots were produced and aired for UXO awareness throughout the country in 2007 to 2009 under the ARCS project.^[89]

RE continued to be conducted with clearance activities in 2008.^[90] A 2007 GICHD evaluation recommendation that RE messages be adjusted to include assurances to communities about cleared land was implemented. Handover ceremonies took place, with RE organizations present, and community meetings were held to inform the population about the clearance results, and to promote usage of the land.^[91]

Progress since becoming a State Party

Albania’s RE program started in 1999 with UNICEF as the UN lead agency, and with coordination by AMAE.^[92] CARE International trained teachers and community committees from 2000–2002.^[93] The ICRC worked with ARCS volunteers to implement community-based RE, combined with food distribution.^[94] In 2001, UNICEF started to support VMA.^[95] UNICEF erected 7,000 warning signs from 1999 to 2004.^[96]

In 2001–2002, AMAE and CARE conducted a needs assessment for a national strategy. It found that although there was good RE coverage, 70% of people surveyed were forced to enter contaminated areas for economic reasons. The target group was economically active 15- to 30-year-olds, and people in remote villages. The strategy made AMAE responsible for RE, and called for greater integration of RE with mine action.^[97] Activities consisted of school-based RE, and community RE through committees, theater, and media.^[98] UNICEF stopped funding RE in April 2006.^[99]

In 2004, the Albanian Institute of Pedagogical Studies produced manuals for students and teachers for use in ERW hotspots in central Albania.^[100] A 2005 study by the National Demilitarization Center recommended that RE be conducted in the central part of Albania, and in June 2007, the ARCS started this.^[101]

In 2005, community liaison (CL) was strengthened with the appointment of a CL officer at the AMAE regional office.^[102] RE standards based on IMAS were introduced in 2003.^[103]

Victim Assistance

The total number of survivors in Albania is unknown but at least 748, including at least 238 mine/ERW survivors in the Kukës region and at least 510 AXO survivors around the country.^[104]

Health infrastructure in the mine-affected areas has improved significantly over the last five years, under AMAE coordination of VA, with new equipment, and staff training. VMA reported that overall the situation for mine survivors was good.^[105] However, outside the mine-affected areas there were no specific VA programs, and AXO survivors faced similar challenges to many other persons with disabilities in Albania, including “widespread poverty, unregulated working conditions, and poor medical care.”^[106] There remained a need for continuing VA in mine-affected areas and support services to survivors in AXO-affected areas.^[107]

State-run emergency and medical services are available throughout the country and the national referral system functioned adequately. Evacuation for trauma patients by helicopter ambulances was available. In 2008, emergency medical facilities were improved at Kukës regional hospital with the introduction of new equipment, including an electro-surgical unit and an x-ray machine.^[108] A community-based rehabilitation (CBR) nursing system, established in 2005 for mine-affected communities, provides basic medical care, rehabilitation, and referrals at the local level.^[109]

Access to quality continuing medical care remained problematic.^[110] The government provided incentives to prevent the loss of skilled medical staff, and resulting shortages of services in mine-affected areas.^[111] Corrective surgery was only available at the Mother Theresa Hospital in Tirana, but was sufficient.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation capacity improved nationally in 2008, including in mine-affected areas, through the project “Access to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) in Albania-Phase II.” Six prosthetic/orthotic technicians, including two each from Kukës Hospital and the National Orthotic-Prosthetic Center (NOPC), continued to receive training as planned in Albania’s VA objectives. The course certification was recognized by the Ministry of Education in 2008. Continuing annual enrolment in the physiotherapy program at the Tirana Faculty of Nursing in 2008 brought the number of students to 90 over three years. In 2009, 20 medical doctors were receiving physical medicine upgrade training.^[112]

The total number of prosthetic workshops providing devices for civilians in Albania increased to three by 2008, including the Kukës workshop. Previously only the NOPC in Tirana had produced prosthetics. In 2008, the prosthetic workshop and physiotherapy unit in Kukës was rehoused in refurbished and re-equipped premises within Kukës Hospital, marking an improvement in services.^[113] With the availability of devices in mine-affected areas, survivors were spared the six-hour journey to Tirana, which was previously reported as a major accessibility problem. In an effort to support sustainable national capacity, only survivors with difficult lower limb or upper limb amputations were treated at the Institute for Rehabilitation, Republic of Slovenia (IRRS).^[114]

The quality of NOPC devices was reportedly “just about acceptable” in 2008 and had improved on past years due to the return of two trained staff since early 2008.^[115] Despite various commitments since 2004 by several organizations to provide adequate premises, the NOPC was moved three times since 2007. Each location was inadequate and inappropriate. The ICRC’s Special Fund for the Disabled (SFD) support, on which the NOPC had previously relied, was scaled back in 2008 because the government had assured it would increase its support.^[116] In 2008, prosthetic production at the NOPC decreased to almost a quarter of the level in 2007 as a result of the move to inappropriate premises and the lack of materials that were due to be supplied by the Ministry of Health.^[117] This continued a sharp decline from 2006 and represented the NOPC’s lowest output since 2004.^[118]

Education, vocational, and income-generation opportunities continued to improve though VMA projects in 2008 and 2009.^[119] Psychological support was provided through social workers and VMA peer support. Professional psychosocial support capacity diminished with the departure of staff trained in 2005.^[120]

The Albanian constitution and law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, and all new public buildings must be accessible.^[121] However, such legal provisions are not well enforced.^[122] Access to employment remained a major problem for persons with disabilities.^[123] As of June 2009, Albania had not signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Progress in meeting VA26 victim assistance objectives

Albania is one of 26 among the States Parties identified as having significant numbers of mine survivors and “the greatest responsibility to act, but also the greatest needs and expectations for assistance.”^[124] Albania presented its 2005–2009 victim assistance objectives at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in 2005, revised objectives in 2006 and 2007, and presented plans to achieve the objectives.^[125]

Albania has made significant and steady progress in achieving its objectives. Most objectives were achieved and, where appropriate, activities continued past the stated deadline. Some activities were delayed but were generally accommodated within the revised plans for 2005–2008.

There has been progress on objectives under all victim assistance pillars, despite initial holdups in some programs. Progress has included: data collection both in and outside of the Kukës region; the creation and maintenance of a community-based rehabilitation nursing network in mine-affected areas; improved facilities and training for medical and rehabilitation staff; increased national prosthetics capacity; prosthetic and rehabilitation services in the mine-affected region; the introduction of physiotherapy training; continuing psychological support including peer support for mine survivors; and exceeding objective targets for vocational training and micro-credit loans. In the area of law and public policy, there was some progress, particularly in informing survivors of their rights. Least progress was made on relocating the NOPC facilities, originally planned for 2005, and securing a separate state health budget for the center.^[126] However, due to ongoing efforts by AMAE, by early 2009 the Ministry of Health had committed to acting on the NOPC relocation.^[127]

Albania reported its progress on victim assistance objectives at all meetings of States Parties and intersessional Standing Committee meetings between 2005–2009. Albania’s victim assistance expert consistently attended meetings and parallel work programs.^[128] Albania included detailed updates on VA in voluntary Form J of its Article 7 reports from 2005 to 2009.^[129]

Victim assistance strategic framework

Albania presented VA objectives for 2005–2009 in November 2005 at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb. The 2009–2010 completion plan included the final phase objectives of mainstreaming VA into government structures by 2010.^[130]

The Kukës Regional Development Initiative includes a mine action focus. This has increased government and other development actors’ commitments to projects connected to mine-affected villages.^[131]

The long-term viability of VA relies on implementation of the National Strategy on People with Disabilities (NSPWD), although it does not specifically mention VA.^[132] The NSPWD aims to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities, improved services, and legislation.^[133] However, drawing on survey data from six regions, including the AXO-affected Tirana, Shkoder, and Vlore, the second NSPWD implementation report, released in October 2008, saw no progress in some 40% of measures. Only 2% of measures were accomplished according to timelines.^[134]

Victim assistance activities

No major changes in VA service providers were reported in 2008. VMA, the only local NGO providing VA in Kukës region, provided multiple services to its 238 members in 2008, including medical treatment, counseling, and peer support, sport activities, loans, vocational training, job placement, educational support, and essential logistical support services.^[135]

In 2008, materials for the Kukës prosthetics workshop were provided with international funding. Regional health authorities were involved in their procurement process, a step towards full integration into the national health budget in 2010.^[136] The workshop provided 12 survivors with prostheses and provided prosthetic repairs to another 97 survivors in 2008.

No landmine survivors were assisted at the NOPC in 2008.^[137]

The IRRS made a triage of the needs of some 45 AXO survivors in 2008 and subsequently 19 amputees received prostheses and physical rehabilitation. A further nine amputees received assistance at the institute from January to May 2009.^[138]

Support for Mine Action

The Albania National Mine Action Plan for Completion 2009–2010, published in December 2008 as a revision of an original plan for the period 2007–2010, estimated it would cost $3,771,309 to address treaty obligations for 2009 and 2010, of which $1,417,600 had been pledged at the time of publication by Albania and international donors. Mine action in 2009 was projected to cost $2,942,385, while costs in 2010 were projected to total $828,924, with mine clearance costs diminishing steeply. The plan’s costs include fulfillment of mine clearance obligations, and addressing RE and VA needs.^[139] The plan, which includes projected annual budget needs, but does not specify resource mobilization strategies, is reviewed and updated by AMAE in cooperation with UNDP.^[140]

National support for mine action

AMAE reported $300,000 in contributions by the government of Albania to the national mine action program in 2008.^[141] AMAE did not report on the use of national funding but Albania stated in May 2009 that its national support consisted of providing explosive and stand-by medical evacuation service for mine clearance operations.^[142] Albania reported $235,000 in national support in 2007.

International cooperation and assistance

In 2008, six countries and the European Commission (EC) reported providing $5,788,885 (€3,931,064) to mine action in Albania, 381% more than the amount reported in 2007. AMAE reported receiving an additional $328,085 from three other sources.

In May 2009, the EC announced that it may allocate additional funds “to support future action” in a number of countries, including Albania. The amount and nature of the funding was not confirmed as of 1 July 2009.^[143]

As of June 2009, AMAE reported international funding totaling $4,348,583 for 2008, including funds from Canada, the EC, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.^[144] Funds reported for 2008 account for 75% of the total revised budget for 2008–2010 reported by AMAE in June 2008. Based on this, funding at 2008 levels appears to be sufficient to meet overall mine action needs in Albania.

In 2008, the ITF reported allocating $4,364,248 (14%) of its funds to Albania,^[145] compared to $2,137,859 (9.3%) of its funds in 2007.^[146]

2008 International Mine Action Funding to Albania: Monetary^[147]

2007 International Mine Action Support to Albania: In-Kind^[148]

EC funding via UNDP covers the period August 2008 to August 2010. AMAE reported additional funding during 2008 from Canada (C$104,013/$97,573) via the ITF for mine clearance, from Sweden ($200,000) via UNDP for VA, and from the ICRC (CHF33,000/$30,512) for RE.^[149] Neither Canada nor Sweden reported allocating these specific funds to Albania in 2008.