STAR3 – Sustaining and Advancing Local Governance Reform
United Nations Development Programme in Albania (UNDP)
Beneficiaries:
Albanian Municipalities and the Ministry of State Supporting Local Governments as the central institution responsible for decentralisation and local government policy and reform
07.2021 - 12.2023
Overall Objective
The Overall Objective is to strengthen local government effectiveness and efficiency through enhancing the supporting framework, consolidating systems, standards and organisational capacities in place, expanding and sustaining service delivery innovation and best practices, and institutionalising local government accountability to women and men for enhanced participatory governance.
Summary of the Project
Sustaining and Advancing Local Governance Reform (STAR3) is the third phase of a joint initiative of international partners to support decentralisation and local government reforms from the advent of the administrative and territorial reform in 2014-15 to the consolidation of the newly organised local government in Albania. STAR3 is made possible thanks to the joint contributions of the European Union, the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland, USAID, UNDP Albania, and the Government of Albania.
STAR3 has quasi-national coverage and supports best practices in civic engagement, municipal integrity, and innovative service delivery. The project’s backbone was (until April 2022) the development, consolidation, and expansion of a One-Stop-Shop system for municipal administrative service delivery.
The project also aimed to develop and promote a stronger local democracy and civic engagement in local decision‐making (promoting public consultation and participation), coupled with increased transparency, accountability and integrity of the local authorities and their operations (introduction and expansion of
integrity planning in public administration).
At present, in close consultation with the government counterparts and in agreement with the project partners, the project is engaging in assessing the municipal capacities in preparing for and adopting e- government and e-services within their operations.
Activities
Support public consultation and participation practices at municipal level;
Consolidate and expand the practice of integrity planning;
Sustain the OSS system functionality at municipal level;
Digital Readiness Assessments;
Establishment of an integrated platform for municipal IPSIS/performance;
Central level monitoring and reporting capacity building on drafting, implementing, and monitoring of NCSDLG.
Results
1.1 Promoting and disseminating local democracy approaches and instruments;
1.2 Standard municipal integrity planning practice expanded across municipalities.
2.1 Extended OSSIS usage and functionalities;
2.2 Country’s e-government readiness assessment.
3.1 Formulation of the new NCSDLG 2023-2030 and monitoring capacity support;
3.2 IPSIS feasibility assessment for applicability at the local level.
