On 3 July, a piloting of the Council of Europe’s toolkit on Education in times of emergencies and crises that was developed to support the implementation of the Resolution adopted by the Council of Europe Standing Conference of the European Ministers responsible for Education in September 2023, was officially launched in Tirana.

The piloting is an endeavour of the Council of Europe’s Education Department and will be implemented with the engagement of the schools included in the Council of Europe project Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania* that will seek to showcase the best practices existing in Albania.

The launching event gathered high-level officials and educational stakeholders as well as the Albanian Ombudsman, high representatives of the municipalities of Durrës, Tirana and Kavaja, the Albanian Red Cross, the National Civil Protection Agency, representatives of higher education institutions and international actors, including representatives from the European Union Delegation to Albania, UNDP, and the UNICEF.

Albania’s participation in EDURES implementation was welcomed by the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana. Giulia Re highlighted that the Council of Europe’s Education Strategy “Learners First” offers a valuable framework for building resilience in such situations and that the strategy's focus on individual needs ensures that students receive the support they need to overcome challenges they face. Vice Minister Guga re-confirmed the commitment to strengthening democratic citizenship and competencies, including through building a more resilient education system. Albanian Ombudsman, Erinda Ballanca underlined that education is more than a basic human right, it is a powerful tool for individual development and social well-being. The mayor of Durrës Emiriana Sako confirmed their interest in being the first pilot city.

*The project "Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania”, is implemented by the Council of Europe and financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).