TIRANA, June 25 /ATA/ Albania reaches an important stage in strengthening its readiness to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.
The first meeting of the Steering Committee of the ALBAdapt program – supported by the Albanian Government, the Green Climate Fund, as well as the governments of Germany and Switzerland – reached key decisions that pave the way for launching work on modern climate services and enhancing the country’s capacity to become resilient to these changes.
The Ministry of Tourism and Environment, in a social media post, announced that the decisions taken at this meeting lay the groundwork for a modern hydrometeorological system aligned with the best international practices, based on a jointly developed vision with partner institutions and organizations.
“In the coming months, work will focus on drafting a new law on hydrometeorology, institutional restructuring, improving the hydro meteorological data monitoring network, and digitizing data from the past 30 years; launching the process of conceptualizing and establishing the National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS) in close cooperation with institutions, partner organizations, and other stakeholders; and initiating efforts toward the development of an early warning system for natural hazards — through assessing legal gaps, institutional and human capacities, and in coordination with national actors,” the Ministry of Tourism and Environment emphasized.
Municipalities in the Vlora and Durrës regions will also be engaged to assess needs, develop local disaster risk mitigation documents, and raise public awareness in order to build safer and more climate-resilient communities.
The Ministry of Tourism and Environment announced that 13 local action and adaptation plans will be drafted in several municipalities — from Lezha and Dibra, to Saranda and Konispol — based on the specific needs of each area.
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