With the new equipment provided by this Grant, the effectiveness of Municipality’s waste management system will improve, such as the increase in the collection of waste generated as well as providing a more hygienic environment.On this occasion, a handover ceremony took place in Has City Hall ,in the presence of the H.E. Mr. TAKADA Mitsuyuki, Ambassador of Japanin Albania and Mr. Liman Morina, Mayor of Has. During the handover ceremony, Ambassador Takada reconfirmed his Government’s commitment to supporting Albania’s development in the waste management and other sectors. He stressed the importance of waste management in developing countries, and expressed his hope that the waste collection truck would make a great positive impact, while also raising awareness regarding solid waste collection and recycling based on the 3R system. On the other hand, May or Morina expressed his appreciation to Japan and the Ambassador for the support given to Has and Albania overall, and his commitment to improve waste management in Has.

Japan has continuously supported Albania with several grants for equipment and vehicles provision and technical cooperation projects. Environmental protection is one of its priority support programs in Albania. As Japan is one of the leading nations in the promotion of the 3R (Reduce,Reuse, Recycle) waste management system, the Government of Japan has implemented through JICA a technical cooperation project for the Support of Waste Minimization and 3R Promotion in Albania during the years 2014- 2017. Additionally, the total GGP assistance to Albania for 61implemented projects amounts to approximately EUR 3.94 million. So far,13 waste management related projects with a total value of approximately1.03 million Euro, have been awarded to different Municipalities of Albania.

This is the second grant awarded to Berat Municipality in the framework of Japan’s Grant scheme GGP. Through the first grant awarded in 2019, a fire truck was provided to the Municipality in order to improve the disaster prevention capacities of Berat to cope with different kinds of emergencies like fires, floods, accidents, rescue operations etc. This project was especially important since Berat, as a UNESCO World Heritage site is an important location for the history of the country.

The Ambassador of Japan to Albania, H.E. Mr. TAKADA Mitsuyuki, and the Mayor of Berat, Mr. Ervin DEMO, attended the handover ceremony. During the ceremony, Ambassador Takada reconfirmed his Government’s commitment to supporting Albania’s development in the agricultural sector and other sectors as well. On the other hand, Mayor DEMO expressed his appreciation to Japan and the Ambassador in the name of all the citizens of Berat, for the support given to the Municipality.

Since December 12, a photo exhibition entitled “Journey to Japan” with photos of Japan’s nature, lifestyle and architecture was organized in the main hall of Berat City Hall and will be open to the public until December 23. This collection of photos are part of the exhibition “”Journey to Japan” – To Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Friendship between Albania and Japan”, an exhibition co-organized by the Embassy of Japan and several Municipalities in Albania throughout this year.

Japan has been supporting Albanian through the Grant scheme GGP since 1998, awarding grants to public institutions, local government authorities or NGOs for projects in the fields of health care, disaster prevention, environmental protection etc. The total GGP assistance to Albania for 58 implemented and to be implemented projects amounts to approximately EUR 3.84 million.

Additionally, the Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been supporting the enhancement of Financial Inclusion in Albania, through the implementation of the Technical Cooperation Project, “Smallholder Families’ Financial Inclusion Project in Albania”, in cooperation with Ministry of Finance and Economy. The primary objective of the Project is to improve financial inclusion of rural smallholder families, by developing new financial and non-financial products and services that flexibly respond to the needs of farmers.