The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku and the coordinator of the UN Office in Albania, Fiona McCluney.
In his remarks, Minister Mete appreciated the support provided by the United Nations Organization for our country, through a series of instruments in different fields, such as economic development, tourism, environment, healthcare, security, social protection and employment.

The Minister highlighted the continuous support that has been given through UNDP in terms of employment reform and vocational training, in accordance with the European integration plan, which includes the National Strategy for Employment and Skills drafted in cooperation with MoFE. Some important aspects of this reform are the optimization of vocational education and training providers and the accreditation process, with the aim of equipping Albania’s VET system with the necessary tools as the country progresses towards EU integration.
Minister Mete also appreciated the support that the UN has given in terms of the recovery and resilience of businesses, through the provision of recovery and development instruments for small businesses, as well as the support of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) agenda in Albania and its financing dimension.

Minister Mete expressed his commitment to continue cooperation with the UN, especially in implementation of the Strategy for Employment and Skills, with a special focus on the Social Employment Fund for persons with disabilities.

Also, according to Minister Mete, another aspect of the future cooperation with the UN is related to the implementation of the Youth Guarantee project in our country, in cooperation with the EU, where the Ministry of Finance and Economy will benefit from the commitment of UNDP and UNICEF .

“We will continue our discussions, in cooperation with other ministries, in drafting the National Integrated Financing Framework, focusing on key sectors to support Albania’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals”, said Minister Mete.
/sm/