Crowdsourcing Albania’s UNDAF: Putting People in the Driver’s Seat

People are eager to talk about development if they are asked.

Last year, the UN Agencies in Albania embarked on a dynamic journey to develop the new United Nations Development Action Framework (UNDAF) - the UN strategic plan which aims to help Albania advance its development agenda and create a better life for citizens.

In Albania we engaged with the public to get their priorities while designing our programme. As a communication professional, I believe that there is nothing more rewarding than talking with your stakeholders. I believe in the combination of old face-to-face communication, digital communication and even picking up your phone when it is needed.

Building on previous conversations

This was not an entirely new approach for us at UN-Albania. During the last three years, we held vibrant and inspiring conversations with thousands of people across the country through our “Future We Want” and “Voices from Albania” campaigns, enabling us to get a vivid picture of the world people want to live in. I’m glad to mention that their priorities are translated in the 2030 Development Agenda.

The consultations helped us prepare a common country assessment, for a solid panoramic analysis of the current economic and social situation for the UN and its national counterparts. We addressed development challenges at central and local levels as well as priority areas for UN interventions. We were able to redefine the UN’s comparative advantages in the current Albanian development context.

Albanians want to shape their own reality

Consultations were organized in selected regions of Albania such as Shkoder, Korce and Tirane. Civil society activists, media, students, local and central government representatives, Roma, people with disabilities and other minority groups…people from all walks of life participated actively. They spoke out about issues in their daily lives. Lack of employment and economic empowerment ranked first among all their priorities. They spoke of the need for quality education and health, the need to have programmes to address poverty gaps, social exclusion, social protection, a healthy environment and good governance.

The results came as no surprise since around 4,000 Albanians prioritized the same issues in the My World Survey 2015.

I was struck by the diversity and wealth of ideas flowing from participants. People were free with unedited information and opinions. They showed us that they don’t simply want to be beneficiaries of a reality created by others – they want to shape their own reality.

The UN Albanians want

The second phase focused on priority areas for UN involvement, the comparative advantages of the UN versus other partners, and guidance on where UN should focus its programmes. People clearly indicated that we should put more effort in strengthening civil society to give a voice to voiceless communities so that they can hold decision-makers to account. They wanted a more local approach, better communication about programme impact, and scaled-up efforts, especially in areas such as the rule of law, electoral assistance, and anti-corruption. They wanted the UN to do more to ensure human rights.

I was also struck by how much people trust the UN. “Transparent,” “inclusive,” “accountable,” “results-oriented”…we heard these words the most. In an always-changing political scene in Albania, our stakeholders appreciate the UN’s political neutrality to ensure continuity of reforms and the programs under implementation.

This campaign helped us know what kind of UN the people want. I think this puts more responsibilities on the UN itself, to live up to people’s expectations.

Nothing can replace face-to-face communication, but to maximize our reach, we also used a digitalized foresight methodology called Futurescaper, to create an online questionnaire. We also collected people’s voices through video diaries and video interviews. We asked people: “What development challenges you think the UN should focus on in the coming five years and what do you perceive as the greatest benefits of UN involvement?”

600 people expressed their aspirations for a better Albania and the need to address development challenges. Good news: they all resonate with each other.

Consultations gave our UNDAF process an immense value. They gave a voice to those whose opinions are often not enough taken into account. We got constructive feedback for programme development. They sparked serious conversation on development. It helped empower people by asking and encouraging them to have a say on issues that affect their lives.

The UN should keep implementing surveys such as “The UN 4 You” or “The UN You Want” to make us reflect on our work and improve how we do it. And I believe there is plenty of room for improvement.

An UNDAF that captures the voice of the people

Our UNDAF is still in the making. Reliable data are still lacking and we are working on improving our baselines.

But this UNDAF has a strong foundation because it has included feedback from a large array of partners. It is well aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and 2030 Agenda. It is guided by the true spirit of the One UN. It is not written behind closed doors. It has the voice of the people.

To see some of the video material we produced as part of our consultations, please click on the following links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FIQr2I-ec

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vu2or8A0_I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k72ft7iB9_Y