Albanian Council on Foreign Relations

About us
Council
Partners/Donors
Contact us
Jobs/Internships

Projects The Council is committed to stimulate structured debate through forums, seminars and conferences that organizes on a regular basis, as well as through high-quality research studies, thus shaping a proper Albanian body of international studies. Special attention is given to the continuous informing and awareness-raising of public opinion not only on international and integration issues, but also on a participatory and active approach to the country’s political processes. The Council invites regularly national and international political leaders, experts and policy makers to join and promote debate on global issues as well as give advice and cooperate in developing realistic overviews and in-depth analysis. Furthermore, it seeks to make explicit and foster values of democracy, human rights, the need for stability and continuous prosperity. Through close collaboration, forums and think-tank roundtables the dialogue generated between public and political representatives encourages and suggests constructive political reforms as well as brings the integration process forward. Projects Library for studies of International Relations and Political Science Through this project supported from the Embassy of the United States of America to Albania, ACFR is contributing to substantially improve the teaching and researching capacities in the Albanian academia, especially in the public university faculties which are unprivileged by virtue of limited public funds. ACFR has engaged in the translation into Albanian of main titles of IR and political science creating a small library with selected titles that will be open to Albanian academia actors such as professors, students and researchers as well as other interested audiences. Secondly, in the future, ACFR will offer workshops on curricula building using this resource. The library will constitute a valuable reference point as well as a learning tool for actors interested in being introduced to fundamental concepts, theories, and methods in the contemporary study of political science and international relations. It will assist professors to compose coherent and contemporary qualitative syllabi for theirs students, as this is one of the most strategic stages of the learning and teaching process. The library will directly affect the teaching and researching capacities, assisting the education and thus the formation of a well-informed and up to date generation of active citizens and potential leaders who will help to Albania in the integration efforts towards Euro-Atlantic structures. Shaping mass disobedience to the rule of corruption through awareness raising, advocacy, public education and monitoring With the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, ACFR has conceived and is implementing a project aiming to contribute to the shaping of a disobedient societal attitude towards petty corruption in public service sectors. Several actions are being undertaken in order to move Albanian citizens from apathy and complacency to disobedience and rejection of petty corruption. Ultimately, this action seeks to advance the democratization of state and society by empowering citizens to demand transparency and accountability of public service providers. Reconsidering EU Migration Policies - Advocacy and lobbying to ease asymmetries ACFR has met the strong support of the Open Society Institute in Albania to implement an initiative aiming to raise debates and conduct research on the EU migration policy, how it is perceived from Albanian citizens and lobby for prospects of revision in favor of citizens from the Western Balkans as potential EU citizens in the future. The project focuses on issues such as the Readmissions Agreement, Seasonal Employment Agreements, and the application of the Visa Facilitation Agreement between the EU and Albania. Summer School on "Security Studies for Journalists" 21 – 28 June 2010 NATO`s Public Diplomacy Division This first summer school gave to the journalists and graduating students the possibility of not only being informed but also increasing their knowledge on issues of security and defense dealt by the NATO and other European and international organizations. They had the chance to debate and exchange ideas with experts and their colleagues about their own work and/or problems they face in their everyday professional activity as well as established contacts for further access to expertise and experts in the field. Political parties, elections and electoral administration; In search of accountability April –December 2010 Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung The impact of this project is of special importance because it addresses electoral systems and electoral administration in Albania, which remains an issue of concern not only for the national political and other stakeholders but it also tackles the basis of the ongoing “political stalemate” in the country. This action, the study and its recommendations set the ground for neutral suggestions and policy-options to be considered in the framework of the preparations for the future elections. “Elections, money and democracy; how to enhance the financial transparency of Albanian political parties ” July 2010-June 2011 US Embassy to Tirana This project seeks to tackle such a politically sensitive issue as the political financing and to demonstrate how much of a problem unaccountable financing really is and perform advocacy in order to ameliorate the situation. ACFR considers the promotion of an informed debate on the transparency of political parties and electoral campaigns finances as well as pushing for improvement of the legal framework as emergent needs of Albania’s weak democracy, especially with regard to the upcoming elections.
Albanian Council on Foreign Relations Rr. “Andon Zako Cajupi”, No.20/4, Tirana - Albania Tel: + 355 4 22 70 894, 22 74 203 ext 47, Fax + 355 4 22 70 337, Email: acfr@acfr-al.org, URL: www.acfr-al.org

Projects

The Council is committed to stimulate structured debate through forums, seminars and conferences that organizes on a regular basis, as well as through high-quality research studies, thus shaping a proper Albanian body of international studies. Special attention is given to the continuous informing and awareness-raising of public opinion not only on international and integration issues, but also on a participatory and active approach to the country’s political processes.
The Council invites regularly national and international political leaders, experts and policy makers to join and promote debate on global issues as well as give advice and cooperate in developing realistic overviews and in-depth analysis.
Furthermore, it seeks to make explicit and foster values of democracy, human rights, the need for stability and continuous prosperity. Through close collaboration, forums and think-tank roundtables the dialogue generated between public and political representatives encourages and suggests constructive political reforms as well as brings the integration process forward.

Projects

Library for studies of International Relations and Political Science

Through this project supported from the Embassy of the United States of America to Albania, ACFR is contributing to substantially improve the teaching and researching capacities in the Albanian academia, especially in the public university faculties which are unprivileged by virtue of limited public funds. ACFR has engaged in the translation into Albanian of main titles of IR and political science creating a small library with selected titles that will be open to Albanian academia actors such as professors, students and researchers as well as other interested audiences. Secondly, in the future, ACFR will offer workshops on curricula building using this resource.
The library will constitute a valuable reference point as well as a learning tool for actors interested in being introduced to fundamental concepts, theories, and methods in the contemporary study of political science and international relations. It will assist professors to compose coherent and contemporary qualitative syllabi for theirs students, as this is one of the most strategic stages of the learning and teaching process. The library will directly affect the teaching and researching capacities, assisting the education and thus the formation of a well-informed and up to date generation of active citizens and potential leaders who will help to Albania in the integration efforts towards Euro-Atlantic structures.

Shaping mass disobedience to the rule of corruption through awareness raising, advocacy, public education and monitoring

With the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, ACFR has conceived and is implementing a project aiming to contribute to the shaping of a disobedient societal attitude towards petty corruption in public service sectors. Several actions are being undertaken in order to move Albanian citizens from apathy and complacency to disobedience and rejection of petty corruption.
Ultimately, this action seeks to advance the democratization of state and society by empowering citizens to demand transparency and accountability of public service providers.

Reconsidering EU Migration Policies - Advocacy and lobbying to ease asymmetries

ACFR has met the strong support of the Open Society Institute in Albania to implement an initiative aiming to raise debates and conduct research on the EU migration policy, how it is perceived from Albanian citizens and lobby for prospects of revision in favor of citizens from the Western Balkans as potential EU citizens in the future. The project focuses on issues such as the Readmissions Agreement, Seasonal Employment Agreements, and the application of the Visa Facilitation Agreement between the EU and Albania.

Summer School on "Security Studies for Journalists"
21 – 28 June 2010
NATO`s Public Diplomacy Division

This first summer school gave to the journalists and graduating students the possibility of not only being informed but also increasing their knowledge on issues of security and defense dealt by the NATO and other European and international organizations. They had the chance to debate and exchange ideas with experts and their colleagues about their own work and/or problems they face in their everyday professional activity as well as established contacts for further access to expertise and experts in the field.

Political parties, elections and electoral administration; In search of accountability
April –December 2010
Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung

The impact of this project is of special importance because it addresses electoral systems and electoral administration in Albania, which remains an issue of concern not only for the national political and other stakeholders but it also tackles the basis of the ongoing “political stalemate” in the country. This action, the study and its recommendations set the ground for neutral suggestions and policy-options to be considered in the framework of the preparations for the future elections.

“Elections, money and democracy; how to enhance the financial transparency of Albanian political parties ”
July 2010-June 2011
US Embassy to Tirana

This project seeks to tackle such a politically sensitive issue as the political financing and to demonstrate how much of a problem unaccountable financing really is and perform advocacy in order to ameliorate the situation. ACFR considers the promotion of an informed debate on the transparency of political parties and electoral campaigns finances as well as pushing for improvement of the legal framework as emergent needs of Albania’s weak democracy, especially with regard to the upcoming elections.



Home	Programme areas	Projects	Publications	Events