Minister of Finance Petrit Malaj echoed the importance of securing adequate climate finance to safeguard Albania’s economic stability and build long-term resilience. Eridana Çano, General Director of SASPAC, highlighted the need to better align climate policy commitments with budgeting and investment planning to accelerate Albania’s green transition and improve citizens’ well-being.
National and partner institutions presented priority investment concepts, including nature-based solutions, drought resilience measures, and community-driven water and ecosystem initiatives. Discussions explored how to structure these concepts into fundable programmes aligned with appropriate climate finance modalities.
In a UNESCO-led panel discussion, representatives from UNDP, IUCN, the World Bank, GIZ, the EU Delegation to Albania, and the private sector emphasised the essential role that banking and private sectors play in scaling climate finance. Participants also noted that stronger regional cooperation could help Albania access larger pools of climate funding.
UNESCO reaffirmed its commitment to support Albania in advancing the climate finance platform and developing priority investment projects in close partnership with the Ministry of Environment and relevant stakeholders.
More than a technical dialogue, the conference marked a decisive step toward turning Albania’s climate vision into financing pathways, strengthening momentum toward the implementation of Albania’s climate resilience priorities.