Business Partnerships and Solutions for Sustainable Development Goals in Albania

The United Nations joint project “Business Partnerships & Solutions for SDGs”, building on the success of its pilot phase, aims to enhance the private sector’s capabilities for a successful green and digital transformation and accelerate their contribution to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The project complements technical capacity building with interventions in awareness raising, trade facilitation and policy support to create an enabling environment for companies to thrive. 

In close cooperation with Social Partners, the ILO will prepare a Mapping Report on the Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear (TCLF) sector in Albania identifying global brands, retailers, and their intermediaries and provide recommendations on restructuring production, streamlining processes, eliminating waste, and optimizing the use of technology. The report will also look at human resources and improving the working conditions in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Green Agenda. In parallel, the ILO will provide technical advice to the Government in designing and improving the legal framework for the TCLF sector in line with European Union acquis.

Additionally, the ILO will deliver a Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Training in 30 textile and footwear factories, which combines practical classroom training with in-factory consulting aimed at improving productivity and working conditions in small and medium enterprises.

In order to make the SCORE training programme sustainable, the ILO will establish a network of licensed local trainers that will be at the disposal of the private sector as well as build the capacities of the employers’ organizations on the basics of the ILO SCORE Training Programme so that they could continue offering it to the sector. The ILO will also build the capacities of the Labour Inspectorate on ILO SCORE Technical Modules relevant to their mandate with emphasis on preventing, identifying, and investigating breaches on workers’ fundamental rights including occupational safety and health standards.