Albania reaffirms commitment to inclusive growth at Doha World Summit for Social Development
Albania highlighted reforms in employment, social protection, health and education as central to its national and European integration agenda.
11 November 2025
Tirana (ILO News)- A high-level Albanian government delegation led by President Bajram Begaj participated in the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2), held in Doha, Qatar. The Summit, which was held from 4 to 6 November 2025 under the auspices of the United Nations and the Government of Qatar, brought together over 130 heads of state and government to review progress since the 1995 Copenhagen Summit. The Albanian delegation was headed by President Bajram Begaj and included the Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation Olta Manjani, and Permanent Representative of Albania to the United Nations Suela Janina, reflecting Albania’s strong political commitment to social justice, inclusion, and decent work.
In his plenary remarks, President Begaj underscored that social development is central to Albania’s national vision and its European integration agenda: “Albania’s reforms in health, education, employment and social protection are designed to ensure that no citizen is left behind,” the President said. “We are building a society based on solidarity, opportunity and fairness.”
The Albanian president called for renewed multilateral cooperation to tackle poverty and inequality in the face of global crises, digital transitions and demographic shifts. He welcomed the Doha Political Declaration, adopted by world leaders, which re-affirms the principles of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on poverty eradication, full employment and social inclusion, and calls for universal social protection, fair transitions to green and digital economies, and stronger international solidarity to achieve social justice for all.
During thematic sessions and bilateral meetings, the Albanian representatives highlighted ongoing reforms in social protection and pensions, guided by the new Policy Document on Ageing and Action Plan 2025-2030; the integration of green and digital transitions in national employment and social inclusion policies; the strengthening of labour market governance through the digital “MIRA Platform” for labour inspections and formalization of employment; the expansion of universal health and social services, especially for vulnerable groups; and th epromotion of social dialogue between government, employers and workers, aligned with EU standards.
Deputy Minister Manjani underlined that Albania is “placing people at the centre of economic transformation” and that social policies are now fully embedded in the country’s Sustainable Development Goals framework.
Albania is one of the pathfinder countries of the UN Global Accelerator: Social Protection and Quality Jobs. It has been successfully implementing the UN Joint Partnership project ”Lifelong Empowerment and Protection in Albania-LEAP,” and it is a member to the Global Coalition for Social Justice, an ILO-led Coalition to foster multilateral cooperation and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).