SHUKALB’s 2023 Year in Review – Message by Elisabeta Poci, Executive Director

Dear Members, Partners, and Friends,

As we prepare to step into the New Year, we would like to wish you all a Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year in 2024.

We wish to express our thanks and gratitude to all our members, whose work, support, and engagement is at the core of our success and impact as an association.  Furthermore, we wish to acknowledge the support and collaboration of our different partners, including the different institutional stakeholders in the water sector, our donors, as well as our neighbouring regional water associations.

We are wrapping up 2023 still reminiscing about the great success of our major event of the year, the 11^th Annual Balkans Joint Conference and Exhibition which was organized in Golem, Albania, on 7, 8, 9 November 2023.  Over its three days, the event attracted more than 450 water professionals representing water utilities, donor’s community, private companies, academic institutions as well as other central and local government institutions from 18 different countries, offering a rich and diverse program with 88 moderators and speakers as well as networking and business opportunities. Participants at the Conference had the opportunity to visit the Technical Exhibition which was organized in parallel to the Conference. The Exhibition attracted 22 private companies coming from 10 different countries from the Balkan region and Europe, which showcased their very latest products, from pipes, pumps, meters, software to engineering and management services. In addition, the conference offered a unique opportunity for 14 young water professionals from Albania and Kosovo, who were engaged as co-moderators of the plenary and technical sessions.

On 7 November 2023, several Pre-Conference events were organized, where it is worth mentioning:

• The launching of the Utility of the Future Center of Excellence (UoF-CoE), a transformative initiative of the World Bank and Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). This regional initiative with a global outreach, will serve as a dedicated hub for knowledge, innovation, and collaboration in the sector. The UoF-CoE is designed to bring together young professionals, utility providers, government bodies, and experts from diverse fields.
• The Joint Coordination Meeting with Stakeholders on Capacity Development in the Water and Sanitation Services Sector in Albania and Kosovo, with the main objective to facilitate the dialogue and ensure a better coordination among the stakeholders in the national and regional level on capacity development measures carried out in the water and sanitation services sector in Albania and Kosovo.
• Young Water Professionals Forum, which provided an open platform for final year University students and Young Water Professionals, who work in various institutions in the water and wastewater sector in Albania and Kosova.

During 2023, in partnership with SHUKOS, we continued the delivery of the 9^th round of the Utility Benchmarking Program for Albania and Kosova, in the framework of Danube Learning Partnership (D-LeaP), for 13 water utilities in Albania and Kosovo.

Despite our best efforts, our commitment to advancing Capacity Development Programs for water supply and sewerage (WSS) companies and professionals in the water sector faced unexpected challenges in 2023. We began the year with a comprehensive Training Needs Assessment (TNA) and validation workshops involving water utilities and subject matter experts to refine our training topics. However, we regrettably couldn’t deliver our training courses and Capacity Development (CD) programs as we planned during the year.  Financial constraints among WSS companies significantly impacted participation. Additionally, the increased demand for human resources to support ongoing regionalization reform processes within Albania’s water sector posed another substantial obstacle.

Recognizing the crucial importance of continuous professional development, we are actively seeking solutions to overcome these challenges. We’re exploring alternative strategies to ensure the continuation of the much-needed Capacity Development Programs in 2024. Our goal is to intensify efforts and provide tailored capacity development programs that specifically address the evolving needs of WSS companies and the broader water sector. Through strategic partnerships and leveraging funding opportunities within regional projects, SHUKALB has secured financial support from initiatives like D-LeaP and RCDN+. This support allows for reduced participation fees for our valued member WSS companies, reinforcing our commitment to their professional growth and development.

In August 2023, SHUKALB received financing for a Grant titled “Strengthened Responsive Services to the WSS Sector-Specific Needs in Albania through Capacity Development and Advocacy Activities” in the frame of the Regional Capacity Development Network (RCDN+) Project, implemented by GIZ Open Regional Fund for Southeast Europe – Modernization of Municipal Services (ORF MMS)”. In this framework, SHUKALB aims at carrying out high quality capacity development programs to support water utilities, municipalities, and other relevant stakeholders, along with intensifying the dialogue and advocacy efforts, contributing to providing better water supply and sanitation services to citizens.

Regarding our “Outreach Programs”, SHUKALB supported its member Water Utilities in celebrating the World Water Day 2023, themed “Accelerating Change”. SHUKALB prepared and distributed short videos and posters with informative and awareness raising messages on the importance of saving water, understanding the water bill, that were further used by water utilities in organizing their digital awareness campaign through their social media In addition, SHUKALB prepared and distributed leaflets with awareness messages, T-shirts and Tote bags with WWD logo and the logo of the water utilities, which were used by water utilities in organizing their traditional awareness campaign in their respective cities.

Even though during 2023 SHUKALB lacked to secure financial support for the implementation of the “Friends of Water” program, we prepared the calendar with the drawings of children participating in the National Exhibition “Water Through the Eyes of Children” organized in previous years. The calendars for 2024 is being distributed to various water utility companies, institutions, and partner organizations.

Lastly, but not the least, we’ve been active in participating and contributing to several national, regional, and international conferences, sharing our experience in our awareness and outreach programs, capacity development, as well as well as presenting the overall state of the water sector in Albania.

2023 has been a challenging but still fruitful year, and we are proud of what we have achieved so far.  For that, we are grateful for the commitment of our members, the collaboration and support from all our partners, the hard work of SHUKALB’s staff, as well as the support from our Board of Directors. We look forward to continuing to build on our past achievements in the New Year 2024, with a refreshed vision and energy.