When Albania adopted gender-responsive budgeting more than a decade ago, the goal was a more equitable distribution of public money. Today, the legal framework is in place — but the question remains whether women and men are benefiting equally from public money. From a lack of data and weak oversight, to symbolic initiatives and limited political accountability, the gap between commitment and reality continues to define how gender equality is reflected in public budgeting in Albania.
“Disasters do not discriminate – but our responses to them do.” Adisa Bala, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction and Prevention in Albania, says the research is not just about crisis management. It reflects a broader logic of how public institutions function, as systems may appear neutral, but the way they are built and implemented often produces unequal outcomes. For her, risk management is not just about reacting to crises, but building systems that reduce risk before it happens — an approach that can be applied equally to public budgeting.
According to the definition of UN Women , gender responsive budgeting is a strategy that creates budgets that work for everyone, taking into account and analyzing the unique and diverse needs of each individual. In this sense, it aims to intervene in the budget process itself, not only in the allocation of resources, but also in the way they are planned and spent, in order not to reproduce existing inequalities, but rather to contribute to the advancement of gender equality.
Albania, at a formal level, has made important steps in this direction. Gender budgeting has been integrated into the public finance management framework and the Medium-Term Budget Program since 2012, making it part of regular planning processes. Laws on gender equality and local governance create a strong basis for integrating a gender perspective into policies.
In fact, compared to other countries in the region, Albania is considered among the countries that has better institutionalized this approach at the central level, linking gender objectives to performance indicators and budget programs. This has led to a gradual increase in the inclusion of gender equality in strategic and budgetary documents.
But the problem no longer lies in the framework — but in implementation. In practice, this means that gender equality often remains a goal on paper, not a reality in the distribution of resources.
This becomes clear as soon as a basic question is asked: who really benefits from the public budget? In many cases, the answer remains unclear. Mirela Gjoni from the Elbasan Women’s Forum points out that “It is difficult to understand who has benefited from the budget, as the data is not disaggregated by gender and is not kept consistently over the years.” This lack of data is not just a technical problem — it is a fundamental obstacle to transparency and accountability. Without data, gender equality cannot be measured, and what is not measured can hardly be improved.
In this gap, the role of civil society organizations becomes particularly important. The experience of the Gender Alliance Center for Development, led by Mirela Arqimandriti, shows that gender budgeting efforts require more than documents and strategies. Through budget analysis, advocacy, and direct work with local institutions, these organizations have helped build capacity and identify gaps in services. In some cases, this has also led to concrete improvements in the way women and girls’ needs are addressed at the local level through the organization of budget hearings that target women, the strengthening of institutional mechanisms such as the Commission for Gender and Social Equality.
However, even these efforts often remain tied to projects and donor support, raising questions about long-term sustainability and the level of institutional ownership.
At the same time, regional data shows a mixed picture. According to the NALAS Gender Data Report 2021 , women’s representation in municipal councils in the region has reached an average of around 28.5%, with Albania recording one of the highest levels at around 44%. However, at the highest decision-making levels, such as the position of mayor, women remain significantly underrepresented, with only around 16.4% in Albania and an average of 8.35% in the region. The data published by NALAS shows only limited and gradual improvements in these trends, suggesting that advancing gender equality at the local level remains slow. However, these figures do not necessarily guarantee a real impact on how public resources are planned and allocated, as data segregation at every step of the process is missing.
The actors involved themselves assess the implementation of gender budgeting as only partially successful, reflecting a persistent gap between the legal framework and practice at the local level. This suggests that, although the formal representation of women has improved, the real impact on decision-making and resource allocation remains limited. In this sense, the problem lies not in the acceptance of the concept of gender equality or gender-responsive budgeting, but in the way it is translated into practice. In reality, gender equality is often reduced to isolated and symbolic interventions. Activities for March 8, support for traditional women's products or small targeted projects are common and easily implemented. But these do not change the way public policies work.
As Norbert Pijls, director of the “Stronger Municipalities” project implemented by Helvetas Albania, explains during the meeting held for this research, it is not difficult to include women in projects — the problem is that this often remains at a superficial level. Institutions see gender equality as something that can be added “on top” of existing policies, rather than systematically integrating it into all services and programs.
This is also related to the way political decision-making works at the local level. Although municipal councils are formally the decision-making bodies, in practice the space for debate is limited. As Norbert Pijls notes, it is rare for the majority that heads the municipal council to oppose the mayor, making decision-making more formal than real. In this context, issues such as gender equality rarely become a political priority.
Even existing institutional mechanisms, such as the Commission on Social Services, Housing and Gender Issues, often have limited impact. Although they were created to integrate a gender perspective into decision-making, a lack of capacity and political support reduces their role.
Similarly, women’s participation in budget processes remains challenging. As Arbana Dibra from the National Resource Center for Civil Society notes, women often do not participate in public hearings, and even when they do, their demands are not reflected in the final decisions. This creates a significant gap between formal participation and real impact. In this context, experience at the local level shows that participatory budgeting can serve as a concrete mechanism to involve citizens more in decision-making. For Majlinda Bufin, Mayor of Roskovec, “this process is no longer just a choice, but an obligation to build transparency and real accountability to citizens.” Further during the research meeting, it is stated that “Through public hearings and open consultations, the budget can become an instrument of dialogue that better reflects the needs of the community.” This example shows that, when there is political will and clear mechanisms, citizen involvement can have a real impact on budget priorities.
Another important dimension is the relationship between the central and local levels. Laws are passed, but they are often not accompanied by clear monitoring and follow-up mechanisms. As Norbert Pijls points out, the law is passed and published, but there is no system to show how it is implemented in practice by municipalities. This creates a situation where implementation remains fragmented and dependent on local will.
In this institutional vacuum, the leading role is often taken by international donors, who push agendas such as gender equality and social inclusion. However, this creates a dependency that is not sustainable in the long term, especially in the absence of internal institutional commitment.
Despite these challenges, there are also efforts to advance towards a more inclusive approach. As Majlinda Bufi, Mayor of Roskovec Municipality, emphasizes, participatory budgeting should be used as a platform to integrate gender equality into every phase of the budget cycle. According to her, the challenge is not only to listen to citizens, but to ensure that budgets equally reflect the needs of women and men — building a development that leaves no one behind.
In the end, the main challenge for Albania is not the lack of laws, but the way they are implemented. Because gender equality is not achieved through documents, but through concrete decisions — how every lek of the public budget is planned, distributed, and monitored.
And as in the case of disasters, so in public budgets: the system may seem neutral on paper — but its results rarely are./reporter.al
