Shqip
English
Addressed: Mr. Edi RAMA, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Socialist Party
Mr. Gramoz Ruçi, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament
Mr. Enver Roshi, Chairman of the Committee on Labor, Social Affairs and Health
Mrs. Rudina Hajdari, Chairman of the Committee for European Integration
Mrs. Ogerta Manastirliu, Minister of Health and Social Protection
Mrs. Milva Ekonomi, Chairman of the Committee on Economy and Finance
Mrs. Eglantina Gjermeni, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women
Mrs. Vasilika Hysi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights
Mr. Ramazan Gjuzi, Chairman of the Committee for Education and Media
Mr. Ervin Bushati, Chairman of the sub-committee for monitoring the implementation of the State Budget and its control
Mr. Lulzim Basha, Chairman of the Democratic Party
Mrs. Monika Kryemadhi, Chairman of the Socialist Movement for Integration Party
Mr. Fatmir Mediu, Chairman of the Republican Party
Mr. Dashamir Shehu, Chairman of the Movement for National Development Party
Mr. Shpëtim Idrizi, Chairman of the Party for Justice, Integration and Unity
Mr. Nard Ndoka, Chairman of the Christian Democratic Party
Tirana, October 20, 2020 - The latest economic review of the World Bank, conveys the concern that about 1,660,000 people sin Albania, will suffer poverty due to the pandemic, among them at least 277,000 children.
Illness, food insecurity, job loss and rising unemployment, school closures, etc., according to World Bank forecasts, can lead to significant deterioration of human capital and profound loss of lifelong income.
The global pandemic of COVID 19 has rapidly disrupted most activities in countries with fragile and volatile economies. Albania, according to World Bank, will experience a contraction of the economy to about 8.4% of GDP because of the shock that the European economy has received in recent months. According to them, Albania will be the 5th most affected country in Europe and Central Asia by the economic recession and about 41.5% of the population will live on less than 5.5 dollars a day.
However, we believe that Albania has all the opportunities and financial, human and managerial capabilities to, even in times of crisis, end child poverty once and for all over the next 4 years. Moreover, in our opinion, the investment for the elimination of poverty among children is an investment for the economic growth of the country, guaranteeing the functioning of small and medium business, as well as "Made in Albania" goods.
Given this situation, civil society organizations that work every day for and with children, run this petition with the following requests:
- Publicly promise “Zero Poverty for Children” and its elimination by 2025;
- The next government should establish a national program to eliminate child poverty, which is calculated for children (not for families) and based on the costs of food, clothing, education, and social and health services needed for each child. - Through the so-called "Scholarship for Children";
- Do not leave any child uneducated, malnourished, or a victim of any form of exploitation or violence, without providing all necessary support and services, including housing, education, and free transportation;
- Immediately increase investments in education, through increasing the budget for education, domestic and foreign projects, to create schools and modern, safe and inclusive education everywhere in Albania. This requires a profound reform of the management of pre-university public education and to cover the education costs of those who do not have it;
- Municipalities everywhere in the country have a legal obligation to provide free community programs and social services for all children and adolescents for their counseling and that of families, protection from any form of violence and exploitation, family empowerment programs, etc.
Through this petition we invite all civil society organizations in Albania, all those who work every day with children and for children, all politicians, representatives of the Albanian Parliament, ministers and all human rights activists, to join us to end child poverty once and for all.
