Sustainable Development 2026 — Rama: Closing negotiations and EU integration, realistic objectives for Albania

Prime Minister Edi Rama, in a video message delivered for the 2026 Sustainable Development Goals Moment, reaffirmed Albania’s commitment to Agenda 2030 and to integration into the European Union, as part of a single transformation process.

According to him, since 2018 poverty has fallen from 23.7% to 19%, infant mortality has halved, and over 95% of public services are offered online.

Almost all electricity is produced from renewable sources, while women represent 35% of Parliament and nearly 50% of the government cabinet.

Albania ranks 44th globally in the SDG Index for 2026.

To accelerate this transformation, Albania has committed $6 million to the SDG Acceleration Fund, focusing on child protection, preparing businesses for the EU single market, revitalizing local communities, and fighting organized crime and corruption.

Albania has also signed the new Cooperation Framework with the UN for 2027–2031, aiming to guarantee sustainable and inclusive development, leaving no one behind.

“Greetings from Albania to all those joining this Sustainable Development Goals Moment from around the world. For Albania, the Sustainable Development Goals are not a distant promise. They are a daily work plan and are inseparable from our journey toward the European Union. Closing the accession negotiations by 2027, EU membership by 2030, and fulfilling Agenda 2030 are not three different paths. They are a single path of transformation. Since our Voluntary National Review in 2018, poverty has fallen from 23.7 to 19 percent, child mortality under five has halved, more than 95 percent of public services are now offered online, almost all our electricity comes from renewable sources, women hold 35 percent of parliamentary seats and nearly 50 percent of ministerial posts. Public debt is well below 60 percent. These are not just statistics. They are proof that change is possible. And Albania now ranks 44th globally in the SDG Index for 2026, among the best performers in our region. But commitments don’t change lives; implementation does. That is why Albania has committed $6 million to the SDG Acceleration Fund, bringing the UN team together around four priorities such as child protection, preparing businesses for the EU single market, revitalizing local communities, and strengthening the fight against organized crime and corruption. We have also signed our new cooperation framework for 2027–2031 and will leave no one behind — not our children, not our rural communities, and not the most vulnerable. Together with the United Nations, our European partners, and our citizens, we will keep moving forward. Thank you very much,” Rama said.