Prime Minister Edi Rama, in a video message delivered as part of the 2026 Sustainable Development Goals Moment, reaffirmed Albania’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda and integration into the European Union as part of a single transformation process.
According to Rama, since 2018, poverty has fallen from 23.7% to 19%, infant mortality has been halved and more than 95% of public services are provided online.
Almost all electricity is generated from renewable sources, while women account for 35% of Parliament and nearly 50% of the government cabinet.
Albania ranks 44th globally in the 2026 SDG Index.
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 combating organized crime and corruption.
Albania has also signed a new UN Cooperation Framework for 2027–2031, aimed at ensuring sustainable and inclusive development while leaving no one behind.
“Greetings from Albania to everyone 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 plan of action and are inseparable from our journey towards the European Union.
“Completing EU accession negotiations by 2027, joining the EU by 2030 and fulfilling the 2030 Agenda are not three different paths.
“They are one single path of transformation.
“Since our Voluntary National Review in 2018, poverty has fallen from 23.7 to 19 per cent, mortality among children under the age of five has been halved, more than 95 per cent of public services are now provided online, almost all our electricity comes from renewable sources, women hold 35 per cent of seats in Parliament and nearly 50 per cent of ministerial positions. Public debt is well below 60 per cent.
“These are not merely statistics.
“They are proof that change is possible.
“And Albania now ranks 44th globally in the 2026 SDG Index, placing it among the best-performing countries in our region.
“But commitments do not change lives; implementation does.
“That is why Albania has committed $6 million to the SDG Acceleration Fund, bringing the United Nations team together around four priorities: protecting children, 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 we 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 continue moving forward,” Rama said.
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