A New, Proactive Role on a Global Scale
• Albania in the United Nations Security Council 2022-2023
Albania was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, in June 2021, serving in this important body for two years, January 2022 to December 2023. This was the first time ever that Albania was elected to the SC, marking an important political milestone in its international engagement. This election was a result of decades-long efforts to consolidate and strengthen Albania’s position as an international player, as a factor of peace and stability, as well as a credible partner in global affairs.
Albania served at the Security Council mindful of its strategic political alliances, as a NATO member, an EU candidate country, as well as a country who provided substantial contribution as Chair of the OSCE in 2020.
Also, Albania worked at Security Council making best use of its historical background, mindful of its geographical and cultural position in the crossroads of West and East, as well as SEE post-conflict political context.
Albania’s mandate in the Council focused primary on these priorities:
- Women Peace and Security agenda;
- Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms and the implementation of international law;
- Advancing preventive work against violent extremism and terrorism;
- Climate change and security;
- Meeting global challenges through partnerships;
- Security Council working methods.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, in line with its commitments and in full alignment with the EU, Albania became a co-penholder of this file.
As a state party of the Rome Statute, Albania has been vocal on issues related to accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine.
Also, Albania was Chair of four subsidiary bodies in the Council and a co-penholder on the issue of human rights in DPRK.
During Albania’s tenure of the non-permanent seat in Security, Albania has shown full adherence to the shared values of the European Union, constantly referring to the role of the European Union and promoting and advancing EU priorities.
Albania succeeded in bringing its voice and perspective to the Security Council, raising the country’s profile and image in the international arena, cementing our strategic partnerships and strengthening our position as a credible and active actor in the region and a reliable ally and partner with the European Union and its member states.
Beyond any doubt, the mandate in the Security Council has marked a new and special chapter in our national development and has served as a clear expression of our aspirations to make a positive contribution to peace and security, not only in our region.
• Albania’s Chairmanship of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter (A5) in 2024
In 2024, we chaired the regional initiative of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter (A5), focusing on strengthening regional cooperation and addressing emerging security challenges that we are facing today.
Albania’s chairmanship organized a series of important meetings at both technical and political levels, including:
- Joint Meeting of A5 Political and Defense Directors;
- Joint Meeting of Foreign Ministry Directors and Heads of Cyber Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRT);
- Working Breakfast at the Foreign Minister’s level during the 79th UN General Assembly’s High-level Week;
- Partnership Commission Meeting, marking the conclusion of Albania’s chairmanship.
As hybrid threats present one of the most pressing issues of our time, during our chairmanship, we prioritized for the first time ever in this format, the important issue of addressing hybrid threats in our region, aiming to foster resilience and enhancing further cooperation among A5 countries.
A notable achievement was the first-ever institutionalized meeting with Heads of Cyber Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRT), setting a precedent for future chairmanships, considering that cyber threats will continue to be a significant global challenge in the years to come. One of the outcomes of this pivotal meeting was the Enhanced cybersecurity cooperation plan among A5 member countries, which consisted in a robust plan of measures, focusing on immediate actions and collaborative efforts to enhance cyber resilience across member states.
• Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship 2020
Under the motto ‘Implementing our commitments together’, Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship 2020 focused towards making a difference on the ground, leveraging the Organization’s acquis, and enhancing dialogue.
The Albanian Chairmanship prioritized key issues for the OSCE region, such as: military confrontation, malicious use of information and communication technology, challenges on fundamental human rights and freedoms, violent extremism and radicalization, gender equality.
2020 was the year of unforeseen developments, including the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation in Belarus after the presidential elections and the outbreak of armed conflicts in some areas of participating states. These events put new pressures on the day-to-day work of the OSCE throughout 2020, which Albania as Chair sought to overcome. Throughout the year, the Albanian Chairmanship kept a strong focus on efforts towards peace with respect to Ukraine, as well as the implementation of the joint commitments of the participating States. Albania supported OSCE executive structures as a steadfast contributor to comprehensive security and able to make a difference on the ground.
The OSCE Chairmanship for Albania in 2020 culminated with the meeting of the Ministerial Council in Tirana (3-4 December 2020) and produced documents rich in number and substance: eleven in total and in all OSCE three dimensions. Most importantly, Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship worked towards reaching a consensus on the appointment of senior officers to the OSCE positions. As a result, the Tirana Ministerial Council appointed the new Secretary General and heads of the three OSCE institutions, giving the organization the senior management it needed in a challenging period.
