As part of the project “SOLIDAR – Together in Health Emergencies”, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by GFA Consulting Group, a series of workshops took place across Albania. These workshops were held at the regional level in Shkodër, Elbasan, Tirana, and Vlora, and at the national institutional level in Tirana, with the participation of key stakeholders from the sectors of civil protection, public health, local governance, and civil society.

The aim of this initiative is to strengthen local capacities in planning and responding to emergencies, with a special focus on integrating health services into all phases of emergency management.

Key objectives include:

• The development of a standardized methodology for assessing and managing public health risks,
• The integration of public health risk assessments into local civil protection planning,
• The preparation of practical emergency response guidelines for health centers and municipal hospitals.

The workshops were conducted in alignment with Law No. 45/2019 “On Civil Protection”, which assigns responsibilities to public and private entities, as well as to citizens, to adopt a structured approach to civil protection. This includes:

• Preparing a Risk Assessment Document for each territory,
• Informing the public and at-risk communities based on risk assessment findings,
• Developing local emergency plans, including strategies for managing identified risks,
• Conducting simulations and drills to increase community readiness and effective response during disasters or emergencies.

The SOLIDAR project, in collaboration with Prepared International and GRI Collective, supports healthcare and civil protection actors in coordination, development and incorporating necessary health components into:

• Risk assessments,
• Risk reduction strategies,
• Local civil emergency plans.

This initiative marks an important step toward building safer and more resilient communities, through an integrated and sustainable approach to public health and civil emergencies.