TIRANA – RYCO Local Program Officer in Albania Ms Flutura Brakaj attended the Annual Forum of Young Professionals: “Digital Transformation, a Necessity for Shaping the Future” organized for the first time in Albania by the Young Professionals Network (YPN) on 17 December 2021. This Forum served as a contribution of young Albanian professionals in policy-making, as a continuation of important political and world developments.
The event was attended by around 50 participants including young professionals, students, representatives of various youth organizations and public authorities who were divided into groups and discussed recommendations and suggestions on the participation of young professionals in policy-making, specifically in the Youth Strategy 2022-2029 in Albania.
The forum was opened by Executive Director of the YPN and Youth Representative of Albania in the RYCO Governing Board Ms Franceska Muço who welcomed the participants and underlined that the forum will be an annual contribution of young professionals to Albanian politics, not only in order to increase their participation in the political life of the society but also to demythologize politics.
The first-panel discussion under the title “Digital Agenda at the national and regional level” introduced Ms Edina Kozma, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Albania who presented an overview of Children’s Rights in the Digital Age, mentioning the contribution of UNICEF during the pandemic period through the platform akademi.al.
Ms Brakaj presented the Regional Youth Agenda and shared the key points that are related to digitalization, new skills, and employability. In her opening remarks, she highlighted that she is especially happy to be part of this forum and to see the priorities and needs of the youth in Albania reflected in the Youth Strategy 2022-2029. “Јust like in the structures and work of the RYCO, the youth, young leaders, and professionals in many fields should be at the forefront not only as contributors to the strategy but most importantly as co-developers and co-managers in its implementation,” she underlined.
Director of Innovation and e-Gov IPA Sectorial Department from the National Agency of Information Society Ms. Romina Kostani closed this panel by pointing out the vision that the Agency has on empowering young people on entrepreneurship and innovation.
In the end, Minister of State for Youth and Children of Albania Ms Bora Muzhaqi was invited to give her closing remarks and present the consultation process undertaken for the “Youth Strategy 2022-2029” in Albania.
