This Wednesday, the Regional Conference “Accelerating Child Care Reforms Towards EU Membership” is being held in Tirana. The conference brings together representatives from Western Balkan countries – Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro.

Present at the event, Prime Minister Edi Rama said the conference serves as an important platform for strengthening social policies and child protection in the region.

“If we look at the ambition of the European Child Guarantee program, referring also to the figures, it clearly shows the need to deepen policymaking in the interest of children and to increase interaction among all social and institutional actors, to ensure equal access to quality education, to provide healthy nutrition, to improve access to healthcare services, to ensure housing and dedicated protection for children, and generally to raise societal awareness of children’s rights. These are key points. In this regard, the European Union has also allocated special funding to support member countries in staying on the defined track and reducing child poverty while narrowing the gap that is of serious concern across the European space,” Rama said.

“One of the areas where we aim for a quantitative and qualitative leap, and where we seek greater interaction with other partners, is addressing the situation of 16,000 children with special needs, who are beneficiaries of new support schemes but who at this stage deserve increased support from our side—not only financial support but also institutional support. For this, the Ministries of Health and Education are working to increase the number of special education teachers. Just yesterday, we opened a new chapter in our healthcare system by launching the first hospital classrooms—educational and art spaces—so that children do not lose touch with learning, but are instead supported through a special curriculum that energizes them with confidence and the belief that they will overcome their illness,” Rama stated.