30 July 2004

Bonn, Germany: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Albanian National Film Center have used the power of film to bring the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) closer to the people of Albania.

From July 11-13, a documentary highlighting efforts to meet the MDGs in Albania followed by a popular Albanian film was screened in three towns in the Fier region – the country’s second largest region in population size and industrial development. The first was held in the town of Fier on 11 July, coinciding with World Population Day, the second the following evening in Ballsh and the third on 13 July in Cakran. Some 700 people, mainly young adults and children, attended the screenings.

The 13-minute documentary, prepared by the UN country team and TOP Channel, a television network in Albania, presented a number of the poverty eradication projects and education initiatives underway in the region. An overview of each goal was shown, as well as messages from local governmental authorities commenting on the MDG campaign. Terre des Hommes, an international child’s rights advocacy group, provided a short documentary on child trafficking in Greece. Posters, banners and printed material on the MDGs, HIV/Aids, migration and environmental concerns were also provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNDP, UNICEF, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNV. The project was financed by UNDP through its Local Governance Programme.

Chiara Pace, the UNV programme officer for Albania, says the idea behind the screening was simple. “We wanted to link the promotion of the Albanian film industry and culture with a greater awareness in the regions about the efforts to achieve the MDGs,” she says. “The idea of a touring cinema is a priceless chance to pull people together, regardless of gender, class or age in the name of solidarity and, of course, a good movie.”

Anna Stjarnerklint, the UNDP Resident Representative for Albania, says the cinema project symbolizes many of the key concepts of the MDG campaign. “Our common goal is to ensure that all people in Albania, regardless of where they live, their age, social status, or gender, have greater and more equal access to information, to policy debates affecting their lives, and to more and expanded opportunities for a better life,” she says. “The cinema project has done just that. It has succeeded in mobilizing community participation, improving dialog, and increasing awareness of the development challenges and opportunities for all Albanians.

Petrit Ruka, chairman of the Albanian National Film Center, applauded the joint initiative. “The project was a brilliant idea of UNV,” he says. “This activity was not only helpful for the promotion of the MDG’s by raising the awareness about some very important issues in the region of Fier, but it was an enormous help for Albanian film distribution considering the remote rural areas where the screenings took place.”