The Municipality of Pogradec hosted the third consultation meeting for the Transparency Program Project for Local Self-Government Units, an initiative of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner’s Office. The meeting followed those held in Lezha and Shijak, within the framework of the project “Support to the Commissioner’s Office”, implemented by “Strong Municipalities” with the technical assistance of the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM).

The activity was opened by the Chairperson of the Pogradec Municipal Council, Ms. Manjola Kamolli, who welcomed the participants from the administration and municipal councils of Korca, Kukës, Dibra, Shijak, Vlora, Fier, Maliq, Tepelena, Mallakastra, Elbasan and Mirdita.

In his speech, the Commissioner emphasized that “The right to information is not just a law, it is a culture. The culture of transparency influences the illumination of the dark corners of the administration.”

The Mayor of Pogradec, Mr. Ilir Xhakolli, thanked the Commissioner’s Office for selecting Pogradec as the host of this meeting, evaluating this initiative as very important that helps local administrations strengthen standards of transparency and communication with citizens.”

Following this, Mr. Fatlum Nurja, expert of the “Strong Municipalities” project, highlighted the commitment to supporting municipalities in the drafting and implementation of the new Model Transparency Program, while Mr. Sotiraq Hroni, executive director of IDM, emphasized that “Transparency is a prerequisite for good governance and the Transparency Program is the instrument that puts it on concrete tracks.”

From the Commissioner’s Office, Ms. Emerlinda Pema, Director of the Transparency Program Monitoring Directorate, presented to the attendees the Transparency Program Project for local self-government units, responding to questions and comments from participants.