A tentative time-table for the preparation of the PRSP includes the following:

(a). The government will establish a Steering Committee for the PRSP consisting of members of the Economic Policy Committee and representatives of parliament, donors, and civil society.

(b) The government will establish a PRSP working group to focus on poverty issues in the context of the MTEF.

(c) The government, in consultation with the World Bank, will examine the current participatory process in Albania to determine a starting point and feasible level of the PRSP participation process.

(d). The government, in consultation with the World Bank and the IMF, will prepare a plan for collecting information necessary for poverty assessment and monitoring.

(e). The government will initiate research to select a reputable European research institute to work with the government on the stakeholder analysis and the organization of the participatory process.

(f). The government, in consultation with the World Bank and the IMF, will identify a set of monitoring indicators for social development and poverty for the PRSP.

(g). The sector working groups for health, education, transport, public works, and social protection will prepare sector expenditure strategies for the 2001 budget, focusing on poverty reduction measures and defining indicators to be monitored.

(a). The Steering Committee, in consultation with the World Bank, will start the process of coordination with external donors – Friends of Albania.

(b) The Ministry of Finance will continue with the information campaign to increase knowledge of the PRSP process among civil society groups and communities.

(c). The Steering Committee will start preparing a workshop for ministries, representative bodies, donors, etc. to increase knowledge about the PRSP and in particular the participation process.

(d) The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in consultation with the World Bank, will evaluate findings of social assessments undertaken in previous World Bank and other projects in Albania with direct poverty linkages (e.g. rural development, environment, human development) including assessments undertaken through agricultural services projects.

(e). The sector working groups on health, education, transport, public works, and social protection will prepare draft expenditure plans for the 2001 budget consistent with the sectoral resource framework and strategic objectives identified in the sector expenditure strategies.

(f). The MTEF working group will organize an Economic Policy Committee workshop on the MTEF and public expenditure options.

(a). The MTEF working group will finalize the 2001-2003 MTEF document to be approved by the Economic Policy Committee and the Council of Ministers.

(b). INSTAT, with technical assistance from the World Bank, will prepare a poverty update based on 1998 Household Living Conditions Survey.

(c). The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the World Bank, will launch the preparation of a qualitative and participatory social assessment of poverty.

(a). INSTAT, with assistance from the World Bank, will evaluate statistical data and propose measures to provide regular and timely collection, analysis and publication of data to monitor poverty reduction and the well-being of the population.

(b) The government, in consultation with the World Bank and with technical assistance from a European research institute, will carry out a stakeholder analysis in order to identify the stakeholders and to identify a set of feasible mechanisms for consultation.

( c) The government will establish a clear set of selection criteria for participation based on the stakeholder analysis and define institutional mechanisms through which the identified stakeholder can participate in the preparation of the PRSP and will launch the participatory process.

The government will present the 2001-2003 MTEF document to the donor community and brief the donor community on the PRSP preparation process.

The sector working groups will prepare poverty reduction strategies in health, education, public works, labor and social protection, and agriculture consistent with the 2001-2003 MTEF resource framework in preparation for the 2002-2004 MTEF process.

The World Bank, in cooperation with the government, will prepare a survey-based beneficiary assessment of cash social assistance programs.

(a) The Ministry of Health, with technical assistance from UNICEF, will conduct a Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) for children.

(b) The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs will complete the data base on social assistance beneficiaries.

The PRSP working group will prepare a PRSP status report setting out poverty reduction guidelines for the 2002-2004 MTEF process.

The Steering Committee, in consultation with other government agencies, will evaluate and analyze the information gathered through consultation with stakeholders.

INSTAT will complete the data base for the 2000 Household Budget Survey.

(a) INSTAT, with donor assistance, will conduct population census.

(b) The sector working groups will prepare sector expenditure strategies for the 2002-2004 MTEF on health, education, transport, public works, social protection, and agriculture, focusing on poverty reduction measures and defining indicators to be monitored.

(a) The sector working groups will prepare draft expenditure plans for the 2002-2004 MTEF consistent with the sectoral resource framework and strategic objectives identified in the sector expenditure strategies and the poverty reduction guidelines in the PRSP status report.

(b) The MTEF working group will organize an Economic Policy Committee workshop on the MTEF and public expenditure options.

(a) INSTAT, in cooperation with the World Bank, will prepare a poverty profile based on the 2000 Household Budget Survey.

(b) The government, with assistance from the World Bank and other donors, will launch preparations for an LSMS using the results of the April 2001 census as a sampling frame.

( c) The MTEF working group will prepare the 2002-2004 MTEF document to be approved by the Economic Policy Committee and the Council of Ministers.