Besnik Aliaj

Albania

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Co-founder & Rector of POLIS University

 

Prof. Aliaj graduated with Master Diploma in Urban Management and Local Governance at Erasmus University and Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Rotterdam back in 1996. After many years of hard work and education he has obtained a status of professor at Polytechnic University, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Tirana, Albania.

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During his long and exciting career, Prof. Aliaj reached different achievements which improved the quality of life and wellbeing of urban residents. Since 1998 to nowadays he has been working with international bodies and institutions, such as: World Bank, UN, UNDP, FAO, USAID, GTZ, EU, SOROS, and several diplomatic missions accredited in Tirana. He has initiated projects in the field of urban planning, environmental management and regional development; including housing, infrastructure, formalization of economy, good governance and decentralization, as well as higher education.

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Prof. Aliaj was a project coordinator for more than 7 different municipalities across the globe where he was the first to apply community cooperation and make the civilians part of these projects. To strengthen peoples' awareness of sustainable urban management and development at the international, regional level, national or local level Prof. Aliaj participated in a project of the joint international PhD program between POLIS University and the University of Ferrara. By his initiative, POLIS University offers Professionals Masters as joint programs with foreign institutions of higher education.