Target: Sofjan Jaupaj, Albania Minister of Environment
Goal: Do not pave over protected beachfront with American luxury resort development.
For weeks, Albania’s capital city has been the site of spirited protests. In many cases, signs have been replaced by pink flamingo cutouts: symbols of the environmental destruction advocates say will be inflicted on one of the Mediterranean’s most precious wetlands, courtesy of one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential couples: Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The pair apparently cut a deal with Albania’s leadership to build a luxury resort smack in the middle of a protected habitat that is home to flamingos, pelicans, nesting sea turtles, and monk seals, among hundreds of other valued species.
The planned project is drawing scrutiny on multiple fronts and is even reportedly at the center of a corruption investigation. Much like many other business dealings involving Kushner and the Trumps, questions have arisen about the ethics of someone who is acting as an official of the executive branch and who has such close ties with America’s president making deals with other nations’ leadership for personal profit. This particular deal has been notable for its lack of transparency (the Albanian president has even denied construction has begun despite the visible display of these lands already being dug up) and for suspect changes to Albania’s nature laws that now allow the building of luxury resorts in protected regions.
Sign the petition below to demand these embattled politicians stop prioritizing influence-peddling and fattening bank accounts and start listening to the people.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Jaupaj,
“Albania is not for sale.” Signs such as this one – paired with a sea of pink flamingos – have sent a powerful message about just how deeply the Albanian people feel about American elites intruding on and ravaging their lands and endangering their beloved wildlife. Pishë Poro-Narta is much more than a stretch of beach. It is a lifeline for precious ecosystems that survive, thrive, and that represent the irreplaceable biodiversity of Albania.
Albania’s leaders at one time recognized this value and protected it through laws — laws that must be upheld if this nation wishes to join the European Union. Do not sacrifice this protected region for short-term gain and power. In doing so, you will sacrifice something far greater. Protect the Pishë Poro-Narta, protect its inhabitants, and protect Albania from selling its eco-soul to the highest bidder.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Rafael Minguet Delgado
