Ambassador, H.E. Ruth Huber welcoming remarks, at the kick-off of the 2nd stage of cooperation between the WBF and Swiss Government. AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Good morning and welcome to the Swiss Residence.
It is a pleasure to have here representatives of WBF member states, partners supporting the Fund, its grantees — and colleagues joining us online from Swiss Embassies across the region (Ambassadors, colleagues from cooperation programmes).
A particular welcome goes to Séverine Donnet-Descartes, Head of the Eastern Europe Section at SDC, who has spent a week in Albania getting to know the country and our bilateral development programme. As the WBF is a regional initiative, the financial commitment is managed from Bern — and she will be sharing a message from SDC later this morning.
Thank you all for being here.
Regional cooperation must function at all levels. An important characteristic of the Western Balkans Fund is that it is owned by the WB6 governments – and we value this. At the same time, we look forward to seeing that ownership for regional cooperation is continuously reinforced at ministerial level and making the WBF a mechanism that smoothens the cooperation at government level.
Ruth Huber
Ambassador of Switzerland to Albania
Four Years of Swiss Support
Today we officially launch Phase II of Switzerland’s support to the WBF.
Over the past four years, Switzerland provided core-support to the WBF. Swiss support has helped consolidate the institution — its team, its systems, and its ways of working. It has also been a period of learning: testing different modalities of support to understand what produces the best results on the ground. Where it matters most — in the interactions between people.
As the video illustrated, the Fund has delivered. The Secretariat is now consolidated, with real experience and credibility. The grants have produced concrete results. That is the basis for this second phase — not simply goodwill, but track record.
The cross-border projects, the youth exchanges, the civil society partnerships — this is where the Fund does its best work. People from different countries, working together on common problems.
What Phase II Is About
The next four years will focus on supporting the WBF in achieving its strategic objectives 2029— both institutionally and programmatically. The foundations are there. The task now is to build on them.
A Word on Ownership
Regional cooperation must function at all levels. An important characteristic of the Western Balkans Fund is that it is owned by the WB6 governments – and we value this. At the same time, we look forward to seeing that ownership for regional cooperation is continuously reinforced at ministerial level and making the WBF a mechanism that smoothens the cooperation at government level.
Gatherings like this one serve a purpose beyond accountability. They are also a moment to bring attention to what the WBF needs — and to amplify what it is achieving.
To Partners Here Today
I want to acknowledge the embassies and partners present. The WBF needs sustained support from the international community — not from Switzerland alone. Your engagement and continued dialogue with the Fund make a difference.
Today, it will be a moment of celebration, commitment for the next 4 years but also a moment to ask questions, and discuss amongst us in a relaxed atmosphere.
And with that I hand over to the moderator to walks us through the day
