EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WBF, GJERGJ MURRA REMARKS AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE 2ND STAGE OF COOPERATION BETWEEN THE WBF AND SWISS GOVERNMENT. AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Dear Madam Ambassador
Thank you for hosting us at your beautiful residence on this important day.
Distinguished Ambassadors and representatives of Embassies in Tirana in this room
and Distinguished Swiss Ambassadors and representatives of Swiss Embassies in the region, joining us online
Dear Mr. Skapi, and dear representatives of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania
Dear Mrs. Vojinoic, representing Montenegro WBF Presidency 2026,
Dear friends
Thank you for being with us today.
Your support has made the Fund stronger.
It has allowed us to come, step by step at this day, where we are preparing to move further forward, aiming to become a regional hub for our Civil Society Organisations.
The video told part of our story.
Madam Ambassador also spoke about the significance of this day, and there is a lot that can be said about the WBF-Swiss cooperation.
Going back, when we signed our first cooperation agreement, in May 2021.
It was a different time. We were coming out of the most difficult months of the pandemic.
At that time, our ambition was clear. We wanted the Western Balkans Fund to become more relevant. We wanted to expand our outreach, diversify our instruments, increase our impact and make sure that more organisations, especially smaller and grassroots actors, could find a door into regional cooperation.
For us, this second phase is not only a continuation. It is an upgrade. It is a vote of confidence in the Western Balkans Fund and the regional cooperation.
Dr. Murra l Executive Director of the WBF
Thanks to the support of the Swiss Government, we were able to do exactly that.
The three grantees that are here with us from Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania are the best testament to what we have done well together. So, I will not
They remind us that behind every agreement there are people. Behind every grant there is a partnership. Behind every project there is a community that benefits.
And today, we are entering a new phase, in a much better position.
The Western Balkans Fund is more mature. Our procedures are stronger. Our grant portfolio is broader. Our partnerships are deeper. Our visibility is higher. Our role in the region is clearer.
But our responsibility is also greater. And we are fully aware that together with the growth in Funds and capabilities, we need to grow further internally, to continue to be relevant at this new phase we are entering.
For us, this second phase is not only a continuation. It is an upgrade. It is a vote of confidence in the Western Balkans Fund and the regional cooperation.
And this will be the motivation guiding us in this new stage.
And it is my pleasure to inform this gathering today with a pleased information, closely related with the concrete results of the cooperation between WBF and Swiss.
Earlier this week, with the support of SDC and European Union, WBF launched the Gender Equality Fund, one of the most important opportunities ever launched by the WBF.
This marks an important step in strengthening regional cooperation, advancing gender equality, and further diversifying and reinforcing the Fund’s impact across the region.
The Initiative aligns closely with the objectives of the Berlin Process, particularly the Chair’s Recommendations adopted in London in October 2025, which reaffirm the commitment of WB6 members—represented by respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs—to allocate 15% of the Fund’s core budget to gender equality-related regional actions.
A scheme that has been tailor-maid to support direct the most important of the fundamental rights: Equality, as a pre-condition to building true, European and Free Societies.
It is a proud moment for us. And, let me reassure you dear friends, that more relevant actions and programs are planned, and I am confident that you will continue to hear good news and results from WBF and our joint cooperation.
Madam Ambassador Ruth and Distinguished Ambassadors and representatives of Swiss Embassies in the region.
- Allow me to conclude by thanking you once more for your personal contribution in making the case for continued support to the Western Balkans Fund, in Berne.
- During this phase we will further strengthen the cooperation not only between the Fund and the Swiss Embassy to Tirana, but also with all Swiss Embassies in the Western Balkans Region.
- And we look forward, to working closely with you, regarding all the co-funded opportunities, but also the whole range of advocacy events and other actions we are pushing forward together.
– To all Ambassadors and diplomats present here today: thank you for your continued attention to the work of the Fund and for your support to regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.
– To our friends from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania: thank you for your constant support to the Secretariat and to the role of Albania as the host country of the Fund.
– To our Montenegrin Presidency in 2026: thank you for your strong leadership.
– And to our grantees, partners and friends from civil society: thank you for joining this event and most importantly, for reminding and for showing us that what we do matters, to the benefit of our region and its people!
Thank you for your attention.
