WBF 2ND INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

After a successful completion of the 1st Internship Program,

WBF has launched on July its 2nd Call for Interns with the aim

to support the professional capacity development of next up to

three interns from WBF Contracting Parties.

Internship Program intends to provide a jump-start to students/

young professional to enhance their knowledge about regional

cooperation and specific objectives of WBF through a 4-week

Program, at the WBF Secretariat premises, in Tirana, Albania.

Application deadline is August 21st.

You can find Application form and other relevant information

on the link below:

http://westernbalkansfund.org/2020/07/08/wbf-call-for-

interns/

LEARN MORE FROM SOME OF OUR 3RD CALL GRANTEES

More information related WBF 3rd Call Grantees, WBF

conducted interviews with some of grantees to provide a

better picture how regional cooperation works in the field.

More information is provided in the interview section with

EKONOMIKS Prishtina, IMPACTHUB Belgrade and DIGIBA

Sarajevo.

Read more on page 5-7

Read on page

WBF UNDER THE IMPACT OF COVID19

We at WBF, are learning day by day and getting more

prepared to face the consequences and the impact of

Covid19 Pandemic and the restrictions it has created to the

normal working conditions and activities. Our work is

continuing uninterrupted, fulfilling the most important

tasks in front of us, actively communicating between

ourselves and with all our partners and stakeholders.

We are in regular communication with our Council of Senior

Officials and especially with the WBF 2020 Podgorica

Chairmanship-in-Office, aiming to ensure continuity

regarding governance and decision-making, and share

insights regarding challenges experienced by civil society.

We are confident that the experience gained and lessons

learned on working on these difficult conditions will

become part of our legacy, improving the capacities and the

ability to adapt by the Secretariat and each of its staff

members.

WBF NETWORKING, MEETINGS AND EVENTS

FAREWELL LUNCH ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEAN OF

DIPLOMATIC CORPS, H.E. MR. ZARIC, TERMINATION OF

MISSION IN TIRANA

On June 25, in collaboration with our RYCO partners, WBF

had the pleasure to host a farewell lunch on the occasion

of the Dean of Diplomatic Corps, H.E. Mr. Zaric,

termination of mission in Tirana.

Good atmosphere in the company of diplomatic

partners!!

COURTESY MEETING WITH AMBASSADOR OF AUSTRIA TO

ALBANIA, H.E.DR. CHRISTIAN STEINER

On June 10th, the Ambassador of Austria to Albania,

H.E.Dr. Christian Steiner, conducted a courtesy meeting

with WBF Executive Director at the WBF Secretariat

premises. This meeting served as a good opportunity to

better inform the Ambassador on the experience and

actions on regional cooperation and people-to-people

links!

COURTESY MEETING WITH H.E. MR. JAPELJ,

AMBASSADOR OF SLOVENIA TO ALBANIA

On June 30th, H.E. Mr. Japelj, Ambassador of Slovenia to

Albania, conducted a courtesy meeting at WBF

Secretariat premises. This meeting was a good

opportunity to learn about Slovenian initiatives in the

region and share the WBF experience on Regional

Cooperation!

V4 GROUP PRESIDENCY HANDOVER CEREMONY IN

TIRANA

On July 3rd, the WBF was present at the V4 Group

Presidency Handover Ceremony in Tirana. WBF is grateful

to the Czech V4 Group Presidency for their continuous

support in strengthening relations between V4 Group and

WBF, and confident that under the guidance of the Polish

Presidency these relations will grow stronger!

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On June 17 took place the first partners' meeting

of the project WBF Funded Project CulTourin.

The project, implemented by the Balkan Network

for Local Democracy Skopje and the Local

Democracy Agencies in Western Balkans, aims at

promoting cultural heritage and tourism

development through new youth-friendly tool.

On June 5, International Consultants Day virtual conference marked its annual anniversary

in a digital format, organized by Business

Consultants Council BCC, Albanian Consulting

Network ACN and Management Consulting

Association “MCA-2000”, gathering over 100

consultants over the region and representatives of

EBRD offices.

Organizers were happy to receive remarks from

representatives of ICMCI / CMC-Global, EBRD

representatives, Western Balkans Fund, ACCESS

Project, and Chamber of Commerce and Industry

of Albania.

Two success stories were unfolded, with the

inspirational presentations about digitalization

accomplishments from Hana Qerimi (Digital

School & StarLabs) and Arianit Fazliu (Digital

Solutions Agency KUTIA).

The highlight of the day was the announcement of

the launch of the project funded by the Western

Balkan Fund and Launch of Regional Cooperation

Agreement between 3 partners.

WBF conducted a ceremonial meeting with the 3rd

Call Grantee Centre for Security Studies and

handed the WBF certificate!

Stay tuned, main Increasing Research Capacities of

WB CSOs project activity to take place on

November.

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The Regional Green Youth Charter (RGYC) project has been launched by our grantee the

European Movement in Serbia from Belgrade, in

partnership with Center for Ecology and Energy

from Tuzla, Democracy for Development from

Prishtina, and ALPHA Center from Niksic.

Such regional partnership has been created to

jointly mobilize and directly cooperate with young

people from less developed areas out of four

territories of the WB6 region, with the aim to

empower them to take more active role in their

local communities in terms of raising of awareness

upon high Green Houses Gas (GHG) emissions in

the WB, and advocacy affairs on benefits for fair

transition to the renewable energy production.

Importantly, along with capacity building of young

people, this project serves as a tool to the young

agents of change in their efforts of campaigning

and advocacy upon more ambitious agenda and its

actions realization upon the reduction of GHG

emissions towards policy makers and relevant

actors in the region.

Over the summer, the project partners will

mobilize and network university students from the

four respective territories of the WB6 region, and

will provide them with knowledge and skills based

on which students will develop RGYC and actions

for the campaigning and advocacy affairs in the

region.

WBF invites all young talented musicians from WB

region to be part of the WBF Funded Project,

“Balkan Youth Jazz Orchestra”. The selected

musicians will have an opportunity to work closely

with prominent jazz experts and their peers from

the region, as well as to perform during Jazz

Appreciation Month 2021

More info on eligibility criteria and application can

be found on the link below:

http://www.jazzartassociation.org/balkan-youth-jazz-

orchestra-3/

PAGE 5

WBF conducted an interview with the Executive Director of EKONOMIKS, Mrs. Majlinda Aliu, a 3rd WBF Call

grantee from Prishtina and understood that one of the significant aspects, considered a factor which continues

causing migration in the Western Balkans is the quality of life in capital cities in the region. Lack of regional

approach to the impact of urban planning on migration is another issue that was brought into the attention

of WBF by a regional project led by the grantee EKONOMIKS from Prishtina. Partners of this project will work

together to better understand and provide a full picture of the phenomenon of migration and how urban

planning can play a role in migration process. Capitals of Western Balkans share a common history, particularly

in the last two decades when demographic changes have dramatically increased the need for expansion in

bigger cities, and in most cases, this has exacerbated the urban planning process. “I strongly believe that this

project can serve as a starting point to push the idea further, our partners already are interested to expand this

regional project into a national level, because migration is a phenomenon happening everywhere, and urban

planning as well is yet unfinished or outdated process which needs a new vision. “(Majlinda Aliu – Executive

Director/ (EKONOMIKS).

COVID19 restrictions didn’t allow partners to meet in person, however, the implementation process has

moved online in order to successfully complete this initiative. This initiative brought together organizations

with similar professional background that continue contributing in their communities and after all their

commitment to spread their contribution into a regional level. This approach will not only address urban

planning problems but the mission is to build new bridges of cooperation and friendship at a regional level

also increase awareness on the importance of regional cooperation and people to people links. “WBF opened

another window of opportunities for us to continue our work and fulfill the mission in building new relations and

initiatives with people from other parts of the Western Balkans and beyond sharing same goals and

objectives.” (Majlinda Aliu – Executive Director/ (EKONOMIKS).

Apart from financial support the mentoring support that WBF provides for its grantees supports them in better

understanding the operationalization of regional initiatives in Western Balkans. “However, politics continue

creating obstacles especially when it comes to cooperation among organizations from Prishtina and Belgrade,

despite the interest and will to cooperate, people in Serbia face many difficulties and pressure when implementing

projects with their Kosovo* counterpart, but that doesn’t stop us or discourage neither of us to continue our

cooperation.” (Majlinda Aliu – Executive Director/ (EKONOMIKS).

WBF grant making support serves in helping civil society organizations in finding a common ground, where

opportunities are more visible than difficulties and use these initiatives to change our citizens’ lives for the

better, and accomplishes its objectives in fostering regional cooperation through people to people links.

LEARN MORE FROM SOME OF OUR 3RD CALL GRANTEES

INTERVIEW WITH MRS. MAJLINDA ALIU, EKONOMIKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

INTRODUCING “REGIONAL CAPITAL MARKET-RECAP” PROJECT

LEARN MORE FROM SOME OF OUR 3RD CALL GRANTEES

Let’s partner to make the Western Balkans the place to develop businesses and models for growth in international

markets!

Western Balkans Ecosystem Demo Day will be organized on September 18th, 2020 to launch 360°Connect – the go-to-online

community platform for entrepreneurs of the Western Balkans.

WBF introduces the region with the 3rd Call awarded project “Regional Capital Market”, headed by the Impact Hub from

Belgrade, in partnership with Create Foundation from Prishtina and Students Business Center from Podgorica, which

strives for building an online community platform for entrepreneurs, mentors and investors from the Western Balkans

(WB). Such regional initiative offers equal opportunities to collaborate and partner with incubators, accelerators, hubs

from the WB making the region recognized internationally as a thriving community of entrepreneurs building viable and

scalable businesses.

Entrepreneurial ecosystem in the WB is yet not developed. One of the core impediments to the development and growth

of the innovation economy in the region is the limited access to alternative finance and investments relevant to startups

and innovative Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs), and followed by inadequate competences driving the business

growth in accordance with the international market demand. Moreover, potential business angel investors throughout

the region have limited practice and proven models in early-stage startup investing, and this calls for more practice

sharing between the peers in the region and beyond.

Aiming to boost the competitiveness of the Western Balkans, and responding to the need of a growing digital economy

in a “new normal” imposed by COVID-19 in which doing business is primarily online, the Regional Capital Market project

is shifting Impact Hub’s 360⁰ Connect program for startups and SGBs from the national based to the WB6 online

acceleration program. Supporting a community of entrepreneurs, mentors and investors from the WB in one online go-

to-place platform will raise opportunities to access alternative financing models and investing. 360⁰ Connect will

specifically focus on building a virtual space for women founders and gender-diverse startup teams to access diverse

resources for strategic planning and day-to-day operations, sharing their practices and connecting to the targeted

international markets.

To this end, the project is building an online platform 360connect.online which will be launched during the WB Ecosystem

Demo-Day to celebrate the gender-diverse startups and businesses of the region. Startup pitching will be followed by

curated networking and meetups throughout the project implementation, as to create opportunities to fundraise in the

region. Meanwhile, project partnership, headed by the Impact Hub Belgrade has already launched a regional outreach

and the call in the WB6 for all interested startup founders and small growing businesses to apply for the WB Demo-Day

2020, offering an access to currently more than 400 content items focusing on how-to reach product-market-fit and

raising funds for growth. More information upon campaigning, its outcome and proceedings can be followed on the

project respective partnership online media tools.

PAGE 7

For more information related to this Newsletter, please contact us: info@westernbalkansfund.org

WBF NEWSLETTER IS PREPARED

WITH THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF

EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN

ALBANIA

Since its establishment, WBF was and

still is supported by several dear friends,

partners and collaborators.

Their role and contribution is precious to

us, integral part of our legacy and

heritage!

“WBF is a really fantastic tool for facilitating regional cooperation and encourging

people to seek for partners in the Region”

On the link below you may watch the full the interview WBF Program Coordinator, Mr.

Denis Grbo, conducted with Mrs. Selma Rizvic, President of Digi.Ba.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjJWyj-PnX8

LEARN MORE FROM SOME OF OUR 3RD CALL GRANTEES