FREJA FORUM
Tirana 2011, Albania.
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PRESS RELEASE
On November 11 to 13 in Tirana was held FREJA Forum (Forum for Regional and European Joint Activities). The event was organized by the Association for Integration of Informal Areas (AIIA), Albanian Women Empowerment Network (AWEN) and The Swedish Union of Tenants, with the financial support of Olof Palme International Center and SIDA.
Date November 11, 2011
The forum was opened with ceremony held at the Plenary Hall of Parliament. The opening ceremony of the Forum for Regional and European Joint Activities was held under the auspices of Mrs Josefina Topalli, Speaker of Parliament.
The forum was attended and kept their word, Mr. Ettore Sequi Ambassador of the European Union delegation in Albania, Mrs. Filloreta Kodra, Deputy / Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Mrs. Kseniya Lvovsky, Office Manager World Bank for Albania, Mr. Detlef Palm, UN Resident Coordinator's AI for Albania, UNICEF Representative in Albania, Mrs. Britta Olofsson, Head of Development Cooperation of the Swedish Embassy in Tirana. In the Forum kept their word representatives from Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia.
This event was attended by 160 participants from Albania, Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Turkey, Montenegro, etc..
Discussions focused on the theme of empowerment through collaboration, which was the theme of this year's forum.
Democracy and Equal Opportunities can be developed only through cooperation among countries. Empowerment through collaboration was the apex of which went all the discussions that took place during the forum activities in the three days.
- Improve the capacity of NGOs through international cooperation
- Cooperation of NGOs in the Balkans for Peace and Security
- The role of NGOs in the strengthening of regional cooperation
- Develop new strategies and action plans to achieve regional cooperation and development.
Forum is an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences, to find regional partners for joint projects, creating networking from non-profit organizations of the region with companies and public authorities in the Western Balkans and European Union.
The purpose of this forum is to create a stable working and long for democracy, equal opportunities, empowerment through regional cooperation and strengthening the role of NGOs in the region.
Date November 12, 2011
Forum continued its work on the premises of Hotel Tirana International and National Museum. During the second day of Freja Forum it was organized 5 seminars from 5 countries of the region (Albania, Sweden, Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia - Herzegovina). Topics of seminars were very interesting and fulfilling the expectations of participants:
- Empowerment through regional cooperation. Partnership assets;
- Collaboration in networks;
- Cooperation and strengthening leadership;
- Co-operation and capacity building of NGOs;
- Empowerment through capacity building. Integrity Institucioanl in south-eastern Europe. Lessons learned on the Western Balkans;
Also in the second half of the day were held 15 workshops, which brought experiences, programs and methods applied by different organizations in their work. The program gave participants the opportunity to choose the forum and attend workshops to which they had interest from moderators who come from different countries such as Albania, Sweden, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Turkey.
Date November 13, 2011
The third day of the Forum continued with a discussion session led by Freja's leaders from Albania, Europe and countries of the region. The participants discussed and drew conclusions on the achievements of this forum. Also went recommendations regarding the future content of the forum which will be Turkey, in the second week of November 2012.
Besides seminars and workshops, the Forum participants had the opportunity to participate in the exhibition for this event held at the National Museum. This exhibition was attended by organizations, businesses and entrepreneurs from countries participating in the Forum who brought their works in the exhibition booth.
Important part of the forum was socialization between participants with each other by sharing different ideas about the functioning of civil society in general.
A special importance during the Forum was the extraordinary support of Vitrina University who hosted a dinner for all participants in this forum. This dinner had all the elements of Albanian hospitality, where guests had the opportunity to enjoy music, folklore, dances, and traditional foods. This dinner was followed by several gifts to all participants.
Would like to thank for their support to this forum:
SIDA, the Olof Palme Center, UNICEF, University Vitrina, Austrian Development Cooperation, Soros, UN Women.
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