Thank you very much,
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Honourable representatives of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honourable members of parliament,
Honourable ambassadors, Excellencies,
Honourable friends and partners of the Centre of Excellence from Kosovo and the entire region,
Honourable women representatives in our security institutions,
Honourable participants,
It was October 21st, 2022, when I received in my office the delegation from Secretary Blinken’s office, which had come to Kosovo to participate in the first edition of the International Forum on Women, Peace and Security.
This delegation, led by Kat Fotovat, an already extremely close friend of our country and people, came to learn and understand more about the work that our country was doing in terms of protecting women’s rights and, in particular, in advancing their role in peace and security processes.
My Cabinet had been in contact with her for months, as one of our main commitments, within the framework of President Biden’s Democracy Summit, was precisely the increased commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women in public life, especially in peace and security processes.
And it was precisely in this meeting that Ms. Fotovat unveiled the idea that Kosovo, if it were to work hard enough and properly, could become the host of one of the regional centres of excellence that would be selected by the State Department as a mechanism for cooperation with friendly countries and also foreseen in the United States national strategy itself.
I began this speech by recalling that meeting, because it is the clearest proof of how consistency, commitment and sincere partnership always lead to successes and concrete results.
Following the signing of the memorandum of cooperation with the US Government in April of this year, within the framework of the second edition of the Forum that we organized, I have the special pleasure to confirm today that we are taking the first practical step with the establishment of the Regional Centre of Excellence for Women, Peace and Security, which is being established within the framework of the Presidency of the Republic and will serve as an umbrella for the work of all relevant actors in Kosovo in the region and beyond.
I do not see this centre simply as an additional body or entity, but as the culmination of the work of the women of Kosovo over the decades, who have proven to the world that there is no force that can defeat their fighting spirit and thirst for justice, equality and dignity.
It is the work of our women and heroines over the years, their resilience and unparalleled vision, that has gradually transformed Kosovo into a point of reference for numerous achievements in terms of empowering the role of women in peace and security.
From the leadership demonstrated during the resistance and war, to the state-building process and peace negotiations, as well as the fact that we are a leading country in terms of women’s representation in public institutions and positive examples of institutional treatment of survivors of sexual violence during the war, Kosovo, with all this and more, is today seen not only as a place on the map, but also as an example from which other countries in the world can learn lessons..
Of course, our work is not finished and we still face exceptionally great challenges, with which, if we work together and with each other and with partners, we will certainly be successful. Kosovo has much to give and has many practices to share with the region, but also with other countries of the world, and at the same time we have much to learn from each other.
Therefore, in addition to the topic that the centre addresses, I consider that the very regional nature of this centre makes the entire initiative even more special, because it shows that despite the differences we may have, when it comes to the agenda for Women, Peace and Security, we all join forces.
Distinguished guests,
Our commitment to Women, Peace and Security is as natural as it is an obligation. It is a natural commitment, because the history of our women and girls is the very embodiment of this agenda, but it is also an obligation for each of us, because without the direct involvement of women and girls in peace and security processes, but also in public life in general, there can never be lasting peace and sustainable development.
We are starting today with small steps, to then transform this centre into a synonym for coordinated commitment for the benefit of advancing this agenda for the empowerment of women and girls and deepening and expanding partnerships at the regional and global levels.
The Centre of Excellence will not belong to the Presidency, but to you, to all of us, because without you and without the commitment of each of you, the very existence of this centre makes no sense.
Therefore, in addition to amplifying the work that you do in an extraordinary way, it will be a way to strengthen institutional capacities for continuous education and training.
This centre will also be the home of success stories of women and girls from Kosovo and the entire region, as well as the home of champions of this agenda.
While the International Forum on Women, Peace and Security will remain one of the main activities that our centre will organize, I invite everyone to strengthen the centre and enrich its work together to transform it into the most realistic reflection of our common achievements, as we know from our experience, successes have only been possible when there has been inclusiveness in engagement!
And it is precisely the agenda for peace, women and security that has brought us together for many years, not only public institutions, but also in particular security institutions, which I would like to salute and thank for the extraordinary daily work that keeps our country safe and our citizens safe, our international partners and civil society organizations, which have never stopped despite the challenges, even in the eighties and nineties, even after the war, but also today.
That is why Kosovo has been selected by Secretary Blinken’s Office as the only country in Europe on the European continent where this centre is established.
We have endless opportunities ahead of us to amplify positive messages, but also so many challenges, for which we must work diligently and without giving up.
I strongly believe in the power of this partnership, because I believe in the primary motive for its establishment: more peace, more security, more partnerships built on shared values.
Therefore, beyond advancing the agenda, I see this centre as an additional and important mechanism for bringing closer and encouraging much-desired regional cooperation, especially from a peaceful country like Kosovo, and also to encourage cooperation with partners beyond our region.
But, to concretize what can be expected in the coming days and months, you will see invitations for trainings and workshops, requests to fill out forms with relevant information, so that we can transform the centre into a one-stop-shop on the joint work that we all do on the Women, Peace and Security agenda, questionnaires to understand the real situation on the ground for the implementation of this agenda or certain parts of it, invitations for partnerships, invitations to panels, discussions, podcasts and notable events, requests to your institutions to share with us success stories, stories of champions of this agenda, engagement and coordination on strategies, laws, statistics, national strategies, measurement of our joint achievements and much, much more.
But please never forget that this centre will be as successful as our joint commitment to strengthen it.
So today I want to thank all of you who are here and others who were unable to join us today but are following this event, especially our partners, Secretary Blinken’s Office of Global Women’s Affairs, the Georgetown Institute’s Institute on Women, Peace, and Security, the United States Embassy, the partner embassies present here, all civil society organizations, without exception, and the many partners from the region and beyond who are part of our network of partners, and every individual who has worked tirelessly and with sincere dedication to bring this centre to life.
And in particular, a thank you to my cabinet, led by Learta, for their tireless work over the years to bring this centre to life and to continuously advance the partnership with each of you. As the saying goes: Stay tuned, because there is much, much, much more work ahead, this is just the beginning!
Good tidings to us!
Thank you!
