04 Feb Institute for Diplomacy and Development Studies

Institute for Diplomacy and Development Studies

Tirana, Albania

2015- onwards

Programme Development

Project partners: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Albanian International Scholarship Foundation

Project Summary

The purpose of this Project is to set up a type of Hague Academy/Clingendael non-degree center for trainings/courses/conferences targeting young leaders and future diplomats from South-eastern Europe. The Swiss government has already pledged 200.000 euro for the start-up. An assessment visit was conducted in Tirana in April 2015 to discuss this idea with law faculties, city officials and a representative of the EU. There was an indication that the EU would be willing to provide matching funds for this initiative. Sadly, with the passing away of Ambassador van Hoorn, the EWPPP is continuing his ‘mission’ and setting up a project in his honor. Several meetings were held with colleagues at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all were in favor of the initiative and pledged support, offering to contribute their time and expertise to training young diplomats from the Western Balkan region.
We envision yearly training sessions for young diplomats from the region, to be held in different locations throughout the Western Balkans, beginning in Tirana, which will culminate in the awarding of a scholarship to one of the participants in the name of Ambassador van Hoorn for further study in public policy.

Youth Unemployment in the Western Balkans: the case of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro