Albanian 
Prishtina, July 18, 2019 – In order to address issues and challenges that women leaders and entrepreneurs face in the labor market and private sector, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Prishtina organized a meeting with women leaders and managers of AmCham member companies.
U.S. Ambassador’s spouse, Alison Kosnett, said that the high unemployment rate amongst women in Kosovo is at concerning levels, adding that more should be done in encouraging women in pursuing their career in business and should provide more opportunities for their growth. She said that there is a lot of potential amongst women in the country which needs to be encouraged, mentioning that there are many areas that we can work in stimulating women to start their own businesses and provide opportunities for many other young girls.
Senior Economic and Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy, Lori Michaelson, said that women are a crucial part of the society and their role in economy, education, peace, and security, amongst others, should be emphasized by increasing their participation rate in the labor market. Michaelson said that besides meeting successful women leaders and entrepreneurs, more should be done in seeing what they can do in empowering other women and to address the challenges they face in being promoted to executive and decision-making roles in companies, emphasizing the role and potential of women in business development. Furthermore, Michaelson mentioned the importance of mentorship programs for women which can stimulate them to continue their professional development.
Women leaders of AmCham member companies further discussed the challenges women face in various areas such as access to finance, mentorship, education in increasing women’s skills in specific areas, which need to be addressed in order to further empower their development and emphasize their role in the society.