Sarajevo – Women Diplomats Network met in Sarajevo today at a meeting organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) to agree on the next steps in developing its work.

The meeting brought together the Network’s designated representatives and marked an important step towards formalising its structure, defining future activities and strengthening cooperation among women diplomats across the region.

Jona Haderi, Expert on Monitoring and Reporting at the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), who leads the organisation’s work on women’s economic empowerment, said: “The Women Diplomats Network is an important platform for strengthening regional cooperation through the experience, leadership and perspectives of women diplomats across the Western Balkans Six. By setting its foundations under RCC coordination, we want to ensure that the Network becomes a practical space for exchange, visibility and joint action, contributing to more inclusive and gender-responsive diplomacy in the region.”

Established under the Berlin Process in 2025, the Women Diplomats Network aims to advance regional cooperation, professional exchange, visibility and leadership, while contributing to more inclusive and gender-responsive diplomacy in the Western Balkans Six.

The meeting was organised on the sidelines of the Gender Equality Forum 2026, set to open in Sarajevo on 2 July, and followed the RCC’s Western Balkans Six Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2026 ceremony held the previous evening. Together, the two events served as a soft opening of the Forum and reflected the RCC’s broader commitment to advancing women’s leadership, visibility and economic empowerment across the Western Balkans Six.