Merita Bala, Executive Director

She holds a MA degree in European Studies and bachelor degree in the English language. She started working at AFCR in 2002 and has been a Programme Manager until October 2022. Currently she holds the position of Executive Director. During her work experience with AFCR, Merita has been involved in development and management of projects focused on mediation, restorative justice and peer mediation, thus contributing to the mission of AFCR for the development of Alternative Dispute Resolution/mediation. She has been also manager and reviewer of the cases handled by AFCR mediators under various projects. Merita has been engaged as trainer in the area of conflict management through mediation and has contributed to the AFCR fundraising activity. Researching is another area of expertise, and she been part of AFCR team conducting surveys and researches in the relevant area.

From 2013-2020, she has been involved as mediator/facilitator by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO- part of the World Bank Group), in community-company disputes in Albania. Merita is part of the Global Panel of Mediators of ADR Centre International, and also member of the Global Mediation Panel of the Office of the Ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes.

She is a part-time lecturer at the one-year professional master course on "Conflict Management through Mediation", at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tirana.

Merita is trained in mediation and conflict resolution nationally and internationally. She is a Weinstein JAMS International Senior Fellow (2019). The fellowship was based in California and New York, USA.  Part of the fellowship was conducted at the Office of the Ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes.