Mirela Kumbaro

Mirela Kumbaro was born in Tirana, in 1966. In September 2021, she was appointed Minister of Tourism and Environment. Mrs. Kumbaro is the first woman in Albania to hold a position as Minister of Tourism and Environment. As minister, she led the process of declaring the Vjosa River "National Park", one of the last wild rivers in Europe and the first wild river to be protected at this level.

She holds the title of Associate Professor as of 2012, in the field of linguistics and intercultural studies, after she had previously obtained the title Doctor of Science in the Field of Translation Studies, at the University of Tirana in 2009. Mrs. Kumbaro has finished her post-graduate studies and obtained a master’s degree on Translation and Intercultural Communication in 1994, at E.S.I.T – Paris III, University of Sorbonne – Nouvelle, in Paris, France.

In 2013 she was appointed minister of Culture, a position she held for over 5 years, as she was reappointed as minister of Culture in 2017, during Prime Minister Edi Rama’s second mandate. During the parliamentary elections of 2017, Mrs. Mirela Kumbaro Furxhi was elected as a Socialist Party MP for the district of Gjirokastra. In the parliamentary elections of 2021, she got a second mandate as an MP for the district of Gjirokastra.

Mrs. Mirela Kumbaro is a professor by profession, as well as translator, publicist, and international expert in academic projects, in university research programs, carried out by international organizations such as the European Union, the International Francophone Organization, the European Council. She has had a long academic career and a very active engagement in civil society, where she contributed to the fields of culture, education, and social issues.

In 2017 she was awarded the Order “Honorary Officer in Art and Culture” by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, for her special contribution in the field of culture and Albanian-French cooperation.