Linda Rama

Linda Rama (nee Basha; born December 30, 1964) is a senior Albanian economist (Doctor of Economic Science), researcher, university lecturer, and women's and children's rights advocate.

Early life and education
Rama was born in Tirana on December 30, 1964. Her father was a musician and played the horn, and her mother worked at the administration department of the former auto-tractor plant. She attended Kosova Elementary School and the eight-year "20 Vjetori" School in Tirana. She studied industrial chemistry, economics, and industrial economy, at the University of Tirana. In the 1987, Rama started teaching as a part-time lecturer at the university while beginning her professional career at the Textile Plant in Tirana. In 1992, one year after the fall of communism in Albania, she left the country to pursue her masters in economics at the Central European University in Prague, after which she returned to Albania. In 1996, she obtained a Ph.D. in economic science, with a thesis on "The Economic Reform and Mass Privatisation in Albania." Upon completing her studies, Rama went back to work as a lecturer of International Finance, and she later taught Public Policy and Public Risk Management at the European University of Tirana.

Career
Rama's first professional experience was at the Textile Plant in Tirana. However, Rama's professional career began in 1993, from a public administration (National Privatisation Agency under the Council of Ministers) job that focused on privatizing large and strategic state-owned enterprises. In 1997, she became the director general of the agency, and maintained the position until 1998.

In March 1999, she co-founded the Human Development Promotion Centre (HDPC).

Rama has served in various positions in the course of her professional life as a member and chair of the board of the Open Society Foundation in Albania (2005–2010), member of the board of directors of the American Bank of Investment (2015–2018), lecturer of international finance at the University of Tirana, School of Economics, and lecturer of public policies and risk management at the European University of Tirana. Her research interests are driven by her concern for marginalized groups, like children, women, and people with disabilities. In 2001, she co-founded the Albanian Children Alliance. In 2002, she served as a contributor to the meetings of the Preparatory Committee for the Special UN General Assembly Session on Children.

Public profile
Civic engagement in the causes of gender balance, protection of children's rights, and ethnic minorities have been going on hand in hand with Rama's research work She is an author, co-author, and contributor to many publications addressing the situation of society's most vulnerable groups. Publications such as the Improvement of Ethnic Relations in Southeast Europe, Human Development Reports Development Goals Reports [,Monitoring Report on the Implementation of the Roma Decade in Albania Developing a Sustainable System for Addressing Violence against Women in Albania, Assessment of Trafficking in Children for Exploitation Purposes in Albania, Poverty Mitigation and Social Integration of People with Disabilities, etc., have had a significant impact in steering public policies focused on children, women, and vulnerable groups.

In 2001, together with the representatives of six other civil society organizations, Rama co-founded the Albanian Children Alliance, an Albanian-based civil society movement aimed at protecting the rights of children, part of the larger Global Children's Movement, under the motto, “Say YES for Children”.

Rama has attended numerous important fora and summits on human rights, including the Global Women Summit held in Tirana, Global Women Club Kosovo, Forum of Women in Leadership in Dubai, Young Muslim Women Summit, UN ECOSOC Youth Forum, etc. She joined the appeal issued by Women's Entrepreneurship Day of the Cherie Blair Foundation in support of women entrepreneurs from low- and middle-income countries, with the likes of Cherie Blair, Hillary Clinton, and other international personalities and later a second appeal, “Pave the Way to Girls”. In March 2022, Mrs Rama sent a message of solidarity to Olena Zelenska and the people of Ukraine

Personal life
Rama married Thanas Xhillari in 1989 and they share a daughter, Rea Xhillari. Since 2010, she has been married to Edi Rama, the 33d Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania. They have a son, Zaho Rama, born in 2014.