Teuta Arifi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Teuta Arifi
Теута Арифи
Arifi in 2016
Mayor of Municipality of Tetovo
In office April 2013 – October 2021
Preceded by	Sadi Bexheti
Succeeded by	Bilal Kasami
Personal details
Born	19 October 1969 Tetovo, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
Political party	Democratic Union for Integration
Ethnicity	Albanian
Signature

Teuta Arifi (Macedonian: Теута Арифи) was born on October 19, 1969. She is a politician from North Macedonia with Albanian heritage.

In 2002, Teuta Arifi made history. She became the first Albanian woman to be elected to the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia. This is like a country's main law-making body. She was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in 2006, 2008, and 2011. This means she helped make laws for her country for many years.

She also holds an important role in the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI). This is a major political party that represents the Albanian community in North Macedonia. In April 2013, she became the Mayor of Tetovo. This means she was in charge of running the city of Tetovo.

Learning and Degrees

Teuta Arifi has a strong background in education. In 1991, she earned her first degree in philology. This is the study of language and literature. She got this degree from the University of Prishtina.

In 1992, she went to the Women Leadership Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. There, she learned more about leadership. She then earned a master's degree in philosophy in 1995. This was from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje.

From 1999 to 2001, she worked as a researcher. She studied at Hamburg University in Germany. In 2000, she earned her PhD in Philology. Her special research was about how women are shown in Albanian traditions and books.

Teuta Arifi's first language is Albanian. She can also speak many other languages. These include Macedonian, Turkish, English, French, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian.

Her Professional Journey

Early Work in Media and Teaching

From 1991 to 1992, Teuta Arifi wrote articles for a newspaper in Pristina. Then, for ten years, she worked for Deutsche Welle radio. She was an anchor, which means she presented news and shows.

She also worked for the government of North Macedonia. She was an adviser from 1995 to 1996. Later, she advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 1997.

In 1997, she started teaching at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. She taught about the history of Albanian literature. She also helped the Council of Europe from 1998 to 2000. She worked on making sure men and women are treated equally.

From 1999 to 2001, she was part of a research team. They studied peace at the University of Hamburg. In 2001, she became a professor at South East European University in Tetovo. She taught about different cultures.

Entering the World of Politics

In 2002, Teuta Arifi officially started her political career. She became a Deputy President of the Democratic Union for Integration. This is a big political party for Albanians in North Macedonia.

She held many important roles in Parliament. From 2002 to 2006, she led the Committee for International Relations. She also represented North Macedonia in the Council of Europe and NATO.

Later, she wrote articles for a Macedonian newspaper called Dnevnik in 2006. From 2006 to 2008, she led the Committee for Cultural Issues in Parliament.

From 2011 to 2013, she was the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs. This meant she helped North Macedonia work with European countries. On April 12, 2013, she was elected Mayor of Tetovo.

Teuta Arifi has also worked on international projects. In 1995, she represented North Macedonia at a big meeting about women's rights. In 1996, she helped observe elections in Albania for the OSCE.

She is a founder of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of North Macedonia. She also helped start the League of Albanian Women in North Macedonia. From 1992 to 1994, she was a leader for the Helsinki Citizens Assembly Committee. She also worked with the Soros Open Society Institute.

Books and Writings

Teuta Arifi has written several books and studies. Here are some of them:

• “Gjeografia ime” (My geography), published in 1996.
• “Feminizmi ekzistencialist” (Existential Feminism), published in 1997.
• “Shatë ditë magjike” (Seven magic days), published in 1998.