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Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) recently organised a conference to help combat violence against women in politics. Discussions focused on strategies to reduce gender-based violence and promote the involvement of women in the political sphere.
Members of the parliamentary Club for youth questions and youth policies in the Assembly of North Macedonia, visited their colleagues from the youth club in the Albanian parliament, exchanging experiences, sharing practices, and defining youth priorities for future cooperation between the two parliamentary bodies.
Representatives of youth political branches from different parties presented arguments in a debate on economy, international relations, and youth policies in North Macedonia. This was also the final event of the Political Debate Academy organised by Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
WFD is supporting Western Balkans Parliaments on their post-legislative scrutiny journey.
The ability to speak your mind in a public or social matter should not be a privilege. We like to think that getting involved in local or even national politics is an option for those willing to contribute and help improve life in their community. Until recently, however, this was not a possibility within reach for Ljubisha Saveski, a 40-year-old father and fashion designer from Tetovo, North Macedonia.
The right to vote is unfortunately still not completely accessible to all citizens in North Macedonia. 76 percent of voting stations have stairs and half of them (49% percent) have no access ramps. One third of access ramps cannot be used, due to improper inclination and width. These are some of the findings of the monitoring of parliamentary elections 2020 in North Macedonia conducted by persons with disabilities.
The new European Commission Country Report on North Macedonia 2020 highlights two achievements which were supported by WFD, including the adoption of the Declaration for Active Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities.
The Parliamentary Budget Office in North Macedonia established with the support of WFD by the end of 2019 organised its first presentation to the members of parliament. The PBO presented its work and their first analysis оn the latest macroeconomic indicators to the newly established Parliament in the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a wide range of responses from government institutions around the world, and parliaments are not an exception. This unprecedented crisis is causing public institutions to adapt their work in response to the new COVID-19 reality.
Governments around the world have introduced emergency measures to fight the coronavirus, often alongside significant financial support packages designed to cushion the economic impacts of the virus and ensure livelihoods. At this time, accountability and citizens’ rights must not be suspended. Quite the opposite: checks on executives exercising extraordinary powers are increasingly critical. However, they are challenging in equal measure.
WFD and our partner organization Youth Educational Forum launched a series of online workshops titled “The New Everyday Life for Students” aiming to help students learn and stay well during the pandemic.
Since February 2018, WFD has been supporting the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia to set up a parliamentary budget office (PBO) in order to support more efficient and effective spending of citizens’ money through better oversight.
On 5 February, 2019, the PBO was officially opened at an inauguration ceremony in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia.
On 5 February, 2019, the PBO was officially opened at an inauguration ceremony in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia.
In North Macedonia, WFD is working with persons with disabilities (PWDs), a marginalised and underrepresented group in society, to ensure their needs are at the top of the policy agenda.
On 8th of October 2019, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy launched the HUGEN project. HUGEN stands for human rights and gender network. The project aims to support Western Balkans parliaments in reaching international standards for human rights and gender equality.
WFD in North Macedonia helps set up new ways to make state institutions more transparent, through increasing the level of scrutiny over public spending – which we believe will lead to a higher level of trust among citizens in key state institutions’ capabilities.