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Equal opportunities and equal treatment are key to creating a society free from gender-based violence. WFD’s programmes aim to achieve this by supporting women’s political participation, representation, and entrepreneurship. With more women taking on lead roles in legislative and executive bodies it is easier to make way for legal acts, not to mention a change of mindset in communities where women are significantly underrepresented in decision-making.
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.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) are a channel through which citizens can engage with the government constructively to make sure adequate services are provided, helping build more inclusive and accountable democracies. Their role is especially important during the pandemic, as civic freedoms are curtailed and the usual channels of engagement with the government are unavailable.
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.
Six investigative stories analysing the spending of public funds in North Macedonia have been published to allow citizens to access information on how money is distributed by institutions, highlighting the importance of transparent and accountable spending. The stories were prepared by eight journalists, with the support of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), and analyse state spending on pensions, pollution, rare diseases, defence and public broadcasting in North Macedonia.
During the first London Climate Action week, Eleanor Morrisey - Project Coordinator for the Young Greens in WFD’s Multi-Party Office - explains how they are connecting young people interested in sustainability and climate change from England and Wales with their counterparts in North Macedonia.
The declamatory pursuit of gender equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina's constitution and legal system is evident, yet the inequality between men and women persists in all spheres of society. Women are under-represented in political life, particularly in high-ranking positions and elected offices.
Following the London Western Balkans Summit, WFD will expand its presence to Albania as we launch a new programme to improve democratic culture in the region with support from the UK Government.