Election Statement
Resources
Sida Program One-Pager: North Macedonia
Advancing gender equality is a central challenge in North Macedonia’s democratic progress. Women in North Macedonia have limited access to decision-making power because they face individual, socio-cultural, and institutional barriers to political participation. Barriers to gender equality in decision-making include a lack of experience and skills among women politicians, institutional obstacles within political parties, parliament and government, persisting socio-cultural norms that reflect gender bias, and violence against women in politics (VAW-P). A more conducive environment for women’s political participation would contribute to overall gender equality and increase the likelihood that more women would choose to participate in political life. Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and drawing on global and country-specific expertise in women’s political participation, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) is launching WoMen Lead (#WoMenLead), an empowerment program to lower the individual, socio-cultural, and institutional barriers to women’s political participation in North Macedonia. Through the program, NDI aims to improve gender equality in political parties, provide women candidates with the skills and a supportive environment to campaign successfully for and govern at the local level, and reduce violence against women in politics.
North Macedonia Violence Against Women in Politics Assessment
Globally, more women than ever before are taking part in politics. However, with the growth in women’s political engagement, an increased frequency and degree of violent responses have emerged that prevent women from accessing their right to engage in politics and public life fully and equally. Conducting an assessment of violence against women (VAW) in political parties is essential to understand how it affects women’s participation in political life and what measures are needed to combat and eliminate violence.
North Macedonia: Citizens Prioritize Health Safety, Economic Survival, and Education in NDI Research on the Covid-19 Epidemic
NDI quantitative and qualitative public opinion research conducted between July and September 2020 in North Macedonia revealed that citizens are primarily concerned with their and their families’ health and safety, followed by wariness about the pandemic’s impact on the economy, and frustration over Covid-19 testing, along with primary and secondary education.
North Macedonia's Crisis Management Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) conducted an assessment of North Macedonia’s crisis management response to the COVID-19 outbreak. A team of experts from North Macedonia and the United States examined the capacities of government institutions in North Macedonia in managing the COVID-19 crisis and provided a number of key recommendations to improve the effectiveness of responding to any future crisis in the country.
