Skopje, 3 May 2023 (MIA) – The Agency for Youth and Sport (AYS) held a public discussion Wednesday as the conclusion of the drafting process for the new National Youth Strategy 2023-2027.

In his introductory address, AYS Director Naumche Mojsovski said that the strategy is a strategic document that sets out the goals and priorities for the development of youth policies and the promotion of interests of young people in North Macedonia.

“The National Strategy emphasizes the right of young people to participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of policies which affect them and recognize the changes created by the new age and which create new forms of citizen participation,” said Mojsovski.

The public discussion was opened by Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs, Fatmir Bytyqi, who stressed that the finalization of the Strategy represents an act of building trust in the institutions of the system, which, he said, is of fundamental importance for the youth to want to live and create in North Macedonia.

“The seriousness of this strategy is additionally propped up by the fact it is based on a process of empiric research of youth trends, which identified the issues and challenges for which the strategy provides solutions,” said Bytyqi.

The drafting process of the National Youth Strategy 2023-2027 is supported by the OSCE Mission to Skopje, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) within the regional project “Youth 4 Inclusion, Equality and Trust”, funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund and implemented by UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO and UN Women.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Kilian Wahl, said he is convinced that the strategy will boost youth participation in public life and deepen the cooperation between the youth and the institutions.

“Unfortunately, we are witnessing an additional decline of youth participation in public life, where it seems the youth are unwilling or are given less chances to participate in decision-making. This weakens democracy, which is why it is imperative to provide opportunities in order to motivate young people to take up an active role in the decision-making processes at all levels,” said Ambassador Wahl.

Armen Grigoriyan, the UNDP Resident Representative, pointed to the fact that 78 percent of young people in North Macedonia believe they are not adequately included in the decision-making processes at a local and national level.

“The latest survey shows that every third young person in the country is not interested in actively participating in public debates. I think this apathy and the lack of readiness to participate in issues that directly affect them is also an important issue that we all have to deal with,” said Grigoriyan.

Rossana Dudziak, the UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia, also underscored the importance of the youth having control over the decisions that impact their lives.

Jovanka Brajovic Grigorijevic, Youth Programme Analyst at the UNFPA in Skopje, said the UNFPA is actively working to create a world in which young people will be able to fulfill their potential.

Photo: MIA