Skopje, 6 April 2022 (MIA) –  Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Jovanka Trenchevska, met on Wednesday with John Kennedy Mosoti, UNFPA Country Director for Serbia, Republic of North Macedonia and Kosovo, and Afrodita Shalja-Plavjanska, UNFPA Head of Office, for talks on the preparation of a new Demographic Policy Strategy of North Macedonia. According to the Ministry, the document is of major significance because it identifies priority areas and directions to improve the existing demographic trends through implementing long-term policies and areas of action which directly and indirectly affect the country’s demographic development. Minister Trenchevska said there is a process of evaluating the existing strategy and its implementation prior to preparing a new strategy, and then an inter-sector working group needs to be formed to recommend ways to develop a new strategy. It’s common to have the working groups consolidated and organized to finalize the draft priorities and action policies, the Labor Ministry said in a press release. “The new strategy will be prepared with the participation of all competent institutions, local experts, as well as technical and expert support from the UNFPA. A wide public debate will be organized for the prepared draft version, and all stakeholders will be able to weigh in,” Trenchevska said. The Minister pointed out that the end result is to prepare a strategy based on realistic demographic data: migration, population aging, natality, which will give real directions towards building policies that relate to the whole population, policies in healthcare, education, social protection, social services, employment, gender equality etc. The draft version of the new strategy is expected to be finalized by June 2023. John Kennedy Mosoti said that the UNFPA will actively participate in the preparation of the new strategy with expert, technical support, and good practice, adding that all efforts and results by the Ministry are publicly recognized.  In addition, he was also pleased with the Ministry’s future plans and projects. Opening of a Resource Center for Gender Responsible Budgeting was also discussed at the meeting. It would be the first of its kind in Europe, and it will provide training to promote civil servants’ capacities in the area of gender equality and gender responsible budgeting, as well as a knowledge center that will document research, analyses and other gender equality resources. “Gender equality and equal opportunities for women and men is one of the government’s priorities, and all activities aimed to improve legislation, policies and strategic documents relating to this area are aimed towards it,” Trenchevska said. The Labor Ministry added both parties agreed that cooperation will continue in the future and will become more intensified in the areas that the Ministry is responsible for. dk/nn/