26 representatives from 11 political parties and one citizen initiative participated in a workshop of the Academy for Public Policies, part of the project “Support to Electoral Reforms in North Macedonia, supported by the Government of Switzerland and implemented by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
Through a series of workshops, the participants in the Academy for Public Policy will be introduced to key components of the political system in the country, the role of political parties, ideologies and how these translate into political offer, the importance of women and youth participation in politics and in political parties, communication, advocacy.
The project aims to increase the trust in the elections through support to election related institutions and actors and at the same time, to encourage greater participation in the electoral and political processes of the youth and different vulnerable groups. The APP is one of the ways to contribute to this goal as it builds the capacities of young members of the political parties to develop evidence-based public policies that consider specific needs of the citizens.
“Despite the difficulties, we believe that an organized and well-prepared youth can make a difference in politics. Therefore, it is the duty of all governments and institutions to include youth in decision-making processes. Young people are those whose future is affected by today’s policies. Each country must find its own solution on how to encourage young people to engage in politics and involve them in policy making, especially on topics that directly concern them. Meanwhile, young people have to fight to express their demands and expectations and convince the decision makers to listen to them. Without the active involvement of youth in politics, it will be difficult to promote structural changes and create new perspectives for young people.” – said H.E. Véronique Hulmann, the Ambassador of Switzerland to North Macedonia.
In addition to increasing their knowledge through capacity building, the project provides guidance and mentorship to identify issues of concern in local communities, develop policy documents offering possible solutions, communicate with affected stakeholders and engage with party leadership.
Representatives of SDSM, VMRO DPMNE, DUI, Levica, LDP, BESA, Alternativa, Alliance for Albanians, Party of the Vlachs, Movement for National Unity of the Turks, DOM, and the citizen initiative for our Kumanovo are encouraged to engage youth in their internal processes and structures, which will contribute to increased political participation and social integration as well as credible elections.
This is the third cycle of the Academy for Public Policy organized by the Project. The first two cycles took place during 2020 and 2021, with a focus on the elections and creating capacities for more evidence-based and citizen-oriented election programs as well as outreach to local communities.
