The Youth Council, with the participation of President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, organized a panel discussion on the occasion of five years since the adoption of the Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies, which discussed the implementation of the Law, the problems identified and the necessary proposed amendments.
At the beginning of the event, with a minute of silence, the attendees paid tribute to the tragically deceased Frosina Kulakova. They appealed to the competent institutions to investigate the case.
The panelists shared personal experiences from working in youth bodies and gave suggestions for more effective youth participation in policy-making. In the discussion, the young people pointed out the absence of institutional support and mechanisms for active participation, as well as the financial uncertainty of youth centers, which affects their functionality.
A number of weaknesses were identified: the key coordination bodies, the National Youth Assembly and the National Advisory Body for Youth Policies, have not yet been established, youth centers have been established in only a few municipalities, more than half of the municipalities do not have Local Youth Councils, nor have local strategies been adopted.
President Siljanovska-Davkova emphasized the need for a systemic approach to solving youth problems, as well as parliamentary oversight of the implementation of the Law. Given the long-overdue legal deadlines for establishment of key youth bodies, she said that, in the absence of an institutional framework, there is a risk that the Law will become a legal illusion.
Most of the discussion participants called for a more active role for the newly established Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth in enabling participation of young people in the creation of youth policies.
The discussion was moderated by Filip Ivanovski, member of the Youth Council, while panelists were: Arta Kjerimi, former member of the Local Youth Assembly of the City of Skopje, Martin Krstic, official working on youth issues in the municipality of Kumanovo, Martina Jacevska, coordinator of the Youth Center-Probishtip, and Sofija Volchevska, President of the Local Youth Council in the municipality of Kisela Voda.
