25 Years of Women, Peace and Security: Advancing Women’s Inclusion and Equal Opportunities in North Macedonia

This 12 months marks the twenty fifth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security – a landmark doc recognizing girls’s important function in constructing peace, stability, and democracy.

For over twenty years, the OSCE Mission to Skopje has labored to show this dedication into motion. Working with state establishments and civil society, the Mission has promoted girls’s participation in decision-making, strengthened inclusive safety, and superior equal alternatives between ladies and men to create a strong basis for lasting peace.

Strengthening Political Participation

Through long-term assist to the Parliament, the Mission has helped make it a mannequin of gender-sensitive governance. Consecutive Action Plans for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men, amendments to the Rules of Procedure and focused coaching for Members of Parliament and employees have opened doorways for extra girls leaders. Today, girls maintain 40 per cent of parliamentary seats – one of many highest charges within the area.

Promoting Women’s Leadership within the Security Sector

In partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Mission launched a Gender Mentoring Programme that has reworked management within the police. Since 2017, greater than 150 officers – ladies and men – have participated within the programme whereas girls’s illustration in senior police positions has elevated by 18 per cent. Similar initiatives are actually being adopted in different public establishments, demonstrating that range and inclusion contribute to extra skilled, accountable, and people-centred public providers.

Preventing Violence towards Women and Girls

The Mission’s cross-dimensional method strengthens institutional responses and accountability in stopping violence towards girls and women. Efforts embrace coaching police cadets and officers in gender-sensitive interviewing strategies, enhancing interview room circumstances to guard survivors’ dignity, and growing evidence-based instruments for early prevention. In 2025, this work has culminated within the institution of the Femicide Watch Platform – a collaborative initiative to enhance information assortment, inter-agency co-ordination and coverage motion in towards femicide.

Bolstering Co-operation between Women and Human Rights Institutions

To assist be sure that girls’ voices are heard and their rights protected, the Mission has fostered collaboration between girls human rights defenders, civil society organizations, and nationwide human rights establishments – together with the Ombudsperson Institution and the Commission for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination. This co-operation resulted in a Participatory Gender Audit and an Action Plan on Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming, guaranteeing that each establishments apply inclusive approaches of their work. Joint coaching and reporting initiatives have additionally improved the documentation and response to circumstances of discrimination and gender-based violence, creating more practical accountability and safety mechanisms.

Embedding Equality in Law and Policy

In co-operation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, in 2024 the Mission helped develop the Handbook on Gender Equality Regulatory Impact Assessment – now a compulsory software required for reviewing all draft laws. It ensures that draft laws is assessed for its impression on ladies and men, reinforcing truthful and inclusive policy-making processes and governance practices.

As the world marks 25 years of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, the OSCE Mission to Skopje reaffirms its dedication to empowering girls and fostering equal alternatives as key to lasting peace and stability.

“Ensuring that women and men have equal opportunities to participate in decision-making is essential for peace and democratic security. Through strong partnerships and sustained commitment, North Macedonia continues to demonstrate that progress is possible when everyone has a voice and a role in shaping the future,” mentioned Ambassador Kilian Wahl, Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

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