North Macedonia

North Macedonia, a parliamentary republic, celebrated three decades of independence and multi-party democracy in 2021. The country has been a member of NATO since 2020 and a candidate for membership in the European Union since 2005. IRI’s work in North Macedonia is dedicated to strengthening good governance and promoting change in political parties and government institutions.

IRI helps political parties develop ways to better serve citizens and follow good governance standards. One of those standards is transparency, and IRI works on improving party transparency by strengthening internal procedures to comply with the Law on Free Access to Public Information. IRI is working with civil society organizations (CSOs) and experts to share best European and American practices on financial transparency and accountability. IRI is helping parties streamline policies and build their political platforms by supporting research centers and election campaign teams.

In North Macedonia, IRI is also supporting the Advanced Leadership in Politics Institute (ALPI), a multiparty and civil society youth program. ALPI works with young leaders by equipping them with skills and tools to better respond to citizens’ needs. These young political and civil society leaders work across party and ethnic lines on community initiatives and youth inclusion.

IRI’s recent work in North Macedonia strives to strengthen good governance. It includes the development of the government’s Open Finance Portal, a database linked to the treasury that automatically publishes the national and local government expenditures. Other initiatives include a government portal with national and local public debt data and a portal that publishes data on COVID-19 related spending, donations, and procurement.

IRI has also worked on other projects to promote transparency and public accountability in North Macedonia. One addressed the new Law for the Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest, which introduced a transparent, merit-based selection of members for the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. Similarly, IRI supported the drafting of the Code for Ethical Conduct of Government Members and Public Officials Appointed by the Government. Another IRI program focused on creating standard operating procedures for several ministries, so as to streamline internal coordination and management.