OSCE Mission to Skopje

Through daily field trips and regular meetings with a large network of local counterparts, including political interlocutors, NGOs, religious leaders, former fighter’s associations, border security stakeholders, and state/ political representatives at the local level, the Monitoring Unit (MU) continues to bring added value to the Mission – the only organization with field presence in the host country. The day-by-day information gathering provided by the monitoring officers is the best example of a timely and effective implementation of the first stage of the early warning function. Additionally, the grass-roots level relationship between the Mission’s monitors and local communities feeds into the programmatic framework of the Mission by providing regular updates on field developments related to inter-ethnic and security issues. When required, the monitors also serve as an effective facilitation/mediation and confidence building tool. Furthermore, they support other programmes by providing information pertaining to possible future projects. Whenever applicable, the MU can also launch its own quick-impact projects with direct benefits for the communities.