OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje

The aim of the Mission to Skopje's Confidence Building Department is to help maintain stability and security in the country through proactive monitoring and project implementation. It reports on issues affecting the political and security situation on the field such as inter- and intra-ethnic disputes, ethnic polarization and cross-border problems.

The Department also assists local institutions in dealing with various challenges related to local governance and democratization. It promotes capacity building initiatives in co-operation with other relevant Units of the Mission as well as the Skopje-based international community.

In 2008 the Mission will pay special attention to integrating minority issues into its programmatic activities. In particular, in line with the OSCE Chairmanship priorities, the situation of the Roma minority will be closely monitored and incorporated into education and other Mission projects.

Security and monitoring

Monitoring security-related issues is one of the priorities of the Mission. Early warning activities and monitoring developments in the country remain a crucial component of its work. The Mission has established close contacts with local stakeholders to obtain first-hand information. Confidence building officers are deployed to the field on a daily basis to gather information at the grassroots level, which is then reported and analyzed accordingly. The officers monitor the cross-border situation with neighboring countries, in particular the border with Kosovo.

Inter-cultural dialogue

The Confidence Building Department supports projects aimed at fostering inter-cultural dialogue and improving community co-operation with government institutions, with a special focus on mixed communities, addressing the root causes of tension and promoting peaceful coexistence. In this regard, it works for the empowerment of civil society organizations, strengthening their capacity for the promotion of active participation and involvement of minority groups, women and youth, with particular attention paid to those most vulnerable to the risk of social exclusion. Projects include capacity building for heads of villages as a way to empower co-ordination with the municipal and central levels; a nationwide project promoting inter-cultural dialogue among young people through workshops and events and other activities aimed at enhancing civil society forums and networks.

Education

The Confidence Building Department is also involved in education, which is crucial in conflict prevention and helping to building tolerant and integrated societies. It focuses on integration and improving communication between different ethnic groups, de-politicization of schools and education in general, democratic school governance, assisting with the implementation of an education decentralization strategy, improving teachers' qualifications and making higher education more accessible for under-represented groups. Greater efforts are being made to initiate changes on the policy level, in particular with regard to the revision of the existing curricula to allow a more differentiated approach to the teaching of contentious issues as well as with regard to the criteria for special needs education.

The Mission works closely with the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. It supports a comprehensive education programme, as well as selected rapid impact projects in areas of special concern, in order to ensure the sustainability of education reform, which is a key factor in inter-ethnic reconciliation.