OSCE Mission to Skopje

Activities

Democratic governance

The OSCE Mission to Skopje organized training for newly elected municipal councillors on good governance throughout the country, Stip. (OSCE/Eberhard Laue)
The OSCE Mission to Skopje organized training for newly elected municipal councillors on good governance throughout the country, Stip. (OSCE/Eberhard Laue)

The Democratic Governance Unit (DGU) supports the host country in the implementation of all democratic governance aspects of the Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA). Among other activities, it facilitates the creation of a multi-cultural education system, encourages the implementation of fair, inclusive and participatory mechanisms within state institutions and assists in bringing elections further in line with OSCE principles and commitments.

The DGU’s activities include: 

  • Support to institutions at local and central levels in order to increase their effectiveness towards further implementation of the OFA. To achieve this goal, the DGU sustains capacity development of key actors such as the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Local Self-Government, the Ministry for Information Society and Administration, municipalities and the Secretariat for the Implementation of the Ohrid Framework. Through research and analyses, tailored projects and other activities, the DGU also encourages education institutions to adopt sound measures and policies in line with the government’s Strategy for Integrated Education.
     
  • Targeted support for key stakeholders in order to increase their capacities to apply participatory mechanisms and tools. In this sense, the Mission facilitates inter-institutional cooperation to foster inclusive public decision-making in a multi-ethnic environment. For example, the DGU promotes the effective use of a Participatory Planning Toolkit for ethnically mixed local government units, developed in 2012.
     
  • Promotion of democratic principles and values within public institutions. In particular, the DGU has provided assistance to election stakeholders, strengthening their capacities and applying international standards and good practices. As effective follow-up to the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations is an integral part of the electoral cycle, the Mission provides continuous support to the government in addressing possible gaps and ambiguities. In order to further advance transparency and accountability of public institutions, the Mission assists national stakeholders in implementing activities foreseen in the 2011-2015 State Programme for Prevention of Corruption.