I. UNIFEM in the FYR of Macedonia^[1]

Current Projects

• Macedonia is a priority country in the UNIFEM SEE Programme titled Advancing Women’s Rights for Democratic Governance and Peace in South East Europe (SEE). For more information, click here.
• UNIFEM supports a national case study that analyzes the conditions of work for women, particularly in the textile industry where the quality of jobs is poor despite anti-discriminatory labour legislation. For more information, click here.
• Under the 2005 UN Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence Against Women, a grant was awarded to two NGOs in Macedonia for a project designed to establish and institutionalize procedures and protocols to implement legal provisions within the Family Code and Criminal Law. These provisions would contribute to a more accessible and efficient civil and criminal justice system for the protection of domestic violence victims.

Previous Projects

• In 2005, UNIFEM supported Roma NGOs in Macedonia to prepare a shadow CEDAW report on the situation of the Romany women, which will be submitted at the 34^th session of CEDAW Committee in the beginning of 2006. The shadow report and the expected recommendations from the Committee will be used for advocacy and policy work on national level. 

• In 2005, advocates were supported to develop concrete measures for better implementation of amended legal provisions in the Family Law and Criminal Code. This is one of the projects UNIFEM supports to build the capacity of governments and NGOs to use CEDAW principles to create stronger legal and policy frameworks for gender equality.
• In 2000, UNIFEM supported the Program for Community and Political Education on Women in Macedonia with the overall objective to increase awareness about the importance of women's political participation in Macedonia.
• In 2000, UNIFEM and the NGO Be Active, Be Emancipated (B.a.B.e.) launched the project Mainstreaming Gender in the Legal Frameworks of Southeastern Europe aiming at engendering the legal frameworks of 12 countries of Southeastern Europe and increasing women's participation in policy and decision-making processes. For more information, please click here
• In 1999, the UN Trust Fund Project Lobbying the Domestic Violence Draft Changes to the Existing Laws in Macedonia was launched to draft amendments to existing Macedonian laws in order to make them consistent with international human rights standards.

II. General Status of Women in the FYR of Macedonia

• In the 2005 Human Development Report, the Gender-related Development Index (GDI) is calculated at 0.794, which ranks Macedonia as number 49 out of 177 states. The Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) is calculated at 0.555, which ranks the state as number 41.^[2]
• As of 2003, the literacy rate of women was 94.1% and of men 98.2%.^[3]
• In 2003, the unemployment rate of women was 36.3% and of men 37%.^[4]
• The ratio of female to male earned income is 0.56.^[5]
• According to the 2005 Human Development Report, women hold 19.2% of the seats in parliament. The participation of women in government at the ministerial level is 16.7%.^[6]
• Data from 2005 suggest that Macedonia is primarily a transit country and to a lesser extent a destination country for women trafficked for sexual exploitation from Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to Western Europe.^[7] In 2004, there were indications that the problem of trafficking was growing, and Macedonia increasingly turning into a country of origin for human trafficking.^[8] Macedonian women are mainly trafficked throughout the former Yugoslavia.
• According to data from 2000, 23.9% of Macedonian women had experienced physical domestic violence.^[9]
• Although the number of HIV/AIDS cases is fairly low, Macedonia as all of the Eastern European and CIS countries is at a potentially high risk for escalating infection rates.^[10]

III. Legal Framework

• In January 1994, Macedonia became party to CEDAW. Macedonia has submitted a combined initial, second and third periodic report that will be examined at the 34^th session of the CEDAW Committee in January-February 2006.^[11]
• In May 2006 the law on Equal Opportunities of Women and Men was passed.^[12]
• The 1991Constitution includes a general provision against discrimination on several grounds, including sex.^[13]
• In 2003 the Labour Relations Act was amended regarding non-discrimination at work.^[14]
• Gender-based discrimination is punishable under the Penal Code. The Penal Code also addresses violence against women, and can be used to prosecute domestic violence.^[15]
• The Government has passed a law that criminalizes trafficking.^[16]

IV. Institutional Framework

• In March 1997, the Unit for Promotion of Gender Equality was established within the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Its purpose is to influence the advancement of women in Macedonia in conformity with International Conventions and documents such as CEDAW.^[17]
• In 1997, the National Ombudsman’s Office was created to monitor human rights, including women’s rights.^[18]
• In 1999, the Gender Task Force was opened, and in 2000 it established the Macedonian Women’s Lobby (MWL) in order to aid the implementation of the National Action Plan.^[19]
• In 2003, The Club of Women’s MPs was created within the Parliament to create a better climate for achieving women’s rights.^[20]
• In 2002 and 2003, six Committees on Gender Equality were established in Municipal Councils to initiate resolutions and solving problems concerning gender equality issues.^[21]

V. National Action Plan

A National Action Plan for Gender Equality was reviewed and approved by the Government in December 1999.^[22] 

VI. Women's Organizations in the FYR of Macedonia

For a list of women’s organizations in Macedonia, visit http://www.stopvaw.org/Women_s_NGOs6.html

Footnotes and References