Increased participation of women in politics in North Macedonia
Oct 19, 2021
Boosted women’s leadership in the Polog region by training 60 incredible women, creating a powerful alliance across nine municipalities, reaching over 100,000 people on social media, and bringing in fantastic media coverage, all while empowering the next generation of female leaders!
Increased Participation of Women in Politics
Date: 2021 – 2022
Partner: British Embassy in North Macedonia
Project Overview:
In the summer of 2021, women’s representation in North Macedonian politics was starkly limited. Female elected officials were often expected to adhere to the voting agendas set by party leadership, with few examples of women driving independent initiatives. At that time, only 4 out of 20 government ministers and 6 out of 81 mayors in the country were women.
This project aimed to address the significant gender disparity in political representation by increasing women's participation in politics across North Macedonia, with a focus on the Polog region. We organized public forums in each of the region’s nine municipalities, creating a platform for women to share their personal experiences and discuss strategies for enhancing female involvement in the political sphere. In addition to fostering dialogue, the initiative included professional development workshops, offering public speaking training through debate practice and leadership seminars designed to empower women for future political leadership. This training included members of the political parties, women and youth forums, women in leading positions at public institutions, and elected officials to effectively mainstream these discussions and provide meaningful training.