Coordination at national level

• Author: Biljana Kotevska
• Pages: 71-72

71

9COORDINATION AT NATIONAL LEVEL

The National Coordinating Body on Non-discrimination, established by the Government in

2018, continued to operate.268This body was established for the purposes of monitoring

the situation with non-discrimination and the implementation of all the relevant laws and

policies in this area. The main coordinator in this body is the Minister of Labour and Social

Policy (MLSP). No official report has been released as part of the work of the body yet, but

it seems to be active and working regularly.269

The MLSP is tasked with coordinating issues on anti-discrimination on the grounds covered

in this report, as well as on other grounds mentioned in national legislation.270 There is a

department for equal opportunities, as well as a deputy minister tasked with non-

discrimination issues.271 Aside from this ministry, several other executive departments of

Government also have duties that touch upon anti-discrimination on the grounds covered

in this report. The inter-ministerial body on human rights, based within the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs, is tasked with, inter alia, strengthening coordination of all the activities of

the ministries and other Government bodies with competences in human rights. One of the

ministers without portfolio is tasked with coordination of all Government activities

pertaining to Roma (until 2015, the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 and, after that,

the Strategy on Roma). There are also coordinating bodies tasked with monitoring the

implementation of strategic documents related in part to the discrimination grounds that

are the subject of this report, notably those on disability and age.

The‘National Strategy on Equality and Non-discrimination (2016-нлнлд’ was adopted in

2016.272 It has the same general goals as its predecessor, the 2012-нлмр ‘National

Strategy on Equal Opportunities and Non-Discrimination on Grounds of Ethnicity, Age,

Mental and Physical Disability and Genderз’273which are: advancing the legal framework

for equality and non-discrimination; strengthening the capacities and advancing the work

and cooperation of the institutional mechanisms for prevention and protection against

discrimination and promotion of equal treatment; raising awareness in recognising forms

of discrimination; and promoting the concepts of non-discrimination and equal

opportunities. The introduction of the strategy states that it was prepared on the basis of

an evaluation of the implementation of the previous strategy which, according to the text,

found that the strategy had had a positive role in the development of non-discrimination

policy in the country.274 This evaluation has not been published.

Unlike its predecessor, the new strategy focuses on fields, rather than grounds. Moreover,

compared to the previous documentз it includes a reference to ‘LGBTI’ people in the mission

of the strategy. Specificallyз the strategy’s mission is:

‘Effective protectionagainst discrimination and respect for the principle of equal

opportunities and prohibition of discrimination against any person and/or groups of

268 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (2018),     

(National Coordinating Body on Non-discrimination established), available at:

www.mtsp.gov.mk/april-2018-ns_article-formirano-nacionalno-koordinativno-telo-za-nediskriminacija.nspx.

269 Information unofficially acquired by the author of this report.

270 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy: www.mtsp.gov.mk/?ItemID=21E7AB9648BFC441AFD588BA0183B4A3.

271 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy: www.mtsp.gov.mk/?ItemID=380B6B1D444D5047B575F402122ED94A.

272 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (2016),      

2016-2020(National Strategy on Equality and Non-discrimination (2016-2020), available at:

http://www.mtsp.gov.mk/content/pdf/dokumenti/7.7_Strategija%20za%20ednakvost%20i%20nediskrimin

acija.pdf.

273 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (2012),       

   з з       нлмн-2015 (National

Strategy on Equal Opportunities and Non-Discrimination on Grounds of Ethnicity, Age, Mental and Physical

Disability and Gender 2012-2015), available at:

www.mtsp.gov.mk/WBStorage/Files/strategija_ednakvost.doc.

274 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (2016), National Strategy on Equality and Non-discrimination (2016-

2020).