The reports reveal troubling trends across low-income countries (LICs) and lower middle-income countries (LMICs), exposing serious risks to the necessary growth of public investments in health. For many countries, achieving the SDG health targets is increasingly out of reach, underscoring the urgent need for decisive action to address mounting financing challenges. With these…
“Violence against women and girls continues to rise, online and offline. One of the most prevalent and serious human rights violations across Europe and beyond, it is deeply rooted in gender stereotypes and patriarchal beliefs. Women’s human rights are under attack in many places and are always fragile when democracy…
📣 On January 21, the Regional Policy Debate titled “After the Energy Crisis: A Roadmap for Energy Self-Sustainability in the Western Balkans Region – Lessons Learned and the Way Forward” was held.🗣 During the debate, we discussed how to become a more energy-resilient region, as well as the socio-economic implications of the green transition.➡️ Stay tuned! In the coming period, we will organize another Regional Policy Debate, this time focusing on food security.WEBecon Network SMART Balkans
Are you looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the environment and your community? Do you want to gain hands-on experience in sustainability and youth work while exploring a vibrant city in North Macedonia? This is your chance to join Eco-Logic, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainability, environmental protection, and community engagement.About the ProgramProject Duration: 6 months, starting February 1, 2025
Location: Skopje, North MacedoniaHosted by Eco-Logic at their office on Kozle 26a, just a 20-minute walk from the city centerFields of Action As a volunteer with Eco-Logic, you will engage in meaningful activities across two main areas:Climate action, environmental, and nature protection
Youth work and community outreachThis program is an excellent opportunity to contribute to important causes while developing valuable skills and expanding your network.Eligibility and Selection CriteriaOpen to individuals aged 18 to 30 years old
EU and non-EU participants are welcome to applyHow to Apply Interested candidates should prepare the following documents:Curriculum Vitae (CV) highlighting your experiences and skills.
Motivational Letter expressing your interest in the program and your goals for participating.Application Deadline: Be sure to submit your application as soon as possible to secure your spot.Contact Information If you have any questions or encounter issues related to your stay in Skopje, feel free to reach out to us:Why Join This Program? Volunteering with Eco-Logic is more than just an opportunity to contribute to a noble cause. You’ll:Develop new skills in sustainability, environmental protection, and youth work
Build lasting friendships and connections with like-minded individuals
Immerse yourself in the culture and beauty of North Macedonia
Be part of a team making tangible changes in the fight against climate change and environmental degradationAbout Skopje Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, is a city rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. Whether you’re exploring its vibrant markets, enjoying traditional Macedonian cuisine, or hiking the nearby mountains, Skopje offers a unique and rewarding experience.Don’t Miss Out Take the first step toward making a difference! Submit your application today and join us in building a more sustainable future.Download the attached PDF for detailed information.
NEW YORK – In the 2024 bumper year for elections worldwide, as more people have been to the polls than during any year in history, many lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and other gender-diverse (LGBT) persons have been routinely denied equal participation in public affairs based on their sexual orientation or gender…
NEW YORK – Urgent action is needed to ensure the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the review and follow-up processes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a UN expert said today. Heba Hagrass, Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, said that despite the global commitment…
On 16 January 2025, in Skopje, organized by the Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society, the workshop “What is the EU Digital Services Act and Why is It important?” was held for civil society organizations and media outlets, as part the project “Ensuring the Integration of the Western Balkans into the Digital Single Market.”
Photo: Meta.mk
In the Western Balkans, aligning with the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is crucial for creating a safer online environment. Countries are already making strides toward alignment, and it is essential for governments, civil society, and technology companies to collaborate in developing a regional approach that strengthens digital rights and upholds democratic value.
Speakers Danche Danilovska-Bajdevska, Program Director at the Metamorphosis Foundation and Despina Kovachevska, Media Monitoring Specialist, gave an overview of the European Digital Services Act, talked about its role in protecting fundamental rights and combating hate speech and disinformation, but also about the impact of the law on civil society organizations and the media.
Photo: Meta.mk
Photo: Meta.mk
“It is a set of rules that protect users, foster democratic progress and strengthen trust in digital services. With this law, the European Union sets a global standard for a fair and secure internet for all. According to some politicians in Brussels, the DSA will bring order to the digital ‘Wild West.’ It is therefore crucial to understand the contents of this EU law,” the workshop speakers stressed. The event also presented the findings of the analysis on the impact of the EU Digital Services Act on the legal framework in North Macedonia.
According to the analysis, the most important national document clarifying the alignment of national legislation with EU regulations and policies is the National Programme for Adoption of the Acquis Communautaire (NPAA).
To comply with the DSA, however, will require coordinated work of several ministries and harmonization of several Macedonian laws, such as the laws on audio and audiovisual media services, on media, on electronic communications, on protection of personal data, on electronic commerce, on prevention and protection against discrimination and many others.
The project “Ensuring the Integration of the Western Balkans into the Digital Single Market” aims to advance digital rights standards in the Western Balkans region and contribute to its successful integration into the Digital Single Market. This initiative represents a joint effort to address the unequal standards for digital rights in the Western Balkan countries through a multi-stakeholder approach to achieve meaningful change. This project is funded by Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans, implemented by Partners Serbia (Serbia), the Metamorphosis Foundation (North Macedonia), Why Not? (Bosnia and Herzegovina), NVO 35 mm (Montenegro), Women in Tech Kosovo (Kosovo) and Institute for Democracy and Mediation (Albania).
We’re so excited to introduce our wonderful volunteer, Simay, who comes all the way from Turkey!
Simay is a fantastic example of how young people from different corners of the world can come together and make our communities even better. In a short time, she has smoothly settled into life in Prilep and has become an active and valued member of our community, thanks to her amazing local mentor. With her creativity and enthusiasm, Simay is already planning new activities for the youth of Prilep, which will not only enrich our society but also open up exciting opportunities for everyone’s personal and professional growth.
One of her most impressive initiatives has been starting Macedonian language classes! Simay is learning Macedonian with so much energy and dedication, which is a great way for her to blend in even more. She’s already using Macedonian words in her everyday conversations, connecting with local young people and paving the way for fun joint projects and activities. These classes help her understand our language and culture while creating lasting friendships along the way.
With her open spirit and love for learning, Simay has truly become an inspiration to many young people in Prilep, encouraging them to get involved in new and innovative activities. Every day, she learns more about our culture while also enriching our lives with her unique perspective. Simay is living proof that when young people get the chance to express themselves and learn from one another, amazing things can happen!
If you’re eager to join our community and take part in such meaningful activities, we’d love to have you! Together, we can create a brighter and better tomorrow!
As Meta announces end to U.S. fact-checking, program partners warn of a setback for accuracy online and potential global consequences
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
Nine years ago, we wrote to you about the real-world harms caused by false information on Facebook. In response, Meta created a fact-checking program that helped protect millions of users from hoaxes and conspiracy theories. This week, you announced you’re ending that program in the United States because of concerns about “too much censorship” — a decision that threatens to undo nearly a decade of progress in promoting accurate information online.
The program that launched in 2016 was a strong step forward in encouraging factual accuracy online. It helped people have a positive experience on Facebook, Instagram and Threads by reducing the spread of false and misleading information in their feeds. We believe — and data shows — most people on social media are looking for reliable information to make decisions about their lives and to have good interactions with friends and family. Informing users about false information in order to slow its spread, without censoring, was the goal. Fact-checkers strongly support freedom of expression, and we’ve said that repeatedly and formally in last year’s Sarajevo statement. The freedom to say why something is not true is also free speech.
But you say the program has become “a tool to censor,” and that “fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the U.S.” This is false, and we want to set the record straight, both for today’s context and for the historical record.
Meta required all fact-checking partners to meet strict nonpartisanship standards through verification by the International Fact-Checking Network. This meant no affiliations with political parties or candidates, no policy advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to objectivity and transparency. Each news organization undergoes rigorous annual verification, including independent assessment and peer review. Far from questioning these standards, Meta has consistently praised their rigor and effectiveness. Just a year ago, Meta extended the program to Threads.
Your comments suggest fact-checkers were responsible for censorship, even though Meta never gave fact-checkers the ability or the authority to remove content or accounts. People online have often blamed and harassed fact-checkers for Meta’s actions. Your recent comments will no doubt fuel those perceptions. But the reality is that Meta staff decided on how content found to be false by fact-checkers should be downranked or labeled. Several fact-checkers over the years have suggested to Meta how it could improve this labeling to be less intrusive and avoid even the appearance of censorship, but Meta never acted on those suggestions. Additionally, Meta exempted politicians and political candidates from fact-checking as a precautionary measure, even when they spread known falsehoods. Fact-checkers, meanwhile, said that politicians should be fact-checked like anyone else.
Over the years, Meta provided only limited information on the program’s results, even though fact-checkers and independent researchers asked again and again for more data. But from what we could tell, the program was effective. Research indicated fact-check labels reduced belief in and sharing of false information. And in your own testimony to Congress, you boasted about Meta’s “industry-leading fact-checking program.”
You said that you plan to start a Community Notes program similar to that of X. We do not believe that this type of program will result in a positive user experience, as X has demonstrated. Research shows that many Community Notes never get displayed, because they depend on widespread political consensus rather than on standards and evidence for accuracy. Even so, there is no reason Community Notes couldn’t co-exist with the third-party fact-checking program; they are not mutually exclusive. A Community Notes model that works in collaboration with professional fact-checking would have strong potential as a new model for promoting accurate information. The need for this is great: If people believe social media platforms are full of scams and hoaxes, they won’t want to spend time there or do business on them.
That brings us to the political context in the United States. Your announcement’s timing came after President-Elect Donald Trump’s election certification and as part of a broader response from the tech industry to the incoming administration. Mr. Trump himself said your announcement was “probably” in response to threats he’s made against you. Some of the journalists that are part of our fact-checking community have experienced similar threats from governments in the countries where they work, so we understand how hard it is to resist this pressure.
The plan to end the fact-checking program in 2025 applies only to the United States, for now. But Meta has similar programs in more than 100 countries that are all highly diverse, at different stages of democracy and development. Some of these countries are highly vulnerable to misinformation that spurs political instability, election interference, mob violence and even genocide. If Meta decides to stop the program worldwide, it is almost certain to result in real-world harm in many places.
This moment underlines the need for more funding for public service journalism. Fact-checking is essential to maintaining shared realities and evidence-based discussion, both in the United States and globally. The philanthropic sector has an opportunity to increase its investment in journalism at a critical time.
Most importantly, we believe the decision to end Meta’s third-party fact-checking program is a step backward for those who want to see an internet that prioritizes accurate and trustworthy information. We hope that somehow we can make up this ground in the years to come. We remain ready to work again with Meta, or any other technology platform that is interested in engaging fact-checking as a tool to give people the information they need to make informed decisions about their daily lives.
Access to truth fuels freedom of speech, empowering communities to align their choices with their values. As journalists, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the freedom of the press, ensuring that the pursuit of truth endures as a cornerstone of democracy.
Respectfully,
15min – Lithuania
AAP FactCheck – Australia
AFP – France
Africa Check – South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal
AkhbarMeter Media Observatory – Egypt
Animal Político-El Sabueso – México
Annie Lab – Hong Kong SAR
Aos Fatos – Brazil
Beam Reports – Sudan
Belarusian Investigative Center – Czech Republic
BOOM – India
Check Your Fact – United States of America
Chequeado – Argentina
Civilnet.am – Armenia
Colombiacheck – Colombia
Congo Check : Congo, Congo DR, Central African Rep
Cotejo.info – Venezuela
CORRECTIV – Germany
Delfi Melo detektorius – Lithuania
Demagog – Poland
Demagog.sk – Slovakia
DFRAC – India
Doğruluk Payı – Türkiye
Dubawa – Nigeria
Ecuador Chequea – Ecuador
Ellinika Hoaxes – Greece
Estadão Verifica – Brazil
Facta – Italy
FactCheckHub – Nigeria
Fact-Check Cyprus – Cyprus
FactCheck Georgia – Georgia
FactCheck.kz – Kazakhstan
Factcheck Lab – Hong Kong
FactCheckZW – Zimbabwe
FactCheck.org – United States of America
FactCheckNI – Northern Ireland
Factcheck.Vlaanderen – Belgium
Factchequeado – United States of America
Factly – India
FactReview – Greece
FactSpace West Africa – Ghana
Factnameh – Iran
Faktisk.no – Norway
Faktograf – Croatia
Faktoje.al – Albania
Factual.ro – Romania
Fakt Yoxla – Azerbaijan
Fatabyyano – Jordan
Full Fact – United Kingdom
Fundación Maldita.es – Spain
Greece Fact Check – Greece
Gwara Media – Ukraine
Hibrid.info – Kosovo
India Today Fact Check – India
Internews Kosova KALLXO – Kosovo
Istinomer – Serbia
Istinomjer – Bosnia & Herzegovina
Japan Fact-check Center – Japan
Källkritikbyrån – Sweden
KOMPAS.com – Indonesia
La Silla Vacía – Colombia
Lead Stories – United States of America
Les Surligneurs – France
Lupa – Brazil
Mafindo – Indonesia
Maharat Foundation – Lebanon
Mala Espina – Chile
MediaWise – United States of America
Metamorphosis – North Macedonia
MyGoPen – Taiwan
Myth Detector – Georgia
NepalFactCheck.org – Nepal
Newschecker – India
Newtral – Spain
Observador – Portugal
Open – Italy
Pagella Politica / Facta news – Italy
Polígrafo – Portugal
PolitiFact – United States of America
Pravda – Poland
PressOne.PH – Philippines
Probe – Philippines
Provereno – Estonia
Rappler – Philippines
Raskrinkavanje – Bosnia & Herzegovina
Raskrinkavanje.me – Montenegro
Razkrinkavanje.si – Slovenia
RMIT Lookout – Australia
Snopes – United States of America
Taiwan FactCheck Center – Taiwan
Tech4Peace – Iraq
Telugu Post – India
Teyit – Türkiye
The Quint – India
The Stage Media-Liberia – Liberia
TjekDet – Denmark
Tirto.id – Indonesia
The Journal FactCheck – Ireland
The Logical Indian – India
VERA Files – Philippines
Verificat – Spain
Verify – Syria
Editor’s note: Fact-checking organizations continue to sign this letter, and we’re updating the list as they do.
Between 2021 and 2024, North Macedonia faced significant inflation growth driven by multiple factors. Supply chain disruptions and pressures on specific markets (such as edible oil) caused price increases as early as the second half of 2021. However, the main price shock came after the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022, an event that triggered tectonic geopolitical and economic shifts, significantly impacting the prices of energy and essential raw materials. Compared to the price level at the beginning of 2021, by the end of 2024, the general price level in North Macedonia had increased by 35%, while food prices had risen by 46.8%.
In response to this inflationary pressure, the Government introduced a series of measures to mitigate the negative impacts on consumption and the living standards of the population. Between 2021 and 2024, measures included freezing the prices of certain basic products and/or limiting trade margins to prevent further price increases. A total of nine key decisions were made by December 2024, three of which targeted margin limitations, while the others focused on price controls. Some measures applied to specific food products, while others covered a broader range of food items.
The findings of the analysis show that price control measures for food had a mild aggregate effect and a strong immediate effect. During periods without such measures, the average month-on-month food inflation rate was 0.5%. Under these measures, food inflation averaged as low as -1%, indicating that food prices decreased during the intervention. Thus, the estimated effect is relatively significant. However, this effect diminishes after the first month of implementation (if the measure lasted longer than one month). This indicates that while the measures achieve their strongest expected effect on reducing food prices in the first month, the impact quickly weakens, likely due to market adjustments (e.g., rising prices of alternative products not covered by the measures).
Another finding suggests that price control measures only temporarily suppress inflation, as prices tend to increase again once the measure expires. Inflation returns almost entirely to its pre-measure dynamics, without evidence of overshooting.
Finance Think recommends that food price control measures be used only in cases of exceptionally high inflation. In all other situations, they should be replaced with structural or market-based measures, such as:
Consistent and impartial enforcement of the Law on Unfair Trading Practices.
Strengthening the capacity and tools of the Commission for Protection of Competition.
Overhauling the agricultural subsidies system to increase domestic production.
Targeted budget support for the most vulnerable segments of the population.
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