President’s Debate with Civil Society on Key Social Challenges

On 16 October 2020, Civica Mobilitas organized the National Forum “Cooperation Between the President and Civil Society Organizations”, with President Stevo Pendarovski as the keynote speaker.

The Forum was opened by H.E. Sybille Suter Tejada, Ambassador of Switzerland, who emphasized that through this event, civil society organizations exchange ideas and aim to strengthen their cooperation with the authorities. “Such cooperation is beneficial for both sides, and even more so for the citizens — which is why it has become one of the goals and priorities in this phase of the program,” said Ambassador Suter.

In his opening remarks, President Pendarovski identified polarization as one of the greatest societal challenges, referring to the inability of society to overcome divisions. “Unfortunately, we too often focus on what divides us rather than on what unites us,” he said. According to him, several elements are key to depolarization: the rule of law, political accountability, de-politicization of society, and inclusiveness. “Party membership and ethnic background must no longer be criteria for advancement, and inclusiveness cannot be based on intolerance,” the President stressed.

Pendarovski also addressed the concerns of young people, noting that their key priorities are employment and fair wages, opportunities for advancement, and a sense of social purpose and mission. He described as regrettable the fact that young people are often referred to as “our future” while being excluded from policymaking and decision-making processes.

Civil society representatives debated with the President on issues including corruption and polarization, EU integration, the situation of Roma and persons with disabilities, fair representation of women, healthcare, media freedom, combating hate speech and disinformation, environmental protection, youth, and balanced regional and rural development.

“All the intellectual capacity in the country must be brought together if we are to catch up with the countries already in negotiations,” Pendarovski stated, adding that civil society in the past was unjustly treated as an enemy — as were the media. He emphasized his expectation for greater proactivity from civil society organizations, encouraging them not to spare the current government from criticism and to speak out freely.