North Macedonia
 |
Embassy |
|---|---|
 |
Mission / Delegation / Permanent Representation |
 |
Consulate general |
 |
Honorary representation |
 |
Cooperation office |
 |
Contribution Office |
 |
Embassy with Cooperation Office |
 |
Embassy with Regional consular center |
 |
Swiss Business Hub |
 |
Swissnex |
 |
City |
 |
Capital |
 |
Disputed border |
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River |
 |
Lake |
The Republic of North Macedonia is a multi-ethnic state with an estimated population of approximately two million people. Following an early transition to a market economy, North Macedonia achieved visible progress in economic and social development. The country rapidly became a front-runner among the Western Balkan states for Euro-Atlantic integration, but still needs to implement reforms to strengthen democratic governance, to support inclusive economic development and to address critical environment issues.
Swiss Bilateral ODA |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 * |
|---|---|---|---|
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) |
|
|
|
Bilateral development cooperation |
8.22 |
10.83 |
12.05 |
Humanitarian aid |
- |
- |
- |
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) |
|
|
|
Economic Cooperation and Development |
3.50 |
5.99 |
6.41 |
Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) |
|
|
|
Conflict transformation and human rights |
- |
0.01 |
- |
Total SDC/SECO/PHRD |
11.72 |
16.83 |
18.46 |
Other Federal Offices |
|
|
|
Other FDFA Divisions (ASAF, AIO, aso) |
- |
- |
.. |
Network of FDFA representations abroad |
1.08 |
- |
.. |
State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) |
- |
- |
.. |
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) |
0.04 |
0.05 |
.. |
MeteoSwiss |
- |
- |
- |
Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) |
- |
- |
- |
Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) |
- |
- |
.. |
Federal Statistical Office (FSO) |
- |
- |
- |
Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) |
- |
- |
- |
State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF) |
- |
- |
- |
Total other Federal Offices |
1.12 |
0.05 |
- |
Cantons and municipalities |
- |
.. |
.. |
Total |
12.84 |
16.88 |
18.46 |
Data status at 02.04.2024
* planned; total based on available data
.. = figures not available | – = nil or amount < 5'000 CHF
Democratic governance
In the area of democratic governance, the Swiss Cooperation Programme in North Macedonia seeks to build the democratic capacity of executive and legislative institutions and empower civil society. Switzerland’s support is helping central and local authorities to become more accountable, transparent, and inclusive. Switzerland remains dedicated to encouraging citizen participation in a local and regional decision-making.
Sustainable economic development
Switzerland’s support in the economic sector aims to improve employment prospects and create sustainable economic growth. It helps job seekers to access the labour market through vocational education and training programmes that are geared to the needs of the market. At the same time, it promotes private sector development, particularly start-ups, in order to create better access to new markets and higher revenue value chains. Switzerland is also actively involved in efforts to improve employment conditions by encouraging employers to offer decent and inclusive job opportunities.
Private Sector Development and Financial Services
Environment and sustainable public utility services
The country’s natural resources and wealth of biodiversity are considered a major factor in its development. By providing technical assistance and catalytic investment in digital transformation and climate-resilient, low-carbon infrastructure and equipment, Switzerland enables selected municipalities and their public utilities to provide high quality, reliable, efficient public utility services for citizens.
Sustainable public utilities, improved natural resources management and enhanced community resilience to natural disasters will increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of urban and rural areas, and contribute to steady economic growth and enhanced quality of life.
Water – A Vital Resource Under Threat
Approach and partners
The 2021–24 cooperation programme is implemented jointly by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Switzerland’s cooperation is grounded in formal agreements with the government. It takes part in multi-donor programmes and issues contracts to Macedonian, Swiss and international civil society organisations, consultancies and private sector entities. Particular effort is placed on strengthening country systems and building partnerships with new change actors, e.g. through private sector engagement and funding.
Switzerland’s main partners in North Macedonia:
- Ministries and local governments
- National and local parliaments, parliamentary administration
- Civil society organisations, e.g. the media
- Private sector
- Local and international NGOs
- Bilateral and multilateral donors and organisations, e.g. UNDP and UN Women
Links
Documents
Current projects
Selection
Increasing Market Employability (IME)
01.09.2024
- 31.12.2026
North Macedonia’s economy is characterised by persistently slow growth rates as a result of low productivity due to outdated practices and scarce labour force due to high emigration. To address this, Switzerland, through its Increasing Market Employability project, supports small and medium-sized enterprises in sustainable agribusiness and tourism to become more competitive and environmentally sustainable by improving their products and services, while creating decent employment. The duration of the project is extended until 31.12.2026.
Electoral Support Programme
01.01.2024
- 31.12.2027
Switzerland has positioned itself as the main international partner in supporting electoral administration for enhanced conduct of presidential, parliamentary, and local elections, including support to political actors in North Macedonia. The program aims to improve conditions and capacities for democratic and credible elections through engaging with party leaders, fostering youth and women political participation, and enhancing civil society role in improving transparency and accountability of political parties and their elected representatives.
NMAC: Culture for Development
07.08.2023
- 30.11.2028
A strong independent cultural sector contributes to safeguarding universal democratic values, strengthens critical thinking and promotes social cohesion and inclusion. However, its potential in North Macedonia remains underutilized due to limited capacities and financial resources. Switzerland will support the independent cultural scene to develop quality production, to become more strategic, to improve their financial basis and predictability, promoting dialogue and democratic participation.
Civil Society Support Facility
01.04.2023
- 31.12.2026
Switzerland renews a multi-year support to strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations in North Macedonia, to improve the inclusiveness of decision-making processes and increase the transparency of state institutions. The final phase (2023-2026) of this project aims to increase citizen support for civil society organizations, to enhance the capabilities of these organizations, and to diversify their funding base. To improve sustainability, the project implementation has been transferred to the national partner organization.
Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Budgets
01.04.2023
- 31.03.2026
Switzerland, through a contribution to UN Women for 2023-2026, supports central and local governments of North Macedonia to advance gender equality through gender-responsive legislation and by practicing gendered budgeting processes: citizens, especially women, and civil society organizations will be strengthened to exercise their voice in decision-making through policy dialogue. Oversight institutions will also be capacitated to better monitor the implementation of gender-responsive budgeting processes.
Strengthening Municipal Resilience to Corruption
15.12.2022
- 31.10.2028
This intervention aims to reduce the space for corruption on municipal level through support to mayors, municipal councils and administration in municipalities willing to engage in anticorruption efforts. The project will help state institutions to create or improve and implement mechanisms, policies and legislation to address high-corruption risks priority areas e.g. procurement, urban planning, licensing. It will target also the CSOs (citizens) and the media to raise their awareness and capacities to recognize corruption and know their rights.
Groundwater Management, Use and Protection Programme (GWP)
20.07.2022
- 31.12.2027
Despite its vital importance for people, economy and environment, groundwater (GW) in North Macedonia is increasingly under pressure from pollution and unsustainable use in a changing climate. With Swiss expertise and support, the GWP will establish the basis for a long-term transformation of the GW management by building stakeholders’ capacities, securing the necessary collaboration mechanism, improving legislative and planning framework.
Education for Employment
01.07.2022
- 30.06.2026
The project addresses the high youth unemployment rate in North Macedonia (33%), caused by the mismatch of the skills provided by the education system and those required by the economy. The project will support the Ministry of Education and Science and the private sector to strengthen the newly established dual school- and company-based vocational education and training system.
Empowering Municipal Councils
01.04.2022
- 31.03.2027
Municipal Councils have, according to the legislation, a very important role to play in local governance. However, councillors often lack the necessary knowledge to fulfil their responsibilities. Through the project, capacities of councillors will be enhanced, citizen participation in decision making promoted and legal framework adjusted, enabling councillors to fulfil their role and to become more independent from the executive branch.
NMAC: Modernisation project
01.04.2022
- 31.10.2028
The most persistent bottleneck in North Macedonia’s economic development is the low productivity of businesses resulting in their limited capacity to offer decent jobs. Switzerland, through its Modernisation Project (MP) will tackle this by supporting the development of an ecosystem for businesses to modernize. Using business diagnostics to identify productivity bottlenecks will enable businesses to invest strategically in modernisation, leading to increased productivity, improved environmental efficiency and decent jobs.
Smart Packaging Waste Management
01.11.2021
- 31.12.2024
The prevalent improper management of waste in North Macedonia is a pressing environmental topic and a top priority of the Government. SDC supports North Macedonia by engaging with the non-profit private sector packaging recovery organization Pakomak to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and transparency of the national packaging waste recovery system through the digitalisation of the primary selection and collection process.
Sustainable and Inclusive Balanced Regional Development
01.10.2021
- 30.09.2025
The level of development among the 8 regions in North Macedonia is highly unequal. This misbalance directly affects the wellbeing of citizens living in less developed areas. SDC supports North Macedonia by working on the country system, to improve the national legal framework for planning, monitoring and evaluation of balanced regional development (BRD) ensuring greater allocation of funds for BRD, hence improving the living conditions for all citizens, especially in the underdeveloped regions.
