North Macedonia Design Report 2018-2020

North Macedonia’s fourth action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... continues to address themes such as access to information, fiscal transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici..., and openness at the local level. It also covers new topics, such as access to justiceAccessible justice systems – both formal and informal – ensure that individuals and communities with legal needs know where to go for help, obtain the help they need, and move through a system tha... More and parliamentary transparency. Moving forward, North Macedonia could establish a dedicated multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... for OGP, and continue advancing priority themes, such as open data, access to justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi... and beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... More transparency.

The Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. North Macedonia joined OGP in 2011. Since, North Macedonia has implemented three action plans. This report evaluates the design of North Macedonia’s fourth action plan.

General overview of action plan

North Macedonia’s fourth action plan continues to address major themes from previous action plans, such as access to information, fiscal transparency, open data, and improving openness at the local level. The plan includes new policy areas, such as access to justice and commitments from the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia.

The Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) continued to lead a participatory process for the fourth action plan. MISA organized several thematic meetings, working groups, and public consultations that brought together a variety of civil society and government representatives. Separately, the Assembly held consultations to develop the Open ParliamentEnsuring access to legislative information and creating mechanisms for public participation are critical to building an open, trusting relationship with citizens. Technical specifications: Commitments... More commitments, which involved Assembly staff, civil society representatives, and representatives from international organizations.

Noteworthy commitments in the fourth action plan include the creation of an “open finance” database (CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... 3.1) with data on all transactions disbursed by the Treasury, as well as data on the budgets of local self-governments. Additionally, Commitment 6.1 could significantly improve the legal framework around access to justice, while Commitment 6.2 could help improve access to legal services for marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Table 2. Noteworthy commitments

Recommendations

The IRM recommendations aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan.

Table 3. Five KEY IRM Recommendations