Jeton Shaqiri is the Minister of Information Society and Administration in North Macedonia. Following a Cabinet Meeting and workshops supported by the OGP Support UnitThe OGP Support Unit is a small, permanent group of staff that work closely with the Steering Committee and the Independent Reporting Mechanism to advance the goals of the Open Government Partnership...., Minister Shaqiri reflects on North Macedonia’s open government achievements throughout their decade-long membership in OGP and shares their ambitions for their fifth OGP 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..., which the government is currently co-creating with civil society.

The Government of North Macedonia is currently implementing its 2020-2024 Operational Program, which includes many open government goals like fighting corruption, improving 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 to public services, and reforming the public administration so it better serves citizens. OGP members often find success using their OGP action plans to deliver on existing domestic or international strategies and pledges. As North Macedonia co-creates its fifth OGP action plan this year, how will you align your commitments with the Operational Program?

As an OGP member since 2011, we have behind us four action plans and results that have made a change in our society. We’ve advanced concrete projects and the culture of work of institutions. Today, the public can more easily understand the work of government, influence policy-making and the delivery of public services, and hold the government accountable for the results of its policies and the performance of provided services.

Through the implementation of OGP action plans, we can not only respond to some of the government priorities but also to the priorities of other initiatives, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development GoalsOGP countries are experimenting with open government innovations to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16+ which includes peaceful, just and inclusive societies....

This year is especially important for us. As a result of a dynamic and inclusive co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... with the active involvement of hundreds of representatives from the civil and public sector, the OGP Council, and the OGP Network of Civil Society Organizations, North Macedonia will produce our fifth OGP action plan for the period 2021-2023. In line with the priorities set in the Operation Program, the action plan will focus on the issues of 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, accountability, inclusiveness, prevention of corruption, promotion of good governance, and improvement of public services, 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 open justiceAn open, independent, and impartial justice system serves as a foundation for better access to justice by fulfilling all people’s civil liberties and allowing individuals to more effectively protect.... The action plan will include all three pillars of government – executive, legislative and judicial – making North Macedonia the first country in the Western Balkans region to do so. New commitments in the action plan will confirm the strong political will for reform work focused on the joint strategic priorities of the Republic of North Macedonia, NATO and the European Union membership, ensuring full separation of powers between different branches of government, the functioning of the rule of law and the building of strong, professional and open institutions.

Credit PlaceholderPHOTO: Credit: Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Government of the Republic of North Macedonia

North Macedonia is the only OGP member in the Western Balkans and one of very few in Europe working on access to justice. The progress you have made in this area serves as a great example for the open government community. What lessons can you share about the work you’ve done so far? What are you hoping to achieve in your next OGP action plan?

The right of access to justice is one of the fundamental human rightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T.... The exercise of this right is connected and depends on the availability of legal services for all citizens, regardless of their material and social position. We’ve been able to advance access to justice reforms through strong advocacy of the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) and Foundation Open Society Macedonia (FOSM) and full engagement of the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of LaborTransparent workforce data and increased representation of workers in labor policy-making lead to policies that better protect workers’ rights and remove barriers for underrepresented groups in the ... and Social Policy. We hope to achieve access to justice for all citizens through the provision of community-based justice services and its recognition by the state through different delivery models. Examples include community lawyering, community paralegals, university-based legal clinics (as a new modality for student training on work with marginalized communities), public legal educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... sessions, provision of free legal aidMore and better information about aid helps partner countries and donor institutions plan and manage aid resources more effectively, parliaments and civil society to hold governments accountable for t..., sustainability of the CSOs services, and more.

Building on the success of the two access to justice commitments in the 2018-2020 action plan, we have proposed five draft commitments to continue improving access to justice in the country for marginalized and vulnerable groups – including the Roma community, people with substance use disorder, among others –  that are facing barriers related to access to health, social, and legal services. 

Investments in access to justice and legal empowerment of marginalized and vulnerable communities on a national and local level, will strengthen the capacity of individuals to use the law to find solutions to their justice problems. It is a way to ensure development and deepen democracy, giving voice to those who have been historically powerless to bridge over the barriers related to access to health, social, and legal services, especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Credit PlaceholderPHOTO: Credit: Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Government of the Republic of North Macedonia

Tackling corruption is another key priority for North Macedonia’s next action plan, with draft commitments around public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... More 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 already underway. Can you tell us more about what you’re hoping to achieve in this area?

Corruption and political abuse are the greatest enemies of citizens and institutions. In this way, as in all previous cycles of OGP, we will pay special attention to the issue of preventing corruption and promoting good governance. We will include commitments related to beneficial ownership transparency, public procurement as 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..., public disclosure of the files of officials selected or appointed by the government and of asset declarations to continue to improve on the efforts initiated in the third and fourth action plans. After the introduction of the Register of Beneficial Owners, the new efforts will enable public publication of information about the beneficial owners of companies that have concluded public procurement contracts. The government will provide to the citizens an adequate insight into the competency of the chosen candidates, property situation and the interests of the selected and appointed persons and an overview of their changes in the period while performing the function. Through those commitments we strongly believe that we are moving one step further in improving good governance by introducing the new tools to prevent corruption.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev met with the OGP Support Unit ahead of a Cabinet Meeting in April 2021.PHOTO: Credit: Government of the Republic of North Macedonia

In April, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and OGP’s CEO Sanjay Pradhan shared remarks about the vital opportunity North Macedonia has in 2021 to push the open government agenda further and shine as a regional and global leader. While OGP is housed in the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, the meeting demonstrated how open government values are uniquely ingrained in the work across ministries. Can you share a bit about this collaboration?

The Cabinet Meeting in April this year, hosted by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev together with all members of the Government of North Macedonia, reaffirmed the vision for open government and gave additional focus on promoting the existing values of transparent and accountable work of the  government. As a competent institution for coordination of the OGP process, the Ministry of Information Society and Administration works in close cooperation with the non-governmental and public sector on these values. Considering that this initiative has been actively worked on for 10 years and we are advancing each new cycle from what we have learned in the previous one, I can say with certainty that in our society, we have a large network of reformers that not only understand them but actively work on the values ​​of OGP, transparency, accountability, participation and inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More. Proper planning, prioritization and implementation of commitments is confirmed and achieved through the established governance structure and participation in the OGP initiative with committed adherence to the standards for co-creation and a 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.... The CSO Network for OGP, the Working Group, the recently-formed OGP Council and other stakeholders will continue to work together to coordinate, monitor and implement the OGP commitments.

In September 2020, we began a dynamic and inclusive co-creation process for our fifth action plan, involving hundreds of representatives of civil society, civil servants from public institutions and holders of public functions in the public sector. We held three online educational meetings, 12 online meetings to identify problems, responsible institutions and the need for their possible transformation into commitments and over 40 individual meetings for clarification and determination of commitments in the action plan. Additionally, as a continuation of the Cabinet Meeting in early June, two cabinet workshops related to Access to Justice, Public Services Delivery, Transparency and Accountability were held ensuring the finalization of the commitments through a proper review of what has already been done in close cooperation with key officials from institutions and civil society representatives.

I’m confident the commitments will provide real recognition of the results and the citizens will be able to confirm the change.