This publication presents the results achieved by the Municipalities supported by UN Women in effective implementation of gender responsive budgeting in North Macedonia.

With a comprehensive overview of the legal framework, relevant policy documents, and stakeholders’ interviews, this analysis examines sport and gender equality on a global and European level, connecting it to the context of North Macedonia. It examines the country’s efforts towards gender equality in sport and presents information on the current needs of women in sport in the country, through experiences of women athletes, sport managers, and other relevant stakeholders.

Women and Men in North Macedonia - a statistical portrait of trends in gender equality examines the trends in gender equality in several key areas, while analysing 12 editions of the Women and Men in North Macedonia, a signature publication by the State Statistical Office of North Macedonia, published in the period 2000 - 2021.

The Gender Equality Facility (GEF) in North Macedonia project factsheet provides general overview of project objectives, funding, duration and partnerships behind the works at central level to increase long-term capacities and skills of key Government personnel mandated for European Integration and Gender Equality, so GE goals are increasingly reflected in the country’s planning and policy processes.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender responsive budgeting in the ten Municipalities of Aerodrom, Bitola, Gjorche Petrov, Gostivar, Kochani, Kriva Palanka, Shtip, Strumica, Sveti Nikole, and Veles provide data and evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on gender-responsive programmes.

Guide for Gender Mainstreaming in the Strategic Plans for Line Ministries and Other State Adminitration Bodies provides a practical guidance for the administrative officials in mainstreaming gender into the strategic planing and policy-making at the central level.

The first issue of the magazine presents a selection of UN Women’s contributions and achievements in gender-responsive budgeting in the Western Balkans.

A gender analysis of 477 government socio-economic policy responses adopted in 18 countries and territories in Europe and Central Asia over the first year of COVID-19, reveals that only 7 per cent specifically reference women and can be classified as gender-sensitive. This calls for governments to prioritize gender-responsive policy responses in the context of COVID-19 and emergencies. Measures recorded were in relation to social protection, labour market, and economic, fiscal and business stimulus.

In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the relatively limited data available, the UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, through the Making Every Woman and Girl Count global programme, developed a rapid survey assessment tool to assess the gendered impacts of COVID-19 on the main challenges faced by on women and men lives and livelihoods.

The Rapid Gender Assessment examines how the COVID-19 crisis affects the socio-economic situation and livelihood of women and men in North Macedonia. It provides insights to the situation at a specific moment in time between the outbreak of COVID-19 and field research conducted between 8 and 20 May. It provides recommendations for policymakers to integrate gender perspectives in policies and measures during the response and recovery phases.

In May 2020, UN Women initiated online consultations with gender equality mechanisms from 14 countries in the Western Balkans and Turkey, Eastern Partnership and Central Asia sub-regions to discuss challenges and priorities for the gender dimensions of the short- and long-term COVID-19 response.

Report of the independent evaluation of the EU-UN Women regional programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds”, conducted from July to December 2019. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the achievement of results and performance of the programme; identify and document lessons learned, good practices and innovations, success stories and challenges; identify strategies for replication and up-scaling; and provide actionable recommendations for future programme development.

The mapping analysis examines how the COVID-19 crisis affects the socio-economic situation and wellbeing of women and men at the local level and identifies immediate interventions by the municipalities to respond to the crisis. Focusing mainly on the perceptions of local gender equality mechanisms, it provides recommendations for supporting the municipalities in identifying gender specific measures and prioritizing allocation of resources in the post-recovery period.

This study examines the gaps and failures of the response to violence against women in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey, as seen from the perspective of actual cases reported and processed within the legal and institutional system of protection.

This study presents the findings of an application of a method developed for the United Kingdom (UK) to the case of the North Macedonia, which estimates the annual fiscal cost of public investment in early childhood education and care services. In particular, the study examines several important outcomes of investing in early childcare: direct and indirect employment creation; impact on gender employment gap; related increases in tax revenues.

This brief summarizes findings and recommendations from the study "Investing in free universal childcare in the Republic of North Macedonia - Analysis of costs, short-term employment effects and fiscal revenue," authored by Jerome De Henau and Nikica Mojsovska-Blazevski.

The report presents a summary of discussions and conclusions from the Second Regional Forum Promoting the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey.

The study elaborates why mainstreaming gender and application of gender-responsive budgeting to the sector of agriculture and rural development is important for recognising the different needs of women and men. It uses a behavioral and experimental economics framework through the abbreviated - women’s empowerment index in agriculture to measure empowerment in five domains, providing recommendations to address gender aspects in policy documents and related budgets.

This policy brief highlights the value that ‘by and for’ organizations bring to the fight to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) and examines how the current funding landscape jeopardizes the existence and autonomy of these organizations.

The Regional Report examines the violence and discrimination faced by Roma women in the areas of health care, child marriage, and institutional protection and support in cases of domestic violence. Based on survey findings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, this violence and discrimination is analyzed in the context of states' obligations to comply with anti-discrimination frameworks, such as national legislation, CEDAW, and the Istanbul Convention.