1.8 Cross-border cooperation
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Cooperation with European countries
RYCO (Regional Youth Cooperation Office)
At the Western Balkans Summit in Vienna on August 27, 2015, the Prime Ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia signed a "Joint Declaration" to create the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO). RYCO is a regional organization aimed at promoting reconciliation and cooperation among young people in the Western Balkans.
The Agreement on establishment of RYCO was signed by the six Prime Ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, at the Western Balkans Summit held in Paris, on 4 July 2016.
The Head Office is in Tirana with local branches in all the capitals across the region (Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje, Pristina, Belgrade). The local branch office of RYCO in North Macedonia was opened in Skopje on August 31, 2018
The Regional Youth Cooperation Office is an independently functioning institutional mechanism for sustainable regional cooperation among young people, established by regional governments to promote reconciliation, mobility, participation, active citizenship and intercultural learning, in an European spirit and within the European integration process of the region. North Macedonia has 2 representatives (1 from Agency of Youth and Sport and 1 from youth civil society organization).
European Youth Forum
North Macedonia is represented in the European Youth Forum by the National Youth Council of Macedonia (NYCM) which is a full member. As an official member NYCM is invited to delegate participants on the YFJ events.
Bilateral Youth Cooperation Offices
In 2018, Greece and North Macedonia, under the auspices of the United Nations, signed the Prespa Agreement, resolving a long-standing dispute between the two countries. Apart from resolving the terminological differences, the agreement also covers areas of cooperation between the two countries in order to establish a strategic partnership between them.
In the “Action Plan on the Intensification and Enrichment of Cooperation Between the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of North Macedonia, as Provided for in the Prespa Agreement”, it's noted that the Governments of North Macedonia and Greece shall support all forms of youth cooperation. The goal is to strengthen connections and enhance relationships between young people in Greece and North Macedonia. To achieve this, both countries will work together to establish a "Greece – North Macedonia Youth Office."
This office will serve as a dedicated platform for improving ties among youth. Its objectives include fostering mutual understanding and promoting, encouraging, and facilitating meetings and exchanges between young people from both nations.
This initiative was launched by the youth sectors of both North Macedonia (by Youth Alliance - Krushevo) and Greece. It was initiated through the “Cooperation for a Common Future” initiative.
International cooperation
In North Macedonia, several governmental institutions are responsible for national youth policies.
Previously, the main body was the Agency for Youth and Sport, but now, is the Ministry for Social Policy, Demography and Youth (previously Ministry of Labor and Social Policy). Other institutions responsible for national youth policies are the Ministry of Education, and the Employment Service Agency. These institutions collaborate with various international organizations, such as the OSCE, UNDP, USAID, and UNFPA, as well as the European Union delegation and the embassies of Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
These partnerships support the government in implementing various youth policies. For instance, the OSCE aids in establishing Local Youth Councils, while UNFPA collaborated in the process of developing a new National Youth Strategy. Additionally, the Swiss Embassy and USAID provided funding for outreach activities carried out by youth organizations during the pilot phase of the Youth Guarantee initiative.
Council of Europe
The Republic of North Macedonia has a representative in the European Steering Committee for Intergovernmental Cooperation in the Field of Youth (CDEJ). Previously, this representative came from the Agency for Youth and Sport, but with the recent reorganization, the representative is now expected to come from the Ministry for Social Policy, Demography and Youth.