5.6 Supporting youth organisations

5. Participation

5.6 Supporting youth organisations

Last update: 2 March 2026

Legal/policy framework for the functioning and development of youth organisations

The Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies (Закон за младинско учество и младински политики), adopted in January 2020, provides the foundational legal framework for the establishment, operation, and development of youth organizations in North Macedonia. The law distinguishes between three main types of organizations operating in the youth sector: youth organizations, organizations for youth, and youth umbrella organizations.

A youth organization is defined as an association registered under the Law on Associations and Foundations, in which at least two-thirds of the highest decision-making body are young people aged 15 to 29, and whose mission and activities are explicitly aimed at promoting youth interests. In contrast, an organization for youth includes entities that support youth-related objectives but are not primarily youth-led. These may include youth branches of political parties, youth sections of trade unions, or other entities where youth-targeted programming is part of broader organizational goals.

A youth umbrella organization serves as a collective platform, uniting various youth organizations to pursue common goals in areas of shared interest. To obtain this status, an umbrella organization must:

Include at least ten member organizations from a minimum of five out of the eight planning regions of North Macedonia;
Ensure that two-thirds of the members of its highest governing body are young people;
Be registered in compliance with the Law on Associations and Foundations.

Youth umbrella organizations are granted several key functions, including participation in policy development, monitoring and evaluation of youth policies, representation of youth organizations nationwide, proposing policy measures to relevant institutions, conducting research on youth development, and carrying out activities defined in their statutes and bylaws.

The general legal context for all civil society organizations (CSOs), including youth organizations, continues to be regulated by the Law on Associations and Foundations, which defines procedures for establishment, registration, property rights, and oversight. In addition, the Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies emphasizes the creation of youth facilities—such as youth centers and youth offices—intended to provide safe spaces for youth engagement, skills development, and social activities. Municipalities are encouraged to establish these facilities and support their operation through local policies and budgets, although implementation varies across the country.

Public financial support

Public funding for youth organizations in North Macedonia remains limited and inconsistent, with significant variation across national institutions and municipalities. While both national and international sources contribute to youth civil society, international funding continues to play an important role.

In 2025, the Ministry of Social Policies, Demography and Youth has published a public call for financial support for associations and foundations, including those working with young people. This public call for 2025 was officially evaluated and the list of youth organizations whose projects were approved for funding has been published by the Ministry, indicating that funds have been allocated to support youth‑focused activities this year.

In addition to national funding mechanisms, several municipalities, such as the City of Skopje, have opened public calls for financial support for programmes, projects, and activities of interest to young people for 2025, showing some local level investment in youth initiatives.

At the municipal level, there are indicators that local governments are beginning to allocate specific budget lines for youth activities, though this progress is uneven across the country.

International stakeholders remain active in supporting youth civil society in North Macedonia. These include the National Agency for European Educational Programs and Mobility, which administers Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, the Delegation of the European Union, and various foreign embassies that provide project‑based funding focused on youth empowerment, democratic participation, education, and employment — filling gaps in national financing for youth initiatives.

Initiatives to increase the diversity of participants

Although youth organizations increasingly aim to promote inclusivity, publicly available information on initiatives targeting participant diversity remains limited. Some efforts include encouraging participation from marginalized groups and supporting programs in rural areas. The establishment of youth facilities such as municipal youth centers is seen as a key strategy to improve access and engagement for diverse groups of young people.

Youth Wiki

Republic of North Macedonia