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1. Global issues exchanges with policy-makers at the domestic level

2. Global issues exchanges with policy-makers at the international level

Global issues exchanges with policy-makers at the domestic level

In the Republic of North Macedonia, there is still no dedicated national policy, programme or permanent institutional mechanism specifically designed to enable young people to regularly exchange views on global issues with domestic policymakers. Nevertheless, youth participation in discussions on global challenges increasingly takes place through ad hoc initiatives, consultations and project-based formats facilitated by civil society organisations.

The National Youth Council of Macedonia (NYCM) has been a key actor advocating for the institutionalisation of the EU Youth Dialogue — the European structured platform for dialogue between young people and decision-makers — but a formal national working group or regularly active national forum has not yet been fully established. As a result, Macedonian youth engagement with these mechanisms largely depends on project-based engagement rather than a continuous national framework.

Opportunities for young people to interact with policymakers and articulate youth perspectives on contemporary global issues also arise through conferences, seminars and policy labs organised locally by CSOs, universities and international partners. These events often focus on topics such as European integration, democratic reforms, climate action, social inclusion and human rights, providing spaces where young people can share insights and propose policy ideas.

Global issues exchanges with policy-makers at the international level

At the international level, young people from North Macedonia have been active participants in policy dialogues and exchanges that address global and regional issues. The country has been consistently represented in the EU Youth Conferences within the framework of the EU Youth Dialogue, which offers structured consultation cycles and opportunities to engage with European institutions on policies that affect young people, however as aforementioned a national backed-up consultation process is still lacking.

As a Programme Country in Erasmus+, North Macedonia also enables young people to join international youth participation projects, including those under Key Action 1 and Key Action 2 that support policy dialogue, consultation activities and youth exchanges with decision-makers and peers from other countries.

Under the Berlin Process framework, youth engagement at the regional level has gained visibility through the Western Balkans Youth Forum 2025, held in Pristina from 16–19 September 2025. The Forum brought together youth leaders, policymakers and experts from all six Western Balkan economies to dialogue on pressing issues such as migration, security and economic development, and to produce a set of youth-driven policy recommendations reflecting young people’s priorities, which were presented to senior decision-makers at the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit. 

Overall, while a structured national domestic forum for youth-to-policymaker exchange on global issues is still emerging, young people from North Macedonia are increasingly engaging in regional and international mechanisms that connect them with policymakers, strengthen youth voices on global challenges, and contribute to shaping policy discussions beyond national borders.