High-level Meeting on Drafting New 2026-2030 UN - North Macedonia Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timcho Mucunski, co-chaired today together with the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in the Republic of North Macedonia, Rita Columbia, the high-level meeting on the preparation of the new Cooperation Framework for Sustainable Development between the United Nations and the country’s national institutions covering the period 2026-2030. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and several in-line government Ministers and Deputy Ministers, as well as representatives of 14 UN entities in the country.

The meeting participants reaffirmed their shared position that the development of national strategies and accompanying action plans would bridge long-term commitments with measurable, short-term goals, adapted to each context.

“Inclusive stakeholder engagement is equally essential in this context. The involvement in the process by local authorities, civil society, as well as the private sector from its very outset will encourage real cooperation, ensuring our success in attaining the goals we have jointly set out to achieve," underlined Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in his keynote address at the meeting.

The focus of the discussion was placed on the country’s national priorities in the field of sustainable development and its compliance with global standards. In that respect, the commitment was reaffirmed to making joint contribution to improving the quality of life, the rule of law, environmental protection, social inclusion, poverty reduction, creating conditions for economic progress, reduce pollution, and many more.

“This Framework does not merely represent a declaration of good intentions, but it rather establishes a model of a partnership aimed at achieving sustainable development, tackling inequality, and improving the future of generations to come. But what sets this Framework truly apart is its approach to people. It emphasizes inclusiveness by focusing on marginalized and vulnerable communities and ensuring that "no one is left behind". For us, sustainable development entails building a society in which everyone will have equal chances for progress, regardless of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, or place of residence,” Minister Mucunski noted on his part.

In her address, the UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia, Rita Columbia, highlighted the fact that there are as many as 22 UN agencies and programs currently operating in the country, while adding that all UN efforts in the country are designed to support the implementation of national priorities, all in keeping with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the country’s own EU accession process, while being closely related to and aimed at improving living conditions and ensuring a better future for all . 

The meeting further saw all attending in-line cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers taking active part in a discussion on the possible avenues in which the country could best utilize the support it receives from the UN system with a view to achieving its development priorities.