COMMENT 

A new year, a new decade, new challenges...

Each of us is in front of a new time circle – most of us face the challenge of a new year, some of us the challenge of a new decade, others – some differently determined challenges. Certainly, there are people who are not challenged by anything, neither in the future, nor from the past. But we are not going to discuss them.

In 2004 and the coming years we should direct our attention towards many challenges and problems. Poverty, the existence of groups of people separated from the others, establishing permanent peace in the country and the region, sustainable development of the country and democratization of the society, building a civic society, fight against corruption, against criminal, against giving political connotation of things that should stay in the domain of expertise, and many other “question marks” and “exclamation marks” are in front of the citizens and civic organizations in Macedonia. Many of them are challenges for life, but some of them, with a properly directed action, can be solved, or at least significantly decreased for a shorter period of time – a year, two, five or ten.

The Macedonian Center for International Cooperation has been dealing with all its challenges very successfully since 1993. One of them was to grow into a strong and dedicated organization that will be one of the pillars of the civic society in Macedonia. A decade later, celebrating its first ten-year anniversary, MCIC can be pleased that it has realized it. It can be proved by the successful cooperation with the rest of the actors in the civic sector, and also with the participants from the other sectors – authorities and business, large contribution for the development of the country: support for the marginalized groups, building infrastructure in the rural areas, transferring knowledge, quick action in emergency situations, promoting positive values in Macedonia, also Macedonia to the world...

There are many other things that can be attributed to MCIC. However, there are many other challenges remained for the future, there are also some new – both for MCIC and all of us. For next year, next decade, whole life. Let’s fight them off together, with happiness and blessing!