The Macedonian Civil Society Index has been promoted
After 15 years of transition – from stabilization towards civic participation
On 24th April this year, in Skopje, the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation promoted the Macedonian Civil Society Index. The report’s title is “After 15 years of transition – from stabilization towards civic participation”. MCIC started this research project in 2004. The research had an objective to ascertain the condition of the civil society from several aspects, from aspect of its structure, from the aspect of values it promotes, the environment it acts in and the effect it has achieved wider in the society. Such researches were simultaneously carried out in 50 other countries worldwide. They were coordinated by the international network of civil society CIVICUS – the World Alliance for Citizen Participation.
The research enabled getting comparable data on the development of civil society in Macedonia. The data were collected with a few different methodologies. Secondary sources were used, questionnaires that were sent to civil society organizations, local self-government and other actors in the society. Regional counseling was organized for part of the respondents. There was also a research on the public opinion about the civil society carried out. A few media were followed for six months on how they reported about the civil society organizations.
The whole research was run by the National Counseling Group.
The following gave speech at the promotion: Gordana Duvnjak, editor in Utrinski Vesnik, Ilo Trajkovski, professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and Saso Klekovski, executive manager of MCIC.
“To be a part of this research, for me, as a journalist, is a useful experience. The research is a good basis that should be further upgraded with such or similar evaluations.” Among other things she mentioned that in good part of the public there was a distorted picture of what was going on in the civic sector, that there were some mystical issues related to them, that it was about money laundering, individuals who used them for private businesses and private promotion. “The truth is not black-white at all and there is a big need for further good cooperation between the civil society organizations and the media”, said, among other things, Gordana Duvnjak.
The civil society in Macedonia is moderately developed
Macedonian Civil Society Diamond
Structure 1,5
Values 2,1
Environment 1,4
Impact 1,8
The diagram, which visualizes the condition of the Macedonian civil society in a form of a diamond, shows that the civil society in Macedonia is moderately well developed. The practice and promotion of positive values are the civil society’s strengths, thus creating the basis for its achievements and the influence. The environment is limiting to a certain extent, with a partly inefficient state and a deep lack of public trust and public spirit. This has negative effect on the civil society’s structure, which can be described as moderate in size and unbalanced in its composition.
Except for the Index, the promotion also referred to the Governmental strategy for cooperation with the civic sector. “Modern democracy functions as a tripod chair”, said in his address Prof. Ilo Trajkovski. “Here we see the two legs of that chair, the government and the civic sector. It would be better if we could promote the Strategy in front of the business sector, too. I hope that it will not take 15 years, as it took the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to pass the Strategy for Cooperation with the civic sector. If you read the report, you will find information that some serious relations have already been established between the civic sector and the business sector and that such document can be expected in near future”, said Trajkovski. According to him, the Macedonian Civil Society Index and the Governmental strategy are a result of a long, maybe even too long period and process of maturity of democracy, the civic sector and the public sector, too. “One such event, I am convinced, could not have taken place at the beginning of the ‘90s and the beginning of 2000. The relations between the civic sector and the public sector that have been established for almost twenty years, are set on completely different bases. In the beginning, the civic sector in Macedonia, under different influences, was more or less set not only as a non-governmental, but also as anti-governmental. Later, the public sector with the state responded in one period, defining the civic sector as a fifth column. I think that with this event starts the third phase in the development of relations between the civic sector and the public authorities, and I do not refer only to the state, but the municipality authorities, too”, said Ilo Trajkovski.
According to him, it is about an extremely relevant document, especially as it has both serious research and action advantages and qualities. This is a first undertaking of this kind, in terms of contextualizing facts about the civic sector in Macedonia. This research enables a comparison to be made between the condition in Macedonia and what has been in other countries.
A lot or few civil society organizations
Saso Klekovski, executive manager of MCIC, presented the main findings and conclusions from the Macedonian Civil Society Index. He addressed the beginnings of the civil organizing in the 19th century (circles and first revolutionary organizations), added by the sports and cultural organizations in the time of socialistic modernization, until the time of transition when there is further diversification of the civic actors.
“There is often a debate whether 5.769 registered organizations (2003) is a lot or few”, said Klekovski. “It is 2,85 organizations to 1.000 citizens. According to this, Macedonia has a small number of organizations. In Croatia that number is 9,25 to 1.000 citizens. For some of the regions in Macedonia these indicators are even more unfavorable, there is almost no organized civil society” – he said.
Four categories of the Index
The Macedonian Civil Society Index has assessed four categories: structure, environment, impact and values.
According to the structure, the civil society has limited width and very limited depth of civil participation in the civil society. However, it has relatively well developed mutual relations and a level of link between the different participants in the civil society.
The civil society in Macedonia is clearly directed towards communication, coordination and cooperation. It is well-organized with strong infrastructure for support and a significant level of linkage between the associations and within the structures/unions. Only small number of citizens takes part in the civil society activities.
The civil society organizations do not have sufficient financial resources in order to achieve their goals. A particular problem is the lack of diversification of financial sources and the big dependence on international and foreign sources.
In spite of the advancement in the field of human rights and freedoms, the political context in Macedonia is quite bad for the civil society.
The most limiting factors are the lack of rule of rights, corruption, inefficiency of the state and very centralized nature of the state. The role of the civil society in public issues is not completely accepted by the state and although there are a few examples of dialogue between the state and the civil society, it does not mean improved cooperation and support by the state.
The biggest advantage of the civil society in Macedonia is its strong positive values. The most important values are non-violence and gender equality and the weakest are practice and promotion of transparency (the public). A small number of organizations provide a public approach to their financial operations and even less they give financial reports.
In spite of the fact that the policy of the civil society and its role of a guard are not much developed, its social role is quite important. Strengthening and informing citizens, especially women and marginalized people, are the key fields of success. In these fields, the civil society has had an impact on the public policies, too.
The civil society’s achievements are based upon domestic social and foreign financial capital. The domestic social capital comprises positive values, strong social groups, big human capital and good communication, coordination and cooperation between the actors of the civil society.
The civil society in Macedonia is at the moment getting closer to the end of its period of stabilization. Built around strong values, the civil society, even if based on limited civic support, is rooted in some social groups (women, people with special needs, young people) and it plays a significant role.
Rooting out poverty should be off margins and become the focus of the civil society, as well as the whole society.
The civil society should further increase its openness. This should be the contribution of the civil society towards the fight against corruption and building the basis for its policy and for activities as a guard, just as the influence of the process of national budgeting and calling for responsibility of the state and the private companies.
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