North Macedonia adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2013 for the period 2013-2015. The NAP does not specify the responsible actor for NAP development, but the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy appears to be an important actor in the NAP’s development. The NAP identifies three overarching objectives: strengthen the gender perspective in the formulation and implementation of the peace, security and defense policy of the Republic of Macedonia; strengthen the participation and contribution of women to international, civilian and military missions in which the Republic of Macedonia takes part; and prevent violence and protect women’s rights in the time of peace and humanitarian disasters. The NAP does not identify specific actions, indicators, or a monitoring and evaluation framework and does not have an allocated budget.
North Macedonia reported on the implementation of its NAP, as well as WPS commitments, in its national reporting for Beijing+25 and in preparation for CSW64 (2020). Specifically, the country indicated the preparation of a revised NAP. Additionally, since 2018, the Ministry of Defense has been implementing the Methodology for Gender Responsive Budgeting and a Gender Budget Statement.
North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia) gained independence from former Yugoslavia in 1991. During 1998-1999, the country became a host to more than 250,000 refugees fleeing the war in Kosovo. In 2001, Macedonia experienced conflict between state security forces and Albanian insurgents, which ended with the signing of the Ohrid Agreement. In 2012, the country experienced resurging tension between etnic Albanians and ethic Macedonians, resulting in civil unrest and casualties.
In 2019, North Macedonia was among the top 10 countries in the world with the biggest increase in their military expenditure, with a 30% increase in its military spending.