Page:North Macedonia Foreign Assistance Fact Sheet, July 2021.pdf/1

 {|style="width:100%" United States assistance coordinated by the Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (ACE) has boosted efforts in North Macedonia to strengthen rule of law and combat corruption. The United States strongly supported North Macedonia's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and U.S. assistance continues to foster interoperability with the Alliance. U.S. assistance supports North Macedonia’s path to Euro-Atlantic integration, including European Union (EU) accession; fosters competent, transparent, and accountable governance; and engages civil society, youth, and the private sector to help shape policy, monitor reforms, and expand the country’s economic and democratic successes. U.S. technical assistance is helping to diversify North Macedonia’s energy sources, including solar energy in its power generation, and to develop appropriate laws related to open-market access, allowing accelerated deployment of renewable-energy projects. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of North Macedonia mounted a prompt and thorough response that is supported by over $4 million in U.S. funding to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
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 * style="font-size:75%"|United States Department of State Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (ACE) Foreign Assistance Fact Sheet, July 2021
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In FY 2020, U.S. assistance helped civil society organizations (CSOs) reduce corruption, domestic violence, and violations of human rights in North Macedonia. With U.S. support, CSOs conducted 133 on-site court monitoring visits, analyzing the implementation of domestic laws and international fair trial standards, thus promoting citizen’s ability to monitor access to justice. The CSO coalition published five policy briefs on corruption and 10 investigative pieces on nepotism and corruption in the judiciary, court inefficiencies, and implementation of the Law on Whistleblowers, which resulted in stronger justice-sector institutions. U.S. assistance helped youth groups combat disinformation, which malign actors exploit to divide the population, and which impedes nation-building. When snap elections were held mid-pandemic in July 2020, U.S. assistance prepared the State Election Commission to carry out safe and transparent elections by training the electoral administration on how to use protective measures at the polling stations, raise awareness among voters to stay safe during the voting process, and ensure the right voting protocols were in place. As a result, there were no new COVID-19 clusters resulting from the election voting.

U.S. assistance improves the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of law enforcement and judicial institutions. This includes bolstering border security and efforts to control illicit trade. U.S. assistance programs in the areas of rule of law and good governance include efforts to enhance the capacity of the police through the implementation of modern training strategies that reflect international best practices; enhance investigative and prosecutorial effectiveness through the implementation of investigative task forces; and implement effective community engagement activities. Assistance was also provided to reduce corruption and increase transparency through the expansion of a digital document management tool to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOIA) and accreditation of the Police Training Center. The Digital Police Management System (DPMS) has been incorporated into the MOIA Archive/Mail Office and the newly established Organized and Serious Crime Department Trafficking in Persons Task Force. Replacing the MOIA’s paper-based system by processing reports and intelligence, this DPMS ensure investigations can be properly and efficiently managed.

U.S. support promotes public-private dialogue on economic policies and a legal framework conducive to private sector competitiveness and growth in North Macedonia. U.S. assistance facilitates private sector access to finance and business support services, particularly for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The United States helped 13 business support organizations (BSOs) and 3,267 MSMEs. Through this support, BSO membership increased by 11,130 members. Further, 56 MSMEs obtained $42 million in credit from financial institutions and the U.S. leveraged over $9 million from 10 large companies in the apparel, dairy, and food processing sectors to improve productivity in the supply chain. U.S. loan guarantees facilitated 171 loans to farmers and agribusinesses, valued at over $2.2 million. Additionally, U.S. programs help preserve cultural assets and improve conditions for tourism. U.S. assistance is reducing barriers to regional and global trade, in part through improved value chain competitiveness in line with EU standards.