Македонски центар за меѓународна соработка - МЦМС

Authors: Ilina Mangova, Bobi Badarevski, Nikica Kusenikova, Simonida Kacarska, Slagana Dimiskova
Date: June, 2011
ISBN: 978-608-4617-38-9
PDF:   civic-practices-13-impact-environment-2011.pdf

The thirteenth edition of Civic Practices stands before you, this time dedicated to the impact of civil society organizations and the environment in which they act.

In her case study, Ilina Mangova (MA) researches the participation and impact of civil society in Macedonia in the process of creating and implementing the Law for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination. She estimates that a part of civil society has succeeded in creating a partial impact on the national legislative for non-discrimination, but that a greater impact could not have been realized due to the large ideological differences between part of the civil society and the conservative stands of the governing party.

Bobi Badarevski (MA) evaluates the impact of women's civil society organizations on the budget politics of the Republic of Macedonia, in particular gender budgeting. He concludes that these organizations are the main initiators and promoters of the idea for creating gender sensitive budget politics. In respect to the procedures, they constantly insist on applying the methods which will support gender sensitive budgeting, while in respect to the structure, they work on strengthening the professional capacities of the government servants.

The relations between the business sector and civil society as seen through the prisma of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the subject of Nikica Kusenikova's (MA) case study. The case study shows that civil organizations are not a significant contribution to CSR in the Republic of Macedonia. There are few examples of civil society organizations which exert pressure on the business sector and which regularly follow the contribution of enterprises in the domain of CSR. The collaboration between the two sectors is gradually improving, however it remains at an unsatisfactory level and is based on singular initiatives of several enterprises and organizations which have recognized the mutual benefit and interest from the collaboration.

The theme of Simonida Kacarska's (MA) case study explore the question of whether the Strategy has contributed to improving dialogue between the government and civil society. The Strategy in question is the Strategy of the Government for Cooperation with the Civil Sector. The analysis displays the variety of reports regarding the implementation and the different viewpoints of various local and international actors regarding this question. The estimate shows that the cooperation still depends on the question, the institutions, and the involved persons.

The last case study was produced by Slagjana Dimiskova (MA) and it concerns the limitations on the freedom of association and action. The study relied on international documents which are directly applicable to the state, but also to the international legislation which concerns the freedom of association. The author concludes that the freedom of association is not an absolute right and the same has particular limitations which can be of interest to the international security, for limiting disorder or acts of crime, for protecting the health and the morale, or for protecting the rights and freedoms of others.