On December 14, 2017, USAID through its Civic Engagement Project (CEP) organized its second policy panel discussion on air quality protection, at the Continental Hotel, Skopje. Eighty representatives from civil society organizations, local and central government institutions, academia, international organizations, and the media participated in the event, providing their perspectives on an integrated approach to solving the problem of air pollution.

Edward Gonzalez, USAID General Development Office Director, Jani Makraduli, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, Petre Shilegov, Mayor of Skopje, and Ana Drakic, CEP Chief of Party, gave opening remarks emphasizing the importance of transparency and stakeholder participation in the policy-formulation process. Representatives from various sectors – civil society organizations (Ana Colovic-Leshoska, Eco-svest CSO), local authorities (Natasha Petrovska, Mayor of the Municipality of Bitola), and central institutions (Miroslav Bogdanovski, Acting Director of the State Inspectorate for Environment), presented ideas from their perspectives, on improving cooperation for air quality protection.

Participants had an opportunity to discuss the proposed approaches to solving the problem of air pollution, and create synergies for developing and implementing the next steps towards the shared goal of protecting air quality.

In his remarks, USAID General Development Office Director Edward Gonzalez said, “I trust that inputs from all stakeholders will guarantee a successful and strategic solution to the problem and a shared sense of responsibility to achieving long-term results. We hope this event will enhance synergies between public and non-profit organizations, and citizens to increase the effectiveness of air pollution protection measures”.

USAID’s CEP is a five-year project that aims to enhance the capacity of CSOs and youth groups to advance public policies, improve public services, promote good governance, and contribute to improving the standard of living in Macedonia. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/CEPMacedonia/.