development stories, undp skopje, issue 4, summer 2013

7/27/2019 Development Stories, UNDP Skopje, Issue 4, summer 2013

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DEVELOPMENTSTORIES

UNDP SKOPJE, ISSUE 4, SUMMER 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

Job prospectshelping to keep amilies together

SMS and Facebook HelpFarmers Reduce Pollution in Resen

Taking on domestic violence a media approachMaking it happen: Cooperating to succeed in energy eciency

Empowered lives.

Resilient nations.


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UNDPs activities in the country are within the ramework o the UN DevelopmentAssistance Framework 2010-2015, agreed between the Government and the UN

Agencies in 2009.

Published by the Oce o the United Nations Development Programme in Skopje

Design: Artistika


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In this issue

Job prospects helping to keepamilies together

A new web portal or thesel-employment programme

A smart solution reaping the ruitso technology - SMS and Facebook

Help Farmers Reduce Pollution in Resen

Seeking out new solutions or greaterRoma inclusion

Photo story: Investing todayor a saer tomorrow

Making it happen:

Cooperating to succeed in energy eciency

Social Innovation CreatesProsperous Societies

What are integrity systems all about?

Taking on domestic violence

a media approach

Greenhouse gas emissions:Data that makes a diference!


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Dear Readers,In this issue o Development Stories we are pleased to oer articles

and eatures on a range o topics rom anti-corruption measures to

the role o the media in countering domestic violence a range I eel

reects the scope and diversity o UNDPs work.

And as always in Development Stories we aim to oer our readers both

the big picture o our extensive operations as well as specifc insights

and fndings rom projects on the ground. For example, this issue oersa photo-story overview o our eorts in this country to help reduce the

risks and negative eects o disasters, a report on how inter-municipal

cooperation has helped local government meet the challenges

o implementing measures to improve energy eciency, as well as key fndings rom the new

national inventory o greenhouse gases developed with technical assistance rom UNDP.

Our commitment to helping improve the lives o the most vulnerable groups in society is

represented in this issue, too, with news o a regional project to tackle the social exclusion oRoma throughout the Western Balkans, together with statistics rom the latest survey o the socio-

economic conditions experienced by the Roma community in this country. And our continued

eorts to help the country overcome its single greatest socio-economic challenge the problem

o widespread and long-term unemployment is showcased here with one o many individual

stories o success resulting rom the UNDP-backed sel-employment programme.

Lastly, I am pleased we can eature here an interview with the Dean o the aculty o Engineering

and Computer Science with whom we have recently signed an agreement to establish a Regional

Innovation Hub in Skopje. Innovation is a driving orce in our activities and our story eatured in

this issue on using mobile technology to help reduce the use o pesticide in the Prespa region

made the ront page o none less than the National Geographic global website.

It is my pleasure then, to wish all our readers a joyul summer and to present you with an issue

o Development Stories that oers us the chance to reect on past achievements and the

challenges ahead.

Alessandro Fracassetti

UNDP Resident Representative a.i.

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Its not right to say theres

no work in this countrywhen people have so much

potential they dont realize,

says Qerim Dauti, We

should be trying to create

jobs herending ways

to use the skills we already

have, not leaving our homes

to nd work abroad.

It s not right to say theres no work in this country when people have so much potential

they dont realize, says Qerim Dauti, We should be trying to create jobs herefndingways to use the skills we already have, not leaving our homes to fnd work abroad.

Qerim can speak rom personal experience like so many o the countrys citizens he

once let his lie here behind to fnd work a long way rom home. For twelve years he

lived in Australia working in the construction industry.

But despite successully applying or Australian citizenship, Qerim eventually returned

to his roots.

Starting over again isnt easy, he admits, When I frst came back I had to make a living

as a taxi driver. Id gained a lot o skills in carpentry in Australia but I didnt have the

confdence and knowledge to make the most o them so I just worked on the side

doing jobs or people inormallybut that was no kind o stability.

UNDP/Ljubomir Stefanov

Job prospects helping to keep

amilies together

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Helping people make the most o their skills

is what the Sel-Employment Programme is all

about, says Goran Jovanovski, Head o Sector orActive Labor Market Measures in the National

Agency or Employment, I we can achieve that

aim well not only reduce unemployment but

also help stem the fow o human resources out

o the country.

Helping people make the most o their skills is what the

Sel-Employment Programme is all about, says Goran

Jovanovski, Head o Sector or Active Labor Market

Measures in the National Agency or Employment,

I we can achieve that aim well not only reduce

unemployment but also help stem the ow o humanresources out o the country.

A recent survey ound that approximately 42% o

young people aged between 19 and 27 say they

would probably leave the country to seek employment

abroad, while no less than 30% say they would probably

leave the country or good.


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I used to sell my products

only locally, he explains,

But through the workshopI learnt how to plan sales

and extend into new

markets. Now were selling

in Ohrid and Bitola and even

exporting to Tirana and

Switzerland. What we need

to do now is to increase

sales by exporting to the

EU. And i everything goes

to plan it wont be long

beore I can employ my

own grandchildren in the

business.

At sixty years old with our children, there is nothing Qerim wants more than to keep

his amily together. I dont want my grandchildren emigrating or work like me, he says,

And Im going to do all I can to make sure they have opportunities here. Thats why I

applied. A riend o mine happened to mention the sel-employment programme and

it sounded like a way to make my carpentry work more regular, more stable. What I was

looking or especially was help with planning. But the workshop gave me something

even more important as wellit built up my belie in what I can achieve.

At the workshop the trainees are guided by a team o expert trainers through the

process o developing their ideas into business plans.

Risto Ivanov, a trainee team leader, explains: Our goal at the workshop is to advise eachtrainee on how to present their business idea and to submit it in writing or assessment.

We try to transer our experience and know-how by taking the participants step by

step through the process o developing and upgrading their selected business ideas.

And we give them specifc exercises to help them defne the key issues associated

with doing business. These are methods weve tailored specifcally to the needs o the

unemployed.

Thanks to Qerims hard work and determination, together with the business training he

received through the Sel-Employment Programme, the prospects or himsel and his

amily are getting better and better: since fnishing the course, Qerim has ormalised

his carpentry work into a amily business. Both his son and his daughter-inlaw are now

working with him and they expect to recruit another two employees very soon.

In his newly reurbished oce, equipped with help rom the sel-employment grant,

Qerim works on the design o new products with his son who is also a proessional

carpenter.

I used to sell my products only locally, he explains, But through the workshop I learnt

how to plan sales and extend into new markets. Now were selling in Ohrid and Bitola

and even exporting to Tirana and Switzerland. What we need to do now is to increase

sales by exporting to the EU. And i everything goes to plan it wont be long beore I

can employ my own grandchildren in the business.

The Sel-Employment Programme is developed and implemented by the Government

and UNDP.


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A new web portalfor THE SElf-EmploymENT programmE

Taking the leap o starting your own business has just been made a whole lot easier with

the launch o a new web portal dedicated to the successul national sel-employment

programme supported by the Government and UNDP: www.samovrabotuvanje.mk

For the frst time, candidates wishing to apply or the sel-employment programme

can fnd all the inormation and help they need in one place.

The slickly designed portal not only contains comprehensive inormation about the

programme and the experiences o previous participants, it also oers helpul short

video tutorials on the various modules o the course.

The portal will urther act as a business-to-business platorm, providing up-to-date

inormation on all 4,905 businesses established through this programme and a map

o their locations.

WWW

.SAMO

vrAB

OTUvANJE.M

k

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This is the one everyone knows rom cartoons - the

little worm in the apple explains Etim Petkovski,

scooping the larva o a codling moth rom an applein his orchard in Resen. But its no joke, I can tell you

i we armers dont spray or them early on, all our

livelihoods are at risk. Timing is everything with these

pests. Youve got to predict their migrations and that

can be a matter o hours. Spraying too early or too

late is much less eective and a lot more expensive

because you need bigger amounts oten as much as

three times the quantity. And you can guess what thatdoes to the environment.

Overuse o pesticides amongst orchard armers in

Resen has been proven to be a major cause o pollution

in the beautiul but environmentally vulnerable region

o the Prespa Lake Basin, threatening the habitat o over

2,000 species o birds, fsh and mammals, including

many endangered animals unique to Prespa and theancient reshwater lake.

As part o its long-term commitment to restoring the

health o this valuable ecosystem, UNDP has been

working in close cooperation with the Municipality

o Resen in recent years with unding rom the Global

Environment Facility and the Swiss Development

Cooperation on projects to raise awareness o the

dangers o pesticides and to help local armers

adopt more environmentally sustainable agricultural

practices.

These eorts have already led to a remarkable 30%

reduction in the amount o pesticides used by local

armers each season, which is good news or the

environment and good news or armers who have

made substantial savings as a result.

The way we dealt with pests beore was wasteul,

says Petkovski, And a lot o that could be put down

to armers lack o awareness. But thats not the whole

story the problem o knowing the best time to spray

is a problem aced by all armers. Its about the speed

o notifcation and thats in many ways a technicalproblem needing a technical solution.

The frst major step towards a technical solution to

the over-use o pesticides was taken in 2005 with

the establishment o a system or monitoring pests

and diseases. This system, developed by UNDP in

cooperation with the Municipality o Resen, involved

the installation o 6 solar-powered agro-meteorologicalmonitoring stations and a number o insect pheromone

traps.

The monitoring stations gathered all the necessary

data, but the problem remained o how to get that

data directly to armers as quickly as possible. Theres

no local media in Resen, so or the past seven years

theyve had to rely on notifcations in the square and

that has been ar rom adequate to ensure all armers

are adequately and promptly inormed.

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The challenge as always with development was to ensure long-term sustainability,

explains UNDPs Dimitrija Sekovski, And in this case a major actor in terms o

sustainability was expense. We knew we needed to fnd as inexpensive a solution as

possible to the notifcation problem. And thats what we came up with an innovative

way o notiying armers that cost less than 1,000 US dollars to develop.

Walking between the apple-trees in his orchard, Petkovski clicks on his mobile phone

and pulls up his message menu. Heres the SMS we received about the codling moth

on Friday, he says, and displays the ollowing message:

Apple trees in the area of the village of Rajca have been infected by the coddling moth. The

apple trees should be treated in the next 10 days. For more info, visit the Facebook page orcall the Association of Farmers.

That message went out to every armer in the village o Rajca whose name is registered

with the local Association o Farmers, says Petkovski, And thats how we were able to

spray beore the moths had a chance to spread. Just knowing that in time has saved a

lot o our ruit.

The innovative system o SMS notifcation was developed with UNDP support by the

Faculty o Computer Science o the University o Cyril & Methodius in Skopje.

As well as SMS notifcations, the solution also makes use o Facebook. The same

administrator (a pest control expert) responsible or inorming armers by SMS is also

responsible or updating a dedicated Farmers Association page on Facebook, urther

expanding the amount and accessibility o timely inormation.

The only real challenge now, says Sekovski, is to ensure that the post o this

administrator whose salary is currently supported with UNDP unding - becomes a

permanent position within the Farmers Association.

Low costs and simplicity o implementation make this system highly suitable or

replication in other municipalities across the country. This shows just how eectively

modern technology can be used to overcome problems o access to inormation. This

specifc solution is excellent, but the innovative approach taken to the problem the

willingness to tackle old problems with new media is also highly encouraging.

Together with the ongoing 6-year project or the Restoration o Lake Prespa Basin,

supported by UNDP with unding rom the Swiss Agency or Development and

Cooperation, the new notifcation system is set to urther transorm arming practices

in the region, securing a sustainable uture or the unique ecosystem o Lake Prespa.

This story as published on the National Geographic global ebsite.

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UNDP just launched a major new two-year project to empower people rom Roma

communities throughout the region to gain better access to eective social services

and business development opportunities. The project is called Regional Support Facility

or Roma Inclusion and is being unded by the Swiss Agency or Development and

Cooperation in the amount o two million US dollars. This project will be implemented

also in Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

WorryINg STaTISTIcS:

The latest surveys on Roma in this country show that this community remains a highly

vulnerable group in society. For example:

Romaand especially Roma womenare employed less, paid less or similar jobs,and are more likely to be working in low-skilled and inormal employment than

non-Roma women.

Rates o unemployment and joblessness are at least twice as high amongst the

Roma population as among the non-Roma population. Young non-Roma adults aged 2024 are more than ten times as likely to be in

education as their Roma counterparts.

Almost 20% o all Roma households cannot aord essential medical services.

Seeking out

new solutionsor greaterRoma inclusion

UNDP/Maja Zlatevska

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UNDP/Andrej Ginovski

SEEkINg SolUTIoNS

Over the next two years, 370,000 US dollars will be

invested in the country to address some o the key causes

o Roma social exclusion, including unemployment and

fnancial insecurity, while building up the capacities

o all stakeholders involved in promoting the greater

inclusion o Roma.

The indicators o the Action Plan or the National

Roma Strategy will be redefned to ensure they are

achievable. This will enable more eective monitoringo all measures and actions undertaken throughout

the region to improve Roma wellbeing and raise

their socio-economic conditions. And all stakeholders

involved in Roma inclusionincluding local Roma

NGOs, local activists and volunteers, as well as the Roma

Inormation Centreswill be trained in technical skills

such as monitoring and evaluation, data interpretation

and the use o statistics, and community mobilizationand advocacy.

The project will test new ways o increasing

opportunities or Roma at local level to become

active on the labour market and achieve economic

independence, by helping unemployed Roma men and

women to improve their educational achievements,

vocational or entrepreneurial skills, and by creatingopportunities or business start-up, subsidized

employment and community service.

This new project will help develop

new and eective solutions and models

to improve the quality o lie o those

on the margins o society, says UNDP

Assistant Resident Representative, Vesna

Dzuteska-Bisheva.

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Torrential rains, stormwaters and snowmelt can cause great damage to people and property i they are not eectively

controlled. Nadezda Trendaflova is one o the hundreds o residents o Mokrievo that has long been living under

the threat o natural disaster rom uncontrolled water. To help reduce the risk o such disasters, UNDP has teamed

up with the municipal authorities responsible or these settlements to restore and install new stormwater channels.

Our house was built in 1964. Since then, it has been constantly exposed to the potentially atal consequences o

torrential rain and stormwaters. Now, that the storm water channel is in place, we fnally eel sae says Nadezda.

Ietig toa or a aer toorrowPHOTO STORY:


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UNDP/Ljubomir StefanovIn Mokrievo, a 200-meter stormwater channel was

constructed.

In Kicevo, UNDP supported the municipalitysinvestment in the restoration o the Ivani Dol stormwater

channel, together with a general upgrading o the

streets and communal inrastructure, including the

water and waste water channels.

Each o these projects will bring substantial benefts to

the local communities providing them with greater

security to invest in a sustainable uture or themselves

and their environment.

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When an enormous boulder tumbled down rom one o

the hills around the city o Veles and caused signifcant

damage to a historic church, the local authorities knew

they had to take urgent measures to prevent such a

disaster rom happening again.

The municipality o Veles resolved to join orces with

UNDP to tackle the problem. Four dangerous bouldersthat were posing an immediate threat to the local

population were succesull stabilized.


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UNDP/Ljubomir StefanovThe project has not only helped provide greater

security or residents living near the boulders it has

also helped protect the historic 19th century Church o

St. Panteleimon.

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UNDP supported the municipality o Makedonska

Kamenica to build its frst-ever modern fre fghting

station. This station, along with training and education,

is now helping the community to successully combatfres - a potentially serious problem given the high

density o orests in the municipalitys territory.


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UNDP/Ljubomir StefanovBy co-fnancing disaster risk reduction activities, the

municipality is helping to ensure a saer uture or all

its citizens. It is investing today or a saer tomorrow,

UNDP Project Manager Vasko Popovski said.

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Vulnerability assessments and hazard mapping, as well

as evacuation-planning and training drills or schools

and kindergartens and other high-risk communities

have been carried out in ten municipalities.

These activities have greatly increased the resilience to

natural disasters o the municipalities o Kicevo, Veles,

Caska, Gradsko, Strumica, Vasilevo, Novo Selo, Bosilovo,

Makedonska Kamenica and Aerodrom.


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To help schools be better prepared in response to

natural disasters, more than 17,900 students and

1,640 teachers have taken part in training-drills or

evacuation and rescue in case o earthquakes and

fres in Kicevo, Zajas, Veles, Graqdsko, Caska, Strumica,

Vasilevo, Bosilovo, Novo Selo, Aerodrom, Makedonska

Kamenica and Centar.

A total o 380 elementary schools country-wide are

already beneftting rom the countrys frst educationalcomputer game on crisis management a game

which has become part o their school curricula.


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Its not that municipalities dont have the will toimplement the new measures to improve energy

eciency, says Mitko Vlahov, a civil servant with the

municipality o Bogdanci, O course we do. We know

these changes bring long-term savings and we know

theyll be better or the environment. But like with any

dicult task, you need to have the know-how and the

right equipment to do it yoursel.

Many municipalities have struggled in recent years to

ulfl the additional obligations devolved to them with

the process o decentralization. Both in terms o fnance

and expertise, existing municipal capacities are not yet

adequate to deliver some o the more complex new

services required including essential measures to

improve energy-eciency stipulated with the Law on

Energy.

Energy eciency is one o those areas where

investment is needed today to make savings in the

uture and this presents a big challenge or cash-

strapped municipalities, especially or smaller urban

and rural municipalities, says UNDPs Boran Ivanoski.

To meet this challenge they need to fnd alternative

ways to raise resources and build up their capacities.

This is where inter-municipal cooperation comes in.And thats an area where UNDP has a lot o experience

to oer.

Cooperating to succeed inenergy eciency

makINg IT HappEN:

Marina Danev

Dragan Pesov

Stoilova Anika

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Inter-municipal cooperation can serve to optimize

limited resources by achieving economies o scale and

has already helped many municipalities ulfl some

o their extended obligations since decentralization.UNDP has been actively promoting and assisting

such cooperation rom the beginning, so when it

became clear that capacities were lacking or the

implementation o much-needed measures to increase

energy eciency, UNDP was keen to explore a solution

through the adoption o a cooperative approach.

In December 2011, thereore, UNDP launched a12-month pilot project called Energy Eciency

through Inter-Municipal Cooperation as part o the

regional programme Think Globally Develop Locally

in the three municipalities o Gevgelija, Valandovo and

Bogdanci. The total budget or the project was 31,200

USD.

We selected these municipalities or the pilot project

to show how the resources o a larger municipality -

Gevgelija, in this case can help smaller neighbouring

municipalities here the municipalities o Bogdanci

and Valandovo to overcome shortalls in fnancial

and human capacities, says UNDPs Ilmiasan Dauti,

The main aim, o course, was to help the partner

municipalities meet their legal obligations in the area

We o a worr abot aig

eerg. Ti wi rece te ee or

iportig expeie eerg ito te

cotr. Tereore, aig ro te

icipa a atioa bget wi be

e to eet te ee o citize i

eat, ecatio a ctre.

BENEFI

TSOF

ENERGY

EFFICIENC

Y

JOBCREATION

ANDNEW

TECHNOLOGIES

Save energy for more money,greener environment and more jobs ! 23


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o energy eciency. These obligations include not just

auditing but the development o three-year Energy

Eciency Programmes and Annual Plans or Energy

Eciency whose implementation will improve theinterior conditions in the public buildings.

This project has made a huge dierence, says

Risto Atanasovski the executive director o a local

oundation or local development. With a bit o eort

and good will on all sides, we anticipate within the

municipal Programme on EE that CO2 emissions will

be reduced by over 1,200 tons in the municipalityo Gevgelija and over 15 tons in the municipality o

Bogdanci, in the period o three years

Due to the optimization o human resources in Gevgelija

as a result o cooperation, or example, some 16,000 USD

will be saved per year on salaries alone. And based on the

three-year energy-eciency programmes developed

by the project, the municipalities o Gevgelija and

Bogdanci will achieve budget savings o approximately

127,000 USD through the implementation o energy-

eciency measures.

The project has succeeded in showing that inter-

municipal cooperation is an eective alternative way o

delivering services in the area o energy eciency at

local level.

As an additional part o the project, a Social Marketing

Campaign was designed and carried out with the

aim o raising awareness among young people o

the importance and benefts o measures to increase

energy eciency, involving over 1000 young people.

Speaking to students o the secondary school inBogdanci as part o an awareness-raising Energy

Eciency Day, the mayor o the municipality Mr. Risto

Ichkov reinorced the message that the savings to

be gained rom energy eciency can result in better

services or all: Regardless o our social status, he told

the students, we should all worry about saving energy.

This will reduce the need or importing expensive

energy into the country. Thereore, savings rom themunicipal and national budget will be used to meet

the needs o citizens in health, education and culture.

The national Network o Practitioners or Energy and

Energy Eciency o the Association o Local Sel-

Governments (ZELS), resolved to recommended inter-

municipal cooperation and to adopt the best practices

created through the project as a model or overcoming

the challenges aced by municipalities in terms o

insucient unds and lack o competent human

resources or implementing energy eciency at local

level.

The project approach and achievements are being

already replicated within the Vardar Planning Region

where eight municipalities have established a Joint

Unit or energy eciency with two civil servants whowill provide services or all the partner municipalities

involved.

Ti project a ae a ge iferece, a Rito Ataaoki te exectie

irector o a oca oatio or oca eeopet, Wit a bit o efort a goo wi

o a ie, we aticipate witi te icipa Prograe o EE tat CO2 eiiowi be rece b oer 1,200 to i te icipait o Gegeija a oer 15 to i

te icipait o Bogaci, i te perio o tree ear.

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An Interview with Prof. Dimitar Trajanov, PhD, Dean

of the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering

at the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius

Last month saw UNDP and the Faculty o Computer

Science and Engineering launch the frst Regional Hub

or Social Innovation. The main aim o the Hub will

be to make the most o technology to tackle social

challenges and advance human development. To

learn more about the scope o the project, we spoke

with Mr. Dimitar Trajanov, PhD, Dean o the Faculty o

Computer Science and Engineering at the University

o Ss. Cyril and Methodius.

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about theidea behind the Regional Hub or SocialInnovation that has just been launchedby the Faculty o Computer Science andEngineering and UNDP?

Well, the main idea behind the whole project is to

encourage the development o innovative IT solutions

to social and economic problems. The basic support

o this concept is the remarkable strength o countrys

IT industry, which has been outrunning the pace o

development o the overall economy and has become

an engine or growth, innovation and competitiveness.

Given this burgeoning private IT sector, as well as astrong set o available skills and a avourable policy

environment, there is a clear opportunity to create new

Interaces that will overcome obstacles and stimulate

innovation to tackle societal issues. UNDP/Ljubomir Stefanov

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Q: So the idea is to provide a kind ocenter that brings together expertise to

accelerate the development?Thats right, though it should be stressed that the Hub

will seek to draw skills rom a diverse range o sectors

rom undergraduates, rom the private and the public

sector, rom civil society and not just people already

involved in IT but also rom people with know-how

in other relevant felds such as human development.

One o the main aims o the Hub is to acilitate and

oster new partnerships between the private sector,

policy-makers, academics and other players interested

in promoting social innovation. The combination o

skills and expertise in development and IT and other

areas will help take solutions through every stage rom

ideation to prototyping and all the way to scaling up.

The Hub will act as a kind o catalyst or the incubation

o innovative IT solutions to address the most pressing

needs o the populations throughout the region. The

products we develop will be aimed at local, national and

regional level. Some solutions may even be applicable

on a global scale.

Q: Ho ill the Social Innovation Hubhelp tackle unemployment?

One o the key aims o the project is actually to

develop new innovative businesses that generate

employment. And the Hub itsel will provide a number

o young people with the opportunity to gain basic

entrepreneurship experience and upgrade their skills

so they have a better chance to create new startup

businesses. The Hub will also oer internship or

students. In cooperation with the private sector, we willorganize a number o trainings in the areas where there

is a lack o highly qualifed workorce.

Q: The Faculty o Computer Scienceand Engineering ill be UNDPs main

partner in this project. Is this the frstcollaboration you have had ith UNDP?

The Hub project is certainly the biggest project weve

worked on with UNDP. The Faculty has had excellent

cooperation with UNDP beore or example on

the development o the Disaster App and o an SMS

notifcation system or armers in the Prespa Lake

region. Given the success o these small projects, we

decided to join orces and we are now seeking or new

partnerships with the private sector, national and local

government, civil society and with citizens especially

with young people. We hope that this project will

lead to the Hub becoming a major innovation hub

in the country and a catalyst or all citizens interested

in contributing their skills and time to solve social

challenges.

Q: Can you tell us a bit more aboutthe Faculty o Computer Science andEngineering?

The Faculty is the largest and most prestigious aculty in

the feld o computer science and technologies in the

country and one o the leading aculties o its kind in theregion. Our policy o encouraging open collaboration

between academia and industry has made us highly

adept at implementing dierent project ideas. We have

a rich resource o skills to draw on and that has been

reected in the many awards we have gained. Last year,

or example, our students won frst place in Europe and

ourth place in the world in the IEEEXtreme 24-Hour

Programming Competition. And our students also wonfrst place worldwide in the non-game category in the

Samsung Smart App Challenge 2012 competition or

the development o mobile applications.

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DID YOU KNOw?

Over 90% o IT products and services

are exported throughout the world, andthe ICT industry now makes up 4% othe countrys GDP. The IT sector has also

achieved signifcant growth amongst

domestic consumers. Almost 60%o households in the country have

broadband internet access, or example,ith 96% o these households includingyoung people.

Q: Thats very impressive. Do you thinkthat current conditions in the region

are conducive, though, to the idea o aRegional Hub or Social Innovation?

Absolutely, yes. The launching o this initiative could

not have come at a more appropriate time. It ollows

the recent passing by the Government o a national

Law on Innovation, and it is clearly in line with global

trends. There has been a great surge o interest in social

innovation as a way o ostering sustainable growth,

creating jobs and increasing competitive abilities. Social

innovation is having a global impact and helping to

build prosperous societies. I am glad to see that interest

in social innovation exists in the country as well. And I

hope that soon, with the creation o the Hub, we will

be able to make the most o technology to tackle social

challenges and advance human development.


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WhAT Is An InTEGRITy sysTEm?

An integrity system is a comprehensive

set o polices, measures and procedures

established within an organization in

order to strengthen the resistance o that

organization to corruption. Integrity systems

include structured guidelines detailing the

processes or ensuring internal compliancewith established regulations.

The need or integrity systems to combat institutional

corruption has become ever more widely recognized

in recent years with the growing understanding

that corruption is a problem with its roots in the

ineectiveness o institutions. Accordingly, the ocus

o anti-corruption eorts has shited towards thedevelopment o internal integrity inrastructures within

organizations aimed at increasing their resistance to

corruption.

The concept o integrity systems reects the importance

o what happens within individual organizations.

Developing an eective, corruption-resistant and

suciently regulated structure is vital i the adoptiono anti-corruption laws is to have any more than a

negligible impact.

What are INTEGRITY

SYSTEMS all about?

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ThE BEnEITs O InTEGRITy sysTEms

Why introduce integrity systems?

Introducing integrity systems will reap multiple benefts or the country, including

increased greater institutional eectiveness. Financial savings and improved

institutional reputation.

Benefts to the integrity o the public sector

Introducing measures aimed at strengthening integrity in the conduct o business

will contribute to overall integrity in the country and ensure the sustainability o

the Governments anti-corruption eorts. Such measures recognize the act that

corruption invariably involves two parties and address the need or responsibility and

accountability in the private sector.

Corruption undermines the eectiveness o institutions. Reducing pressure rom

corruption in administration will thus result in a strengthening o organizational

eectiveness.

Benefts or the integrity o the private sectorIntroducing integrity systems inevitably entails certain costs. However, these costs will

eventually be more than recuperated as a result o two important actors:

- Less losses due to internal raud and private-to-private corruption

- Greater access to oreign partners who would otherwise be hesitant to invest or

partner with companies that present an internal regulatory risk

Benefts or the economy at macroeconomic level

By reducing regulatory risks or oreign investors interested in doing business in

the country, the introduction o integrity systems (or compliance regimes) will be

particularly encouraging to investors since none o the South-Eastern European

countries or neighboring new European Union member states have yet installed

such a regime. In this sense, integrity systems constitute an important competitive

advantage.

Given the current state o the world economy, lower costs or compliance, due

diligence and lower regulatory risk will indeed make the country more attractive or

oreign investments.

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nInE munICIPAlITIEs ully COmmITTEd TO InTROduCInGInTEGRITy sysTEms!

The comprehensive anti-corruption policies signed by the mayors o Petrovec, Veles, Aerodrom, Gostivar, Strumica,

Gevgelija, Kocani, Kratovo and Brvenica have been developed as part o UNDPs project Strengthening National

and Local Integrity Systemsunded by the Government o Norway and implemented in partnership with the

State Commission or the Prevention o Corruption, the Ministry o Inormation Society and Administration, and the

Association o Units o Local Sel-Government.

This is an innovative initiative with the potential to inspire and embrace many more leaders, says Ljubinka Koraboska,

the President o the State Commission or the Prevention o Corruption, We hope and believe that it will become

standard policy and practice throughout the country at all institutional levels.

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Eradicating domestic violence is only possible with

the help o the media, declared Her Excellency Marrit

Schuurman, Ambassador o the Netherlands, because

the words o journalists have the power to reach

everybodys homes.

Speaking at a recent high-level awareness-raising event

organized by UNDP and UN Women in partnership

with the Ministry o Labour and Social Policy, the Dutch

Ambassador went on to emphasize the need or the

media to adopt a more inormed and inormative

approach to domestic violence.

This is a universal problem, the Ambassador stated,

And when it comes to tackling domestic violence in

the media, it is essential that individual cases are not

considered merely a personal matter but a societal

issue that aects us all. Violence in the amily and the

way it is treated has an especially strong inuence on

children, setting patterns o behaviour that reappear in

the next generations.

Organized as part o the project Preventing Domestic

Violence through Competent National Institutions

and an Accountable and Transparent Judicial System,

UNDP

Taking ondomestic violence a media approach

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the event attracted over 30 journalists and editors, a

number o MPs and Government ministers, as well

as NGO representatives and experts on the issue o

domestic violence. The clear message that emerged

rom the discussion was that only an integrated and jointapproach involving all key stakeholders will be eective

in changing attitudes to domestic violence.

We share a common objective to build a society with

zero tolerance or domestic violence, stated UNDP

Resident Representative a.i. Alessandro Fracassetti,

This objective necessarily involves a undamental

change in public attitudesa task in which the mediahas a key role to play. The media should be encouraged

to approach the problem o domestic violence in its

entirety as opposed to ocusing solely on separate

incidents.

Participants agreed that the media has a crucial role

in the prevention o domestic violence by raising

awareness and educating the public, breaking downprevailing stereotypes and negative patterns o

behavior that can lead to domestic violence. Moreover,

the media can help victims o domestic violence

by publicizing inormation about support services

available.

When reporting on domestic violence, it is vital that

the institutional response be portrayed, said journalist

Snezana Lupevska, though we should remember that

the human touch in the story is also very important

or the audience. Thats why we should portray and

intertwine the two together.

The media need to go deeper in investigating domestic

violence, stated the Minister o Interior, Ms. Gordana

Jankulovska, monitoring and calling to account the

principal actors and agencies involved with this issue.The media needs to practice and demand a coherent,

proactive, transparent and proessional approach to

domestic violence.

Nearly

600vICTImso domestic violence have benefted rom ree

legal aid services.More thaN

3,000PROEssIOnAlsincluding judges, public prosecutors, health

and social workers - have been trained to tackle

cases o domestic violence more eciently.

a NatioNalCOORdInATIvE BOdyhas been established to help prevent domestic

violence..

More thaN

60vICTImso domestic violence have been helped to

set up their own businesses and to acquireadditional education.

awareNess-rasiNg activities have

resulted iN over

70%O ThE POPulATIOnbeing aware o the problem o domestic

violence.

Oer te pat 4 ear, wit ig ro te

Kigo o te netera a te uite

natio, te joit efort o te atioa

itittio, cii ociet orgaizatio a un

agecie ae aciee te oowig ke ret:

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The discussion was inormed by the fndings o a recent study o on the coverage o

domestic violence by the countrys media. The study, carried out between January and

April 2013, analysed over 200 media reports o domestic violence and reached the

ollowing conclusions:

Media coverage and analysis o domestic violence has beeninadequate in terms o social analysis and there is an urgent

need or serious journalistic research o the phenomenon. In

general, a more critical and considered approach is necessary

on the part o the media.

There is an urgent need or more complete coverage o theinstitutional responses to cases o domestic violence, including

the roles and responsibilities o the police and the judiciary.

Greater cooperation is essential between the media and the

Ministry o Labour and Social Policy, the Centres or SocialWork, and judicial institutions. This is necessary to enable a

more inormed and eective approach to the prevention o

domestic violence.

There needs to be more transparency on the part o keyinstitutions involved in tackling domestic violence, especially

in their relations with the media. Institutions need to improve

the timeliness and comprehensiveness o the inormation they

release to the media.

Within the ramework o the project, fnanced by the Government o the Kingdom o

the Netherlands, three more events will take place beore November 2013, including

at local level. These events will urther raise awareness o domestic violence, provoking

discussion and helping to interconnect the wide range o stakeholders involved inpreventing this crime.

0tolerance

fordomesticviolence

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S t st tstg dgsbt gs gs sss t scts:

Approximately 74 percent o greenhouse gasesare emitted by the energy sector. Most o these

emissions come rom the use o lignite to produce

electricity.

Most emissions rom industry originate rom the

processing o mineral and metal products, with the

cement industry and the production o erroalloys

responsible or over 90 percent o total emissions.

Emissions rom the waste sector account or seven

percent o total national emissions. The average

share o the waste sector in national emissions in

developed countries is two to three percent.

The countrys orests absorb 1.77 million tons o

carbon dioxide each year. In 2007, however, some

39,612 hectares o orests and grassland wereaected by fre, resulting in signifcantly higher

emissions

GreenhouSe GaS emiSSionS:

Dt tt ks dfc!

The inormation in this database will be invaluable or

policy-makers in their eorts to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions and mitigate the eects o climate change.

The level o data accuracy has signifcantly improved

and or the frst time many new sectors have been

included.

Aviation is one o the new sectors included, with data

on emissions at a level o detail and accuracy only

achieved by a ew developed countries in the world.

A new inventory of national greenhouse gas emissions has just been launched by the

Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, developed to help the country meet the

requirements of the International Convention on Climate Change.

UNDP34


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Wy s ts dtbs ptt?

By presenting the proportion o emissions produced

by each sector o the economy, the inventoryprovides valuable inormation or prioritizing

eorts and designing technical solutions to reduce

greenhouse gases.

Altogether, the inventory provides important

guidance or policy-makers to reduce emissions

and help inorm the public and media debate on

this issue.

Reliable greenhouse gas inventories are essential at

the international level or assessing national eorts

to address climate change and make progress

towards meeting the ultimate objective o the

Convention on Climate Change.

Cps wt t cts The country has 1.7 times lower emissions per

capita than the European Union average, and

emissions are nearly our times lower than highly

industrialized countries like the US.

This level o emissions per person is similar to rates

in Latvia and Turkey. Another relevant indicator is energy intensity.

According to the greenhouse gas inventory, the

countrys carbon intensity is 4.3 times higher than

the average in European Union countries.

The development o the inventory was possible

because o the support o the Ministry o

Environment and Physical Planning, and the closecooperation with many other governmental

institutions and private companies.

Where Do GreenhouSe GaS

emiSSionS Come From:

74%ENERGY SECTOR

13%AGRICULTURE

SECTOR

6%INDUSTRIALPROCESSES

7%

WASTE

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Development is about people and Development Stories brings people and their stories

to the orerontthe people e ork or and the people e ork ith.

Through intervies and eature stories, nes and revies o all our latest projects, and

interesting acts rom UNDP-backed research, this magazine brings our development

ork to lie.

Cotact :

uite natio deeopet PrograeAre: 8-a uara Brigaa 2

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Te: (+389 2) 3 249 500

ax: (+389 2) 3 249 505

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Summer 2013

development stories, undp skopje, issue 4, summer 2013

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