Skopje, 27 April 2023 (MIA) – Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi held a meeting Thursday with the United Nations’ Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia, Rossana Dudziak, discussing the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) with which North Macedonia’s human rights record will be reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council, as well as the marking of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

According to a Parliament press release, Resident Coordinator Dudziak expressed gratitude over the successful cooperation with North Macedonia’s Parliament and underscored Parliament’s key role in the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Dudziak said that the UN Human Rights Council will assess the UPR for North Macedonia in April 2024 in Geneva, which will be preceded by the drafting of the fourth national report. Dudziak added that an interactive dialogue will be held with active stakeholders in the field of human rights, with the goal of greater inclusivity, transparency and comprehensiveness in the drafting process of the national report and the parallel shadow report by civil society.

Additionally, the Resident Coordinator stressed that a UN representative in charge of the country’s UPR is expected to visit North Macedonia in June 2023, which represents an excellent opportunity for a public debate over Parliament’s role in the protection of human rights.

Speaker Xhaferi said he will insist that Parliament is appropriately included in the working body for the drafting of the national report, as well as in the presentation of the UPR.

Underscoring the significance of the UDHR, Xhaferi voiced his readiness to mark the 75th anniversary of the Declaration by holding an event in Parliament in cooperation with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office.

Xhaferi and Dudziak concluded that North Macedonia has achieved a lot in the promotion of human rights, especially in the fields of gender issues and the rights of persons with disabilities, they agreed that Parliament, with its participation in the coming activities, can contribute to the raising of the country’s image and highlight the progress achieved in the field of human rights.

Photo: Parliament of North Macedonia