To mark International Human Rights Day, the Council of Europe Programme Office, with support from the European Union, organised an event to highlight the importance of equal access to justice and its positive impact on the people of North Macedonia. The event also featured the announcement of the winners of the visual art competition “Let’s Bring Justice Closer to the Citizens!”

Opening the event, which brought together public officials, key beneficiaries, partners and citizens, North Macedonia’s Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov, emphasized that the Ministry of Justice will continue its dedicated efforts to create conditions for a strong and effective judicial system in which all citizens can feel secure and treated fairly. "To achieve this, we must work together – institutions, organizations, and every individual alike." He highlighted that during the period from January 1 to October 31, 2024, the Ministry of Justice provided primary legal assistance to 2,360 individuals who sought it. During this period, 238 requests from citizens for secondary legal assistance were reviewed.

In her remarks, Lilja Gretarsdottir, Head of the Department for the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards at the Council of Europe underlined that by providing free legal aid to those who are in particularly vulnerable situations, "we can all, together, contribute to a more just society and a better Europe where justice is accessible to everyone, without discrimination.”

Ben Nupnau, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia, noted that access to justice is a fundamental right, which means that it should be available to everybody, including to those that cannot afford to pay for it. North Macedonia has improved its system of providing free legal aid with the adoption of the Law on Free Legal Aid. However, there are still areas for improvement: mainly limited awareness and insufficient funding for free legal aid, to which authorities should give priority. The EU will stay engaged and help to bring justice closer to citizens.  

Kire Ilioski, Director for multilateral relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, emphasized that next year we will mark 30 years of membership in the Council of Europe, an organization which is synonym with human rights. Since 2017, we have been an observer country in the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and this year, we have also earned the trust to be elected for the second time as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the period 2025–2027. All these external activities are undoubtedly an incentive for further action in the field of human rights on the domestic front, in accordance with the commitments undertaken.

Jelena Ristikj - Vice President of the Bar Association stressed the critical role of lawyers in providing free legal aid and their responsibility to help citizens achieve justice.

Participants at the event had the opportunity to visit the exhibition of the selected photos and drawings from the visual art competition “Let’s bring justice closer to the citizens”. Launched in October to mark the European Day of Justice, the competition aimed to engage young people in advocating for equal justice and human rights protection aligned with the European standards.

The exhibition also featured artwork by persons with disabilities, underscoring the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the justice system.

After the panel discussion, the winners of the photo and drawing competition were announced.

Photo Competition

• 1^st prize - Nina Velinovska
•  2^nd & 3^rd prize - Ivana Hristova

Drawing Competition

Ages 6-12:

• 1^st Prize - Mirsadet Selmani
• 2^nd Prize - Matea Bachvarov
• 3^rd Prize - Ana Apostolova

Ages 12-18:

• 1^st Prize - Safet Sherich
• 2^nd Prize - Alen Bekir
• 3^rd Prize - Rubija Bajram

The winning photos and drawings can be viewed HERE.

The event is organised in the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, a co-operation initiative to assist beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to comply with the European standards.

For more information, please contact:
Sinisa Pekevski , tel. +38971386091

Irena Cuculoska Jakimovska ,  tel. + 389 70 900 236

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.