National Action Plan 1325:
North Macedonia is in the fourth year of implementing its second Action Plan 1325 on Women, Peace and Security for the period 2020-2025.1 In early 2023, the Ministry of Defence, with the help of the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), took the first steps to prepare a gender self-assessment.2
Participation of women in the MoDs and the Armed Forces:
According to Minister Slavjanka Petrovska, the results of the Ministry’s work in promoting gender equality are visible, because in the last competition for the admission of cadets at the Military Academy, 14 of the 35 accepted cadets were women.3 The long-term effects of gender policies are yet to be seen, but as of 2023, women make up 10 percent of the active personnel in the Army, of which 20% are officers, 13% non-commissioned officers and 6% enlisted personnel. Compared to the official statistics from 2022,4 there is a decline in female civilians as less than one third of women (29%) work as civilian personnel in the army.
There is a veiled criticism in the Albanian media that the North Macedonian Army does not fully reflect the diversity in the society. According to the Euronews Albania reports, “Albanian women in the Army of North Macedonia are located mainly in the unit of professional soldiers, where out of 5.8% of women in total, only 1.6% are Albanian”.5
Representation of women in command and leadership positions:
North Macedonia is currently the only country in the region that has appointed a woman the Minister of Defence. Still, the share of women in command and management positions in the Ministry of Defence and the Army is 19%. According to the Army officials, the trend of enhancing the representation of women in the Army structure continues, especially in the officer ranks, since there are 3 colonels and 33 lieutenant-colonels in the Army.6 In addition, the number of female majors, captains and lieutenants is considered satis-factory by the Army officials.
Participation of women in peacekeeping operations:
The participation of women in military operations is 4% of female personnel assigned to UN, EU and NATO-led missions, which is a slight decrease compared to the last year research. 7
- https://www.globalwps.org/data/MKD/files/2020-2025.pdf
- Ministry of Defence, Gender self-assessment in the Ministry of Defence and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, 17 February 2023, https://mod.gov.mk/gender-self-assessment-in-the-ministry-of-defense-and-the-army-of-the-republic-of-north-macedonia/
- Republic of North Macedonia, Ministry of Defence, „Petrovska at the conference on gender equality and the OSCE perspective: women in security are not just numbers, they are value and quality,“ 6 September 2023, https://mod.gov.mk/petrovska-nakonferencija-rodova-ednakvost-osce-06-09-2023/
- Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, „Brave Macedonian women for whom the Army is a guarantee of peace and security of the state,“ 8 March 2023, https://mil.mk/military-stories/hrabri-makedonki-armijata-za-niv-e-garantiranje-na-mirot-i-sigurnosta-na-drzhavata/?lang=en
- Euronews Albania, “The only Albanian female soldier in N. Macedonia, part of the army for more than 15 years,” 9 March 2023, https://euronews.al/en/the-only-albanian-female-soldier-in-n-macedonia-part-of-the-army-for-more-than-15-years/
- Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, „Brave Macedonian women for whom the Army is a guarantee of peace and security of the state,“ 8 March 2023, https://mil.mk/military-stories/hrabri-makedonki-armijata-za-niv-e-garantiranje-na-mirot-i-sigurnosta-na-drzhavata/?lang=en
- Balkan Defence Monitor, Women in Defence System, North Macedonia, 2023, https://balkandefencemonitor.com/women-in-defence-system-north-macedonia-2023/