President Pendarovski and UNICEF launch ‘Reimagine the Future’ initiative

Skopje, 8 February 2021: President Pendarovski and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today announced a new joint initiative ‘Reimagine the Future’ to give children and young people the space to engage in defining the vision they want for their future and future generations.

Over the next three months, young people will be given the chance to join consultations to discuss issues that matter to them, their biggest challenges, hopes for the future of the country and the space to propose solutions to turn the vision into reality.

“The youth of today face numerous challenges. Hence, they are also the most informed generation in our history, digital natives, who have the unique opportunity to contribute to their future. It is our duty to hear their views, because their ideas matter. We should help them become part of the processes of designing policies and decision-making which affect theirs, and also our common future” said President Stevo Pendarovski.  

There are close to 190.000 adolescents in the country aged 12 – 19, yet few have the chance to participate in decisions that affect their lives, future livelihoods, and their communities. Quality education, mental health, cyberviolence, climate action, migration and jobs have been among the top priorities of young people before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new initiative focuses on reimagining a better and fairer post-COVID-19 future for every child and young person in the country.

“What we do for, together with and on behalf of children and young people today, will determine their tomorrow. This joint initiative comes at a pivotal moment and represents a unique opportunity to reimagine the future together with children and young people. It will empower them to become agents of change on a broad set of issues and will also allow us to tap into the enormous potential for innovation and transformation that young people can offer when supported by the right platforms, skills and confidence to be leaders in their country,” said Patrizia DiGiovanni, UNICEF Representative

Young people are invited to take part in the first online survey which aims to map the challenges faced by young people, but also to reveal the ideas and visions of young people about their future. The findings of the survey will inform the themes of the workshops in the following months and young people will be invited to join through an open call.

For more information, please contact:

Cabinet of the President:

Katerina Canevska, tel: +389 76 455 546, Katerina.canevska@presidentoffice.mk UNICEF

Suzie Pappas, tel: +389 72 2236725, spappas@unicef.org

Irina Ivanovska, tel: +389 72 236 722, iivanovska@unicef.org