At the Centre for Social Enterprises, on 27 May a meeting was held on support of social enterprises by the state and the donor community. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Jovanka Trenchevska, together with the EU Ambassador, David Gere, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, José Luis Lozano García, the representatives of the embassies of the Republic of Poland and Bulgaria, and representatives of other embassies, international and national organizations that support the development of social entrepreneurship in North Macedonia.
The main focus of the meeting was the process of development of social financial instruments and funding opportunities that are appropriate to the needs of social enterprises, i.e. the development of programs for preparation of social enterprises for investments.
Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska stressed that social enterprises create equal opportunities and create an equal society, contribute to environmental and economic development and reduce poverty among the most vulnerable. She informed that this autumn they will prepare the first report on the implementation of the National Strategy for Social Enterprises and the Action Plan.
“The National Strategy for Social Enterprises adopted last year by the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia lays the foundations and basic postulates for the development of social enterprises, their recognition in society and measures for their economic sustainability. The National Strategy for Social Enterprises is the backbone of the eco-system that we are building as a Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in cooperation with all interested parties, including the donor community, civil society, the private sector and institutions in the Government. The implementation of this Strategy is also complemented by a national coordinating mechanism for monitoring its implementation. This autumn we will prepare the first report on the implementation of the Strategy and the Action Plan. The focus of social enterprises, in addition to economic activities and the creation of good and services, is to create social goods and ensure the socio-economic empowerment of the individual and the family, while preserving their dignity by ensuring their participation in decision-making, in the distribution of profits and in the implementation of the social mission,” Minister Trenchevska said.
She stressed that the MLSP as a creator and generator of social policies together with social entrepreneurs showed that there is no difficult or easy process, but only whether there is or not understanding and good will. The ongoing European Union-funded Project “Support of Social Enterprises”, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, provides support for the creation of infrastructure, legal documents, promotion and opportunities for financial support of social enterprises.
European Union Ambassador David Gere thanked the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and all active stakeholders for initiating such a discussion, pointing out that only by working together real results can be achieved.
Gere noted that social enterprises are real, fully sustainable companies, which employ people who would otherwise be out of work, out of money, and perhaps without a future.
“I am happy that North Macedonia is working on the development of social entrepreneurship, and the EU delegation will continue to support this process and assist the government in preparing a national strategy for development of this type of entrepreneurship,” Ambassador Gere added.
To conclude the event, the documentary “Barca – Source of Life” was presented, showing enthusiasm for social entrepreneurship as a real and possible model of solidarity economy, selfless support that changes life and destinies and restores smile, happiness and confidence.
You can view the documentary on our Youtube channel, at the link https://youtu.be/2aSvt3q99dU.
