International and National Legal Framework for Human Rights for Macedonia

The principal objective of this document aims at providing a broad and yet clear overview of the relevant norms and standards set by international and domestic law for human rights protection in Macedonia. In light of Macedonia’s efforts to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Government’s commitment to the EU integration process, which includes continuous review of human rights protection, this document therefore seeks to: • Support the identification of human rights challenges, which constitute obstacles to local and national development planning and implementation processes; • Clarify the role of rights holders and duty bearers, the responsibilities and competences of local/national government and of other local stakeholders, and at the same time to show the need for cooperation and partnerships for joint action by those stakeholders; • Support the identification of groups of the population in particular difficult/excluded/ marginalized situations; • Promote awareness and understanding of human rights principles, show the comprehensiveness of a human rights approach based on civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights with special emphasis on women’s rights and children’s rights and contribute to a “culture of respect for human rights