“National Rural Parliament as a voice of rural citizens” is a 30 month EU-funded project, launched on 1 March 2017. The project is being implemented by CNVP as lead organization together with its partners “Rural Development Network of Macedonia” and “Action for Rural Development”.

The project is expected to: strengthen the influence of civil society on local public policies through support for rural CSOs in joint advocacy and lobbying with local/national authorities; enhance management and research capacity; and contribute to the creation of strategic partnerships.

The action will involve rural CSOs from Macedonia’s 8 planning regions, including youth, women, minorities and ethnic groups. The main methods of working will be training, coaching and learning-by-doing, in order to empower rural CSOs to be actively involved in decision-making processes and increase their voice in society. The project team will ensure inclusiveness and a balanced approach to gender issues.

The main target groups include a minimum of 40 grass root CSOs working in rural areas, with a minimum of 5 CSOs from each planning region. Final beneficiaries are people living in rural areas, estimated to be more than 1 million inhabitants.

The project has four expected results:

1. Enhanced transfer of know-how among rural CSOs related to rural challenges and decision making - This will be achieved by: strengthening the exchange of best practices among rural CSOs; creating a register of active CSOs working in rural development; and sharing information through e-bulletins and an updated webpage related to rural development.
2. Built management capacity of rural CSOs to lead rural development processes – This will be achieved by training rural CSOs on topics covering: the management of cross-sector partnerships; rural development issues; and the provision of a sub-granting scheme to enhance cooperation and networking.
3. Developed research and analysis skills of rural CSOs – This will be achieved by providing training on: research and policy formulation; coaching; and the preparation of policy briefs on topics related to rural development.
4. Facilitated effective dialogue between rural CSOs and local/ national government – This will be achieved by: conducting a survey to identify topics relevant for rural CSOs; organising workshops to define priority issues; and, finally, holding a “National Rural Parliament”.