
Latest Blogs
A selection of blogs from across the Federation

Celebrating a decade of the Istanbul Convention: progress and challenges
As we mark the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention, this is an opportunity to reflect on the profound impact and continuing challenges associated with this groundbreaking treaty.
04 April 2019
The North Macedonian Parliament adopted a law on March 14, 2019, that makes dignified, women-focused abortion care a reality. The new law puts women’s needs at the heart of the system, dismantling many of the obstacles that until now undermined their reproductive autonomy and made it difficult to access basic health care.
20 July 2018
Just off a highway in downtown Skopje, a middle-aged man stamps his feet before a door. He is here to pick up clean needles from a drop-in centre run by HOPS, an NGO that provides drug users and sex workers with clean needles, contraception, information and advice.
20 July 2018
Back in 2004, Zoran Jordanov decided that someone needed to take action to support Macedonia’s LGBTI community and open up access to sexual health services. He began to look into issues of HIV prevalence and the importance of prevention.
20 July 2018
When Mihaela (not her real name) was six years old, her father sent her onto the streets to scavenge for fo
01 December 2017
Whether marginalised because of sexuality, gender identity, occupation or ethnicity, many vulnerable people in Macedonia turn to NGOs for sexual health services, as well as legal advice and support, education, employment guidance, food and clothes.
01 December 2017
Young people in Macedonia are some of the worst affected by HIV. Around 0.1 per cent of people aged 15-24 are HIV positive, 14 times more than the general population. A lack of sexuality education, media silence around HIV, taboos about sex and sexuality, staunchly conservative social norms, and discrimination towards LGBTI people play a role in disrupting access to knowledge and services.
