Macedonia
Skopje, Macedonia, was the second stop on Peace Counts' "Tour de Paix." Uli Jäger and Ana Mijic of the Institution for Peace Education in Tübingen (IFT) and Tilman Wörtz (Peace Counts, Zeitenspiegel Agency) introduced the "Peace Builders Around the World" exhibition and conducted ten days of workshops in peace education.
The local partner was the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), whose "Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje," initiated in 1992, is its longest-running project. Macedonia is considered a model for successful nonviolent conflict resolution, due in part to the work of organizations like OSCE. At the same time, tensions are still high, and the parties working for peace continue to require internal and external support and encouragement. An outbreak of violence in 2001 that pitted Albanian rebels against Macedonian police was contained through the combined efforts of NATO, the EU, and OSCE. Giving in to international pressure, the combatants signed the Ohrid Framework Agreement that pledges to improve the situation for minorities with the aid of numerous constitutional amendments.
The reforms suggested in the Ohrid Agreement have not, however, been universally welcomed. The Macedonian majority regards them as an affront to their national rights, since they call for affirmative action on behalf of ethnic Albanians. In the end the agreement broadened the rift between the two groups. The educational is widely considered a key culprit in sustaining ethnic division. Once mixed schools were segregated, and the teaching staff is highly politicized. Meanwhile, knowledge of the country's official language, Macedonian, is on the wane among Albanians. The mixed schools that remain lack adequately trained staff. The segregation between the two groups leads to prejudice and hostility even among young children as well as negative social behaviors.
A further issue with the Ohrid Agreement is its failure to address the Romany population. As in many southern and eastern European nations, they are among Macedonia?s most heavily discriminated minorities. Despite the agreement, the situation can only be described as tense, with 30 percent unemployment posing a further challenge to societal stability.