The National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) was established in 2010 as an advisory
body of the Government with a mission to create and maintain conditions for implementation of the
"National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2009-2030".
On 13 February 2024, the Council was reformed into the National Development Council (NDC) -
a permanent advisory body to the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia responsible for
organizing the preparation of the National Development Strategy 2024–2044 and its Implementation Program.
The Council is chaired by the Prime Minister, or, in their absence, a Deputy Prime Minister proposed by them.
Members of the Council include:
- The Prime Minister and their deputies
- One representative from the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of North Macedonia
- One representative from the Cabinet of the President of the Assembly
- The coordinators of parliamentary groups and one Member of Parliament from political parties represented in the Assembly that are not organized in a parliamentary group
- The Minister of Finance
- The Minister of Economy
- The Minister of Defence
- The President of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
- The Secretary General of the Government
- One representative from each of the following:
- Economic Chamber of North Macedonia
- Economic Chamber for Information and Communication Technologies
- Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia
- Macedonian Chambers of Commerce
- The President of the Association of the Units of Local Self-Government
- The Presidents of the eight Councils for Development of Planning Regions
- One representative from the representative trade unions
- Representatives from higher education institutions, with specialization in strategic development, economy, social development, and environmental protection, nominated by public universities
- Three representatives of associations nominated by the Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society, of which at least one must be from associations working in the area of protection of marginalized groups
- Two youth representatives nominated by the National Youth Council
As a broad platform of key national stakeholders, the National Development Council forms part of the GCF-related
country coordination mechanism in North Macedonia. It provides an opportunity to review all aspects of
proposed investments to the Green Climate Fund and to make informed decisions aligned with the needs
and expectations of all stakeholders. A particular added value of the Council is its role as a platform
for awareness raising on climate change and SDG-related topics.
The NDC has the following roles:
- Verify the prioritization process within the GCF Country Work Programme
- Assist the NDA in stakeholder coordination
- Assist the NDA in awareness raising on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals
Additionally, the NDC has established two auxiliary bodies:
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Steering Committee – Ensures strategic and partnership cooperation between the Council and the international community, international financial institutions, and donors. Its members include the Prime Minister or a Deputy Prime Minister proposed by them, and the Minister of Finance.
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Working Committee – Provides expert and technical support to the Council. It includes representatives from government bodies, public institutions, associations, the economy, and higher education institutions.