Work in this thematic area focuses on prisons and police (including human rights in policing, healthcare in prisons and safeguards against torture and ill-treatment), human rights standards in the judiciary (focusing on enhancing the application of case-law of the European Court of Human Rights), the efficiency of justice systems (with a focus on analysing judicial statistics to optimise court administrations) and/or legal co-operation (which concentrate on increasing the individual independence of judges and prosecutors and the accountability of the judicial system).

Back Youth in North Macedonia invited to share their vision on justice and equality in drawing and essay competition

North Macedonia 29 September 2025
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Youth in North Macedonia invited to share their vision on justice and equality in drawing and essay competition

The Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje, is once again marking the European Day of Justice in  North Macedonia, this time with a drawing and essay competition, under the slogan “Let’s bring justice closer to the citizens”. This initiative invites children and young people from North Macedonia, to reflect on the importance of equal access to justice for all, without discrimination. Through creative expression of visual art, participants are encouraged to share their vision of justice, fairness, human rights as well as combating hatred and intolerance. The competition will be opened from 29 September – 25 October 2025 and all qualified drawings will be exhibited to the public in an open event on 20 November 2025, and the qualified drawings will be published in a booklet, as well as online.

The European Day of Justice, celebrated each year around 25 October, aims to bring justice closer to citizens, by informing them on their rights and promoting the work of the European Union and Council of Europe in the field of access to justice. Since 2020, the European Day of Justice is marked in North Macedonia with public events and other activities that are organised with the support of the joint EU and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.

This year’s competition provides a platform for children, young artists, and aspiring writers to highlight how justice can empower people, strengthen equality, and combat discrimination and intolerance.

By engaging the creativity and ideas of young people, this competition will not only celebrate talent and art but will also inspire a new generation of young people to value justice, equality, and human rights. It is a reminder that building a fair and equal society begins with self-awareness — and that every citizen, no matter their age, has a role to play in bringing justice closer to all.

Submissions can be made either by delivering the physical artwork to the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje or by emailing your work.

 

For detailed information on this initiative please download the leaflet.

 

 

Actions under theme i: ensuring justice
  • Strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice in Albania - Phase III  
  • Supporting enforcement of judicial decisions and facilitating execution of ECtHR judgments in Albania           
  • Enhancing the protection of human rights of prisoners in Albania  
  • Strengthening human rights treatment of detained persons based on European standards and best practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina  
  • Strengthening the quality and efficiency of justice in Kosovo* -  Phase II  
  • Accountability of the judicial system in Montenegro - Phase II  
  • Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro  
  • Further enhancing human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Montenegro  
  • Strengthening independence and accountability of the judiciary in Serbia  
  • Strengthening the effective legal remedies to human rights violations in Serbia  
  • Enhancing the human rights protection for detained and sentenced persons in Serbia  
  • Supporting enhanced access to higher quality Free Legal Aid services in North Macedonia  
  • Enhancing the capacities of the penitentiary system and the external oversight mechanism in North Macedonia                                                                                                                                                                                                 
  • Supporting the implementation and reporting on the Action Plan on Human Rights in Turkey  
  • Judicial training institutes for Quality and Sustainability in the Western Balkans 
  • Initiative for legal certainty in the Western Balkans  
  • Enhancing penitentiary capacities in addressing radicalisation in prisons in the Western Balkans  
  • Towards a better evaluation of the results of judicial reform efforts in the Western Balkans  
  • Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) in the Western Balkans 
  • PACE cooperation with the parliamentary assemblies with a view to achieving legislative improvements in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia 

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.