Publisher: Euro-Atlantic Council of North Macedonia

Volume: 31 pages, pdf

Description:

The adverse impact of disinformation has gained momentum in the new reality in North Macedonia that is largely a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation with COVID-19 has demonstrated that the societies are immensely vulnerable to the vast amount of information that is often received by the population without deeper deliberation and evaluation. The distorted and made up stories that can take the form of misinformation, disinformation or fake news have huge potential to undermine democracy, the legal and political order and the capacities of the authorities and institutions to effectively deal with the crises such as pandemics. The situation with COVID-19 in North Macedonia has left many questions opened and unexplored including what measures should be taken for the demystification of false stories in times of emergencies, whether there is foreign influence behind such practices, whether the general perceptions were changed with regard to NATO and the West during the pandemic and what has been done so far to tackle the threat of disinformation and hostile information activities in North Macedonia and the effectiveness of the employed measures. The youth constitute an important component and an integral part of the democratic, economic and social processes in each society. They are often seen and recognized as a driver of democratic changes, reforms and transformations that move the society forward. The youth is a category of the population that is very important for the future of every country, given the fact that it represents a potential that will be present on the social scene in the coming decades, giving back to the community what was invested in it. Therefore, the Euro-Atlantic Council of North Macedonia has initiated mainly a youth project action that directly aligns to NATO priorities since its primary purpose is to reduce the unselective receipt of disinformation and to build long-term societal resilience in North Macedonia through education and informative tools and techniques, was of immense importance. The project is designed to contribute directly to the achievement of the goals and priorities of the young people and to empower them to impact on positive and progressive chang.