In 2007, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the first Strategy for Cooperation of the Government with the Civil Society and the Action Plan 2007-2011. There, the Government emphasized the importance of the civil society in general, thereby setting the ground for its cooperation with CSOs and took a systematic approach in strengthening the basic conditions for a faster and more efficient development of this sector. The Strategy refers to the cooperation with associations and foundations, as part of the wider civil society sector, with the aim of ensuring inclusive 
process and engagement of the civil society in policy making processes. In the period following the adoption of the Strategy, a number of activities were undertaken, each with the aim of implementing the goals and measures and strengthening the sector. Following the example of that Strategy, a number of other strategies and documents were adopted, through which institutions on both a national and local level expressed their commitments to develop certain areas important for the work of the civil society and to include CSOs in inter-sectorial initiatives.

The main goal of the study is to inspect the mechanisms for cross-sectoral cooperation and dialogic mechanisms at the local level and on that basis to make a series of recommendations for further development of the methodology and transparent system of financial and non-financial support for CSOs, at the local level. Effective, functional and sustainable mechanisms for cooperation are a key precondition for creating an enabling environment for active participation of civil society and civic activism at the local level. These principles, of course, include basic principles: respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, respect for basic democratic principles, political engagement, clear procedures, and open space for dialogue and encouragement of conditions for an energetic, pluralistic and sustainable civil society.

This publication is prepared for the needs of the Institute for Human Rights "Ludwig Boltzmann" - BIM-FV, Skopje, within the project "Social Inclusion and Human Rights in Macedonia". The project aims to address the human rights-based approach to poverty reduction and social exclusion at the national and local levels, which includes identifying vulnerable groups, their direct involvement in decision-making processes that will affect their lives, such as and establishing a system for monitoring and accountability of holders of liabilities. The subject of this analysis was determining the situation, ie the needs in terms of social inclusion at the local level in the following six municipalities: Stip, Prilep, Kicevo, Saraj, Caska and Radovish.