Menarchik Views Progress on Tour of USAID/Macedonia Projects
Cooperation with the U.S. military and private-public partnership were two major themes of Dr. Douglas Menarchik’s tour of Macedonia, which included visits to projects representing each of USAID/Macedonia’s three strategic objectives. Menarchik was recently confirmed as USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia.
The focus of Menarchik’s first day in Macedonia was education. He spent time with Roma high school students who facilitated a discussion on ethnic minorities and education. The Assistant Administrator went on to address a huge crowd at South East European University’s (SEEU) graduation ceremony. The first private higher education institution in Macedonia, SEEU was established in November 2001 in Tetovo. As its largest donor, USAID has helped SEEU become a top notch, multi-ethnic university where more than 6,000 students now receive instruction in Albanian, Macedonian, and English.
Democracy, governance, and rule of law were covered on the following two days, which encompassed visits to local mayors and decentralization projects and the inauguration of a new court facility in Ohrid. While in Ohrid, the Assistant Administrator took a sightseeing excursion with a guide from ExploringMacedonia.com, a private for-profit company representing the Macedonian tourism industry, set up as a joint venture through a USAID project. Menarchik returned to Skopje to visit a new Crisis Management Center with representatives of the U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation, USAID’s partner in this endeavor. The evening ended with a dinner hosted by the U.S. Ambassador and attended by members of the Government of Macedonia, U.S. Government military and defense teams, and NATO representatives, which featured a briefing on Macedonia’s progress towards NATO membership.
The final, busy day of the Assistant Administrator’s trip focused on economic growth. He visited a high-tech service center created through USAID support to serve the garment and textile industry, and lunched with industry representatives. Before departing, Menarchik observed USAID’s two Global Development Activity-funded projects: a for-profit recycling center and a building site where former military barracks are being converted into a complex for digital post production, animation, and gaming companies.
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| The Assistant Administrator was a commencement speaker at SEEU’s 2007
graduation |
Menarchik makes paper using traditional methods while on a tour of Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage Site |
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