With the selection of three new regional civil society experts, the Civic Resource Centre (CRC) is expanding its outreach and support at local level, specifically in the Northeast, Southeast, and Vardar regions.
In May 2026, Žaklina Cvetkovska, Stole Georgiev, and Gjorgji Nanchev began their activities as regional civil society experts, who will act as resource focal points of the CRC in providing support, communication, and strengthening of local organisations. They were selected through an open Call for the selection of regional civil society experts.
The selected experts, as an integral part of the CRC National platform of civil society support providers, will provide resources, guidance, and support at local level, aimed at improving the capacities of CSOs in their respective regions and beyond. They will foster cooperation and networking among CSOs as well as with other stakeholders, and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices among CSOs.
Žaklina Cvetkovska is the regional expert for the Northeast region.
She has over 25 years of experience in civil society and more than 30 years of experience in journalism and media. In addition, she has around 15 years of experience in delivering trainings, facilitation, and mentoring in various areas such as visibility and public relations, advocacy and policy development, as well as in the sectors of local economic development and gender issues.
“As a regional expert of the CRC, my task is to practically support CSOs in building stronger capacities and becoming more visible in the public sphere. Through targeted mentoring and guidance, the aim is for organisations to become more effective, more sustainable, and significantly more visible, so that they can increase their impact on social change,” stated Žaklina Cvetkovska at the start of her engagement.
Stole Georgiev is the regional expert for the Southeast region.
With more than 20 years of experience in civil society at local level, he has solid experience in several sectors, including environment protection, local economic development, and youth. He has strong knowledge of the local context and local organisations in the Southeast region and beyond, and delivers trainings and mentoring in the areas of networking, advocacy, and policy development.
“I believe that strong local communities and active civil society organisations are key to sustainable development, civic participation, and creating better living conditions in the Southeast Region” stated Stole Georgiev at the start of his engagement.
Gjorgji Nanchev is the regional expert for the Vardar region.
With more than 20 years of experience in civil society, with a focus on youth and local economic development, he has significant experience in strengthening local organisations in the youth sector and establishing youth centres at local level. He has implemented a number of capacity-building activities for organisations and young people in the areas of fundraising, networking and partnership building, organisational development, and advocacy. He has solid knowledge of the local context and local organisations in the Vardar region and beyond.
“It is a great honour and pleasure for me, as a regional expert within the CRC, to share my knowledge and contribute through professional consultations and appropriate resources for CSOs. Only through strengthening capacities, stability, and increased activity of CSOs can their role in driving changes in society be achieved,” stated Gjorgji Nanchev at the start of his engagement.
The CRC capacity-building programme for regional experts, aimed at ensuring high-quality delivery of their services, was implemented online on 4 May 2026, after which a work plan for 2026 was developed.
They are joining Anita Gagovska and Zlatko Talevski, regional experts for the Southwest and Pelagonia Regions, who have been providing continuous support to local organisations in their respective regions and beyond for more than a year, contributing to strengthening, networking, and development of local organisations.
The activities of the CRC regional resource focal points are part of the project “EU Support to the Civil Society Resource Centre – Phase 2”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Foundation Civic Resource Centre, the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation, Media Plus – Štip, and the Association for Democratic Initiatives (ADI) – Gostivar.
