site.btaTogether for Inclusive Municipality Project Launched in Stip with Bulgarian Development Aid Support

The Together for an Inclusive Municipality project, financed by Bulgarian Development Aid, was launched on Wednesday by the Handicap Plus NGO in partnership with the Municipality of Stip, North Macedonia. The project aims to drive social change at the local level, initiated by persons with disabilities, to ensure more transparent, accountable, and inclusive governance. Its specific objectives focus on promoting the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through the active involvement of people with disabilities in local decision-making.

Brankica Dimitrovska, Chair of Handicap Plus, noted that this is the third project the organization has carried out under Bulgarian Development Aid. “As a result of our previous two projects, the Municipality of Kriva Palanka became the first in the country to adapt its regulations into Braille, and a Council on Disability Issues was established,” she said.

Bulgarian Ambassador to North Macedonia Zhelyazko Radukov highlighted the project’s broader significance. “It is important not only for the people it directly addresses but also for society as a whole. The immense human and intellectual potential of persons with disabilities, once included, will contribute to a better future,” he said.

Elena Kocovska, an expert on disability and human rights, explained that a survey has already been carried out under the project to assess Stip’s accessibility for people with disabilities. The study examined parking areas, public bus transport, outdoor walkways, elevators, doors, toilets, and the presence of ramps at institutional entrances. Each site has been marked with “Accessible” or “Not Accessible” stickers, depending on the conditions provided for persons with disabilities, she said.