International Futures Training in North Macedonia | Pardee Institute

March 2025 | Skopje, North Macedonia

The Frederick S. Pardee Institute for International Futures at the University of Denver recently led a week-long training in Skopje, North Macedonia. The training helped government officials, researchers, and development practitioners use the Institute’s flagship International Futures (IFs) forecasting system to support the country’s National Development Strategy (2024–2044).

Taylor Hanna, Associate Director of Development Analysis at the Pardee Institute, led the training. Eleven participants joined from the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Faculty of Economics in Skopje, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of North Macedonia, the General Secretariat of the Government, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) North Macedonia. In addition, Aleksandar Stojkov of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University provided local support for the workshop.

The training builds upon Pardee's longstanding collaboration with UNDP North Macedonia. After supporting the development of the country's National Development Strategy using the International Futures model, the Institute returned to help ensure that local institutions have the capacity to use IFs independently for evidence-based planning, policy analysis, and long-term forecasting.

Throughout the week, participants received hands-on instruction covering installation of the IFs platform, data review and validation, scenario development, and policy analysis. They also updated North Macedonia’s national data in the model. Then, working together, they refined development scenarios based on feedback and discussion during the workshop.

As a result, government and academic partners can better monitor progress toward the goals in the National Development Strategy. They can also explore alternative development pathways and bring long-term forecasting into public decision-making.

The activity was conducted in partnership with UNDP North Macedonia as part of the "Support to Public Finance Management Reform" project, funded by the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic through the "Public and Private Finance for Development Programme."