UNODC launches a two-year project to strengthen North Macedonia’s response to synthetic
drugs
28 November 2025, Skopje, North Macedonia, The UNODC Programme Office in North Macedonia officially launched a two-year initiative to support implementation of the country’s National Drugs Strategy to address the threat of synthetic drugs. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), U.S. Embassy in Skopje, aims to advance legislative reforms and improve skills among law enforcement and criminal justice to detect, disrupt, seize, investigate and prosecute offenses related to synthetic drugs and precursors.
The kick-off event brought together representatives from national agencies with mandates in relation to drug-related issues, including the Ministry of Interior, the Police Academy, the Basic Prosecutor’s office and the Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organised Crime and Corruption, the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors, Ministry of Justice, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and international partners. UNODC presented the objectives, structure, and expected outcomes of the project, which focuses on three main areas:
Legislative and policy development on synthetic drugs, including data collection and analysis on illicit drugs, with focus on synthetics;
Capacity development on investigation and prosecution of drug-related offences, in particular in relation to synthetic drugs;
The establishment of a counternarcotics task force.
To ensure long-term impact, the project will collaborate with key training institutions, in particular the Police Academy of the Ministry of Interior and the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors. Specialized modules will be included in the curricula of these training institutions as part of their Continuing Legal Education Program, embedding the knowledge and skills into national training systems.
The briefing highlighted the latest trends, including increased availability of synthetic drugs, the growth of new psychoactive substances (NPS), and the growing importance of online markets. Participants also described institutional challenges and welcomed the project as a timely response to gaps in existing national strategies and drug implementation policies, expressing support for the initiative and acknowledging the urgency of addressing synthetic drugs and emerging drug threats in North Macedonia.
28 November 2025, Skopje, North Macedonia, The UNODC Programme Office in North Macedonia officially launched a two-year initiative to support implementation of the country’s National Drugs Strategy to address the threat of synthetic drugs. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), U.S. Embassy in Skopje, aims to advance legislative reforms and improve skills among law enforcement and criminal justice to detect, disrupt, seize, investigate and prosecute offenses related to synthetic drugs and precursors.
