Skopje, 12 March 2026 The Project Board of the “Biodiversity Finance (BIOFIN)” project in the Republic of North Macedonia held its first meeting today, at which the Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Muamet Hoxha gave a speech, and was also attended by the UNDP Resident Representative Armen Grigoryan and the Deputy Minister of Finance Nikolce Jankulovski.
In his speech, Minister Hoxha emphasized that the Ministry continuously works on the protection and preservation of biodiversity, the improvement of the protected areas system, and the harmonization of national legislation with European directives. He pointed out that in the past period, significant progress has been achieved in the valorization of natural values and in the processes for proclamation of new protected areas.
According to Minister Hoxha, in the context of increasing pressures on nature, a systemic and financially sustainable approach to biodiversity protection is necessary.
“The BIOFIN project gives us the opportunity to place nature as a central value in policy and budget making, through cooperation among institutions and partners and the establishment of a long-term and efficient system for its protection,” Hoxha emphasized.