Thursday, 27 May 2021
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT XHAFERI AT ONLINE SIMULATION ON THE TOPIC “PREPARING FOR A FUTURE CRISIS: DEVELOPING A MORE EFFECTIVE CRISIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM”
Dear Prime Minister Zoran Zaev,
Dear Ambassador Sybille Suter Tejada,
Dear panelists, D r. Ann Philips, colonel Џим Раф, colonel John Agoglia, Dr. Roland Bolin,
Dear Mr. Zoran Necev from the Institute for Democracy,
Dear fellow Mps,
Dear representatives of the civil society,
Dear guests of the online event,
I am pleased that today we are gathered in this way and on this number in order to discuss and develop a topic which is extremely important for the functioning of a country and its system, guided by the experiences brought to us by 2020 and part of 2021. The work in any sphere, particularly in the system of state management requires constant analysis, re-examination, change, if necessary to do so, with the purpose of improving and adjusting to any new, unexpected or unpredictable moment that may cause irregular or dysfunctional operation. The year we left behind, was not only a huge strike to the health and financial sector, it was not only difficult and uncertain for the citizens who lived in fear of losing their health, life, jobs, but was also an alarming awakening that exposed all our weaknesses, gaps and ambiguities in the functioning. Therefore, this should serve us as a lesson learned which in the future we should be prepared to apply. I consider these two days dedicated to the simulation for elaborating the topic: “preparing for a future crisis: Developing a more effective crisis management system” as important in terms of contributing to the planning activities of all stakeholders in a crisis situation, namely, legislative, executive and of course, the experts. The fact that I, as President of the Assembly and the respecter Prime Minister Zaev are part of this simulation today, however, also all 
other participants who contribute daily to the development of social processes, is a clear confirmation that we are proponents of being prepared for any future crisis. Through the two-day analysis of the current situation and the current regulated way of dealing with crisis, the role and responsibility of each institution in the future, particularly the oversight role of the Assembly, as well as with the identification of the points for improvement, I believe that we will come up with valuable and comprehensive answers in order to better deal with possible crises which could happen to us in the future. It will be of great value and benefit to hear the expert opinions of the respected panelists, as well as to look in detail at the analysis of the National Democratic Institute intended for Crisis Management, as a response to the pandemic with Covid-19.
Given that this simulation is realized within the Project for Parliamentary Support, once again is confirmed our extremely productive cooperation on this project valuable for the legislature and the Republic of North Macedonia. Therefore, let me extend my sincere gratitude to the project partners and respected Ambassador, H.E. Sybille Suter Tejada.
With faith and enthusiasm for two productive days dedicated to this significant topic, I wish you successful work and thank you for your attention!