At the eve of our great jubilee – tenth anniversary of our establishment and work, which we shall celebrate in 2004 with all our members, friends and collaborators, we feel the need to review not just the year behind us, but also everything that made this year and this decade good and successful. We feel the need to remember all the women and men who built our Union with love and great devotion. Some of them are gone, yet that is just an illusion. They are physically absent, but they are incorporated in our mutual work and success. And results speak out about our success, more than any words.
The year, related to in this Annual report, is based on the previous ten years. It leans on innumerable individuals who comprise the Union of women's organizations of Macedonia. Together, all of us achieved a lot. The effect of our work is big and visible. Our peace activities, women's political strengthening activities, where we participated in the formation of the Macedonian women's lobby, promotion of feminism as philosophy of living in Macedonia, through Women studies and other activities, promotion of gender concept by opening, in cooperation with the local self-government, of about ten commissions for sensitizing relations between sexes, are just a part of our work results. We were the first who had courage to speak out and combat domestic violence, to organize the first SOS telephone line, to speak and fight against the trafficking of women and children, to open and to start a prejudice-free discussion about youth problems. We had the virtue to found the women's library, to spread and develop women studies, to collaborate with all society structures – governmental and non-governmental ones, as well as with numerous international organizations. We had the vision to initiate “Kis Jana” - the first women thematic magazine, to publish the first catalogue of women owning private business and to encourage women enterpreneurship.
Our work style is specific and original – the Union is represented by its members, not the other way round. UWOM is actually the first form of networking of NGOs in Macedonia, based on equal rights. Besides the executive office in Skopje, three regional offices were opened at the end of 2003. This work style contributes to the strengthening of the human resources in our country, rising the consciousness of and about women and their rights. This style summoned many supporters, respecters, friends and collaborators. More and more young women join us to continue our noble mission. Our mission is our fight, in which we wish to incorporate the huge potential of women energy that we know exists in Macedonia. We encourage, we urge this positive energy, and it urges us to endure in our activities, although sometimes we are not understood. We built a lot of love into our work and we received back a lot of love. May it continue so inmany, many years and decades.

With regards,
UWOM Executive office