From Theory to Practice: International Minority Rights Protection From the Perspective of Liberal Multiculturalism and the Analysis of North Macedonia

This article examines the international protection mechanisms for minority rights and their implementation in North Macedonia, within the framework of modern liberal multiculturalism theory. The objective is to critically analyze the extent to which the legal framework stipulated by international law aligns with the practical policies of the North Macedonian state. The scope covers key international instruments, primarily Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), as well as pivotal regulations within North Macedonia, particularly the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement. The study comparatively addresses the successes achieved for ethnic Albanians and the ongoing challenges for more marginalized groups such as the Roma community. The study asserts that although international law offers a comprehensive de jure framework for minority rights, its effectiveness is contingent upon a robust domestic implementation mechanism. The hypothesis is that the existing legal and institutional framework in North Macedonia is more successful in addressing the political and linguistic rights of nationally concentrated minorities, such as Albanians, whose issues were resolved through a political settlement via the Ohrid Agreement. However, this framework remains insufficient in addressing the structural discrimination faced by dispersed, stateless, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups like the Roma. Therefore, a significant gap exists between legal equality and de facto equality. The limitations of this study are that it is a desk-based, theory-heavy research based solely on existing international documents, reports, and academic publications, and it does not include primary data collection methods such as fieldwork, surveys, or interviews.