LocationsInterview with David Muckenhuber, Head of Regional Coordination Office for Technical Cooperation, Austrian Embassy
The ADA - UNDP partnership shows how development partners can drive meaningful governance reforms
April 20, 2026
UNDP North Macedonia: Austrian Development Agency supports the country's reform agenda. How do you evaluate access to justice in the Western Balkans?
Muckenhuber: I have to say there has been a lot of progress achieved in all the Western Balkans in terms of justice reforms and especially in the field of free legal aid. However, we do see that the access to justice especially to vulnerable groups (women and less financially strong groups remains quite challenging. So, I think that our support here to free legal aid is quate crucial to further improve the access to justice for everybody in Albania and North Macedonia.
UNDP North Macedonia: How does the engagement of the Austrian Development Agency contribute to sustainable legal and social development in the region, particularly in terms of access to justice, and what are the other priority areas of the Austrian government in this region?
Muckenhuber: Justice reform is one of the key activities of the Austrian Development Agency and we have a very integrated approach to this. But we also focus on other important areas such as socio – economic development, education, but also climate and environment because we do see all those fields integrated and being part of one joint approach to support the region further.
UNDP North Macedonia: How important are judicial reforms for advancing the EU integration processes regarding the rule of law?
Muckenhuber: In view of the EU integration process for all the countries, the advancement of the justice reforms and further alignment with the EU standards is the key priority and remains very crucial. I am very happy that Austria is a stone supporter of this process.
UNDP North Macedonia: How do you see the partnership between ADA and UNDP in the region?
Muckenhuber: The partnership between the Austrian Development Agency and the UNDP is a strong example of how development partners can work together to support meaningful governance reforms. Over the years, our cooperation has focused on improving access to public services and justice for citizens. Through joint initiatives funded by Austria we have supported citizen-centric public service delivery reforms, strengthened Albania’s Free Legal Aid system together with the Ministry of Justice of Albania, and expanded access to justice for vulnerable groups. Building on these achievements, we are now working together on the regional EQUALS initiative to further improve the quality of legal aid services in Albania and North Macedonia and support their progress towards EU standards in the framework of International Partnerships Austria.
