Common Statement between Shared Knowledge and GLAM Macedonia

This is ajoint common statement between user groups from Macedonia, Shared Knowledge and GLAM Macedonia in purpose to merger and cojoin.

The reasons for the merger have existed for a several years, and over the past years, the people from WMF has been indicating to us that we need to accept that there is no logical reason for two affiliations in Macedonia. In 2022, representatives of both groups (Shared Knowledge and GLAM Macedonia) at a meeting with Chris Schilling in Ohrid, during the CEE Meeting, agreed that during 2023 the negotiations and discussions on the best options to merge the two groups have to begin.

In 2024, the 4 persons, representatives of both groups, started with the meetings, negotiations, drafting necessary documents, and in the middle of the year, due to necessity, they hired a law firm for the needs of the merger. Several meeting and assemblies were hold by the members of the both groups, in order to vote, and establish the base of the next activities.

Decisions were made about the name, structure, vision and future plans for new NGO. Also, documents for the registration of the new NGO were prepared and submitted to state institutions.

We must declare that several people from both groups opposed the merger and did not want to cooperate with people from the other group, and they are not part of the new group, by their own decision.

The collective vision for Wikimedia MKD is to run mission-aligned initiatives and projects in order to promote the Wikimedia projects and the values of the Wikimedia movement on the territory of Macedonia.

This common statement is a formal ask for derecognition of Shared Knowledge and GLAM Macedonia, and for recognition as an affiliation, a user group Wikimedia MKD.