Macedonia needs people who know how to lead now and in the future. We need leaders not only in politics but also in economy, culture, business, sports, everywhere, said today the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, at the opening of the Fourth School for Young Leaders.

President Ivanov urged the participants of the School, which he compared to driving a car, to look ahead, to firmly hold the wheel and have as many fellow passengers as possible, leading them in a different world filled with joy and happiness.

"The knowledge you gain from the School will always be in your thoughts several steps ahead of the others. You should always think from the aspect of the future and see all the consequences of the decisions you have to make. Be aware of what is transferred to you, what you should preserve and transmit to the future generations", the Macedonian President said.

The School, which is held for the fourth time at an initiative of President Ivanov, in his view, is a result of his willingness to continue to educate and transfer knowledge.

"It is recognition of the entire individual success achieved by the participants so far, because all the knowledge acquired in this school is later upgraded and improved. This is not a school just for knowledge, this is a school for many skills and experiences of our friends, who tell us what to expect from this generation. We live in a very quickly changing world. A world in which knowledge is quickly outdated and faces major challenges that require new solutions that sometimes go beyond the patterns we know. These solutions must be offered by people who are not burdened with the trauma of the past", President Ivanov said.

This emerging generation, President Ivanov added, should be taught to offer solutions and its own visions of this revolving world, thus being helpful not only for Macedonia but for the region and for the whole planet, because we live in a world in which the global issues have become local.

The former President of the Czech Republic, Dr. Vaclav Klaus, said at the opening that President Ivanov's idea of organizing leadership school is positive, creative, and thinks that it is not too late to copy it into his country.

"I think young people should have the opportunity to meet, talk and hear others who have already gained some experience in different spheres of life and their career", Klaus said.

The President of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, Ivo Shlaus, stressed that the School is innovation.

"The issue of leaders is intriguing in many ways, but we must look forward, be aware of what is going on behind us and we have to decide which way to go", Shlaus said.

Among the lecturers of the 4th School for Young Leaders are Mr. Donald Dave Meredith, Canadian Senator, Mr. Tafsir M. Awal, Director of Multimode Group from Bangladesh, Mr. Alexandre Sevigny, Director of post-graduate studies in communication management at McMaster-Syracuse and McMaster University in Canada, Mr. Boris Porkovich, Vice President of the Research Institute for European small states of Monaco, Mr. Donald Steel, Director of the British company Johnson Associates and former chief media spokesman at BBC, Mr. Sietse Bakker, Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest and CEO of the Dutch copany Wow!Works, and Mr. Dragan Stefanovic, retired US Army officer and professor at the Master of Public Administration program in the Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Among the lecturers are prominent individuals and successful leaders in companies and educational institutions in Macedonia, Spain, New Zealand, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel and other countries.

This year's School is attended by 30 renowned lecturers from top educational and professional institutions, who will share their experiences and views on the leadership to a total of 40 participants of the training.