News and press releases

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) today presented, in Sarajevo, the report A Race Against Time: Successes and Challenges in the Implementation of the National War Crimes Processing Strategy of BiH.

SARAJEVO, 15 June 2022 – A Media Sector Needs Assessment, conducted by the Prism Research Agency with the support of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Embassy of Sweden was presented today, 15 June 2022, in Sarajevo at the offices of BIRN.

The OSCE Mission to BiH welcomes the publication of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Parliamentary Assembly (PA) House of Representatives (HoR) Interim Investigative Committee’s (IIC) final Report on the state of the BiH judiciary, which reaffirms the importance of parliamentary oversight and dialogue between different branches of power as essential features of a healthy democracy.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) supported the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) conferences of chief prosecutors and of court presidents, organized in Teslić on 7 and 8 June. During these conferences, representatives of the BiH judiciary discussed the fight against corruption and organized crime, the appointment and accountability of judicial office holders, judicial efficiency, and other challenges they face.

How to undertake effective financial investigations to identify, investigate and disrupt the financing of terrorism was in focus during a five-day training course, which concluded today, 3 June 2022 in Sarajevo. The OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly organized the training course with the support of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) in the period from March to May 2022 supported the Ministry of Justice of BiH in the organization of five consultative meetings across the country on the Draft Justice Sector Reform Strategy 2021-2027 (Strategy). These meetings were part of the wider process designed to resolve stagnation around justice sector reform and advance the adoption of the Strategy, while also enabling more inclusive and informed participation of relevant actors. These also aimed to encourage key authorities to support the implementation of the Strategy, including in providing the required financial resources.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bihać Chapter of BiH Interreligious Council organized a series of activities for young people to promote dialogue, good practice and reconciliation.