Publications

This is the third public report by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the monitoring of corruption cases in the country. This report has been produced as part of the Mission’s Project on Assessing Needs of Judicial Response to Corruption through Monitoring of Criminal Cases, launched in October 2016 with the support of the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

This report is the result of cooperation between the Banja Luka Human Rights Centre and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) and is largely based on the Mission's monitoring with regard to respect for human rights in BiH in times of the pandemic.

COVID-19 has impacted the lives of each and every one of us. Regardless of where in the world we found ourselves during the outbreak of this virus, limitations on freedom have been implemented that would not have been imagined just months earlier.

This report presents the findings of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) survey measuring the perceptions, attitudes, and personal experience of a representative sample of 1001 adult residents (523 men and 478 women) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) regarding discrimination in BiH conducted from 12 August to 13 September 2019.

Bosnian language version only

In order to support the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in BiH, a national Network of Aarhus Centres was formed in 2013 under the auspices of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Network represents a platform for exchanging information between competent authorities on the one hand and the public on the other. It encourages transparency within the work of public bodies and enables citizens to voice their views and concerns on decisions that may have an impact on the environment. The BiH Network of Aarhus Centres comprises four Aarhus Centres based in Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Tuzla and Zenica. The Aarhus Centres are part of a broader OSCE-wide network which covers 15 countries in South Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the South Caucuses.

"Journalists need to resist the urge to sensationalize events in their interest to attract the eyes, ears and clicks” – as stated in the UNESCO Guidelines on reporting on terrorism and violent extremism. This statement once again underlines the importance of overcoming many challenges that stand in the way of reporting on these topics. Guided by these issues, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organized the conference "Media and Terrorism" in September 2018, and once again drew attention to the importance of accuracy of information based on facts, independence, impartiality, humanity, transparency and responsibilities, when it comes to media-monitoring of violent extremism and terrorism. As stated in the conclusions from the conference, precision and the use of clear terminology is essential for explaining the seriousness and tragic nature of the situation without misleading readers and viewers and sensationalist approach to events.

The paper aims to leverage off of the strengths and successes of established but disparate anti-THB financial investigatory practices, developed across the OSCE participating States, to raise awareness of the strategic value of financial investigations and the resources available, and to help create a more harmonised approach that can contribute to mainstreaming of financial investigations across the OSCE region.

The report aims to assist Local Self-Governance Units (LGUs) in limiting the space for corruption in the provision of support to civil society organizations (CSOs) at the local level. It is based on the OSCE’s comprehensive monitoring of public financial management, questionnaire responses, and interviews conducted with representatives of 20 LGUs in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Law on Prohibition of Discrimination (LPD) was adopted by the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Parliamentary Assembly in 2009. It was subsequently amended in 2016, with the goal of strengthening BiH mechanisms designed to fight discrimination, particularly against persons of vulnerable social categories.