Publications

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrates its clear commitment to combating trafficking in human beings (CTHB) by strengthening domestic authorities’ capacity to counter this heinous practice. The Mission’s CTHB efforts draw on its comprehensive trial monitoring programme, which covers all criminal cases related to human trafficking adjudicated by the judiciary across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The data gathered through this monitoring, combined with long-standing relationships with key counterparts, informs the Mission’s work to enhance the applicable legislative and policy frameworks as well as the capacity of judicial officials, and judicial and other relevant stakeholders.

Education as a fundamental human right must be ensured without discrimination on any ground. It is therefore crucial for every society, including Bosnia and Herzegovina and all its levels of government, to recognize and combat discrimination in education. Two decades after the war ended, many children in BiH are still faced with discriminatory practices in education and a subsequent lack of inclusive quality education. This, in essence, challenges their right to education. Education policies and practices in BiH still uphold ethno-national divisions as opposed to promoting mutual understanding, tolerance, and respect for diversity. A key objective of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina is to strengthen and support the efforts of BiH education authorities to ensure non-discriminatory inclusive quality education for all children.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina works with relevant authorities and civil society partners to improve the political, economic, and social participation of the 17 recognized national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Relations with key political actors of BiH are of vital importance for the successful implementation of the Mission’s political and programmatic objectives and as such, remain at the top of the Mission’s priorities. Through the Political Outreach and Elections Unit, the Mission is monitoring political and other relevant activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region and assesses trends that might affect the political/security situation and its political impact on the Mission’s mandate implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In line with its mandate and relevant OSCE commitments, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina contributes to the fight against corruption by supporting the development, adoption, and promotion of anti-corruption regulations at all authority levels as well as their implementation by relevant governmental bodies. Corruption is costly: politically, in terms of eroding democracy and the rule of law; economically, by wasting public resources and deterring investment; and socially, by diminishing citizens’ trust in the political system and its leadership.

In spite of the progress made in the field of gender equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a comprehensive legal framework and introduced specialized services for survivors of gender-based violence, predominantly for victims of domestic violence, discrimination and violence based on gender in both the public and private spheres continue to be highly prevalent in BiH. Violence not only affects individual women, it endangers the well-being of the society as a whole.

The Mission works to strengthen human rights-based practices and to combat discrimination by collaborating with legislative and governmental institutions at all levels, the judiciary, the BiH Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders.

The Mission supports BiH in efforts aimed at improving and harmonizing laws and practices with international human rights standards in the fields of freedom of peaceful assembly and association, freedom of expression/media, and freedom of religion or belief.

Working hand-in-hand with government and civil society, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina strives to protect, promote and advance the economic, social, cultural and political rights of all those living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with particular attention given to vulnerable and marginalized groups.

Education is crucial for the development of sustainable peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as it contributes to shaping the views and attitudes of young people. Despite changes over the past two decades, the teaching process remains based on outdated curricula and teaching materials. Combined with a heavy ethnic, religious, and gender bias, this means that schools often fail to equip students with the competencies they need for life in a dynamically changing and diverse society. Current education practices hinder reconciliation and jeopardize long-term stability, because they do not foster competencies, such as critical thinking, multiperspectivity, inclusivity, and respect of diversity, innovation and collaboration among the young generations.