Publications

The realization of the right to social assistance, adequate housing and an efficient system of social protection are of paramount importance in all societies. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), where a large portion of the population lives in poverty and social exclusion, these issues are even more critical.

The main objective of the War Crimes Processing Project is to support the urgent needs of the justice sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to expedite the fair and effective processing of war crimes cases.

In accordance with the Charter, the Contracting States should have transposed the principles of local self-government, contained in the Charter, into their national legislation in the form of a legal or constitutional norm. The law on local selfgovernment was not adopted at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and provisions on local self-government do not even exist as principles in the BiH Constitution.

This publication is an analysis of bias-motivated incidents in Bosnia and Herzegovina with recommendations. Hate crimes target the basic fabric of society. Given their destructive potential, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina has partnered with Bosnia and Herzegovina officials since 2008 to address these crimes. This report presents the Mission's findings based on its past five years of monitoring hate crimes and hate-related incidents, while concurrently assessing the gaps between international standards and domestic practice in relation to responding to these incidents.

The project on Women in Local Elections is being implemented by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in collaboration with the civil society organisation as well as municipality representatives from Bratunc, Bugojno, Jezero, Kalesija, Novo Goražde, Orašje, Olova, Posušje, Srebrenica i Zavidovići. The aim of the project is to improve women's participation in politics as well as their role as voters and representatives in the municipal assemblies. This leaflet is not available in English.

Report on the situation of Roma in Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically dealing with population, housing employment, education and health care

Courts and prosecutors’ offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have been dealing with cases of war crimes since the end of the 1992-1995 war. In 2003, the newly established Court of BiH and BiH Prosecutor’s Office were given jurisdiction over these cases and a significant number of cases – over 100 – have been processed successfully since the institutions became fully operational in 2005.

Trafficking in human beings is a complex problem and a horrific criminal act, often referred to as a modern form of slavery. It violates fundamental human rights and destroys the dignity of survivors long after the exploitation ends.

Since the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina began to engage in education reform issues in 2002, the task of helping to create or rebuild links within and between divided communities has been at the core of its work.

Factsheet on National Minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.