Regional Centre Sarajevo
Overview
Regional Centre (RC) Sarajevo covers four areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH): Central Bosnia Canton in the west, Sarajevo Canton and Bosansko-Podrinjski Canton in the centre and part of eastern Republika Srpska.
Central Bosnia Canton is located between the Lasva and Vrbas rivers and its capital is the medieval town of Travnik. The Canton is divided into 12 municipalities. Sarajevo Canton is the most populated canton in the country, and is home to BiH’s capital city, Sarajevo. Bosansko-Podrinjski Canton is the second smallest of the Federation of BiH’s (FBiH) ten cantons and is located on an ancient four-way crossroad. Unemployment is currently high and as a result the area has one of the highest emigration rates in the country.
The part of eastern Republika Srpska (RS) within Regional Centre Sarajevo’s area of responsibility is mountainous, sparsely populated and economically depressed. Administratively, the RS is not divided into cantons like the FBiH, but into municipalities. One of the OSCE’s main achievements has been the realisation, following elections in April 2000, of the 20 per cent minority representation rule, which applies across the RS. This means there is a Bosniac Speaker in all the RS municipal assemblies where the councillors’ representing a minority ethnic group hold more than 20 per cent of the seats in the assembly.
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| Sarajevo is the capital of BiH and its administrative, cultural and educational centre |
The war in BiH caused economic production throughout the region to plummet by 80 per cent and unemployment to increase significantly. Since the signing of the Dayton Peace Accord in late 1995 the economy has gradually recovered. However, the Gross Domestic Product is still far below 1990 levels. Natural resources are key to the economic development of the region. Tourism could become a major economic activity if and when the necessary infrastructure is sufficiently developed or rebuilt and the risk from landmines substantially reduced. The abundance of water represents an important potential for hydro-electric power. The area is rich in forests, although proper and legal forestry methods and modern management of the forestry sector are lacking.
Regional Centre Sarajevo currently manages six field offices (FOs): Sarajevo; Travnik; Bugojno; Visegrad; Foca/Srbinje; and Pale. More than one hundred people work within the Regional Centre, and 80 per cent of the employees are BiH citizens.
Democratization
The Democratization Department (DMC) assists the government in becoming more responsive, efficient, and accountable to citizens. At the same time, the DMC works to build the capacity of citizens to engage with the government at all levels. The Regional Centre Sarajevo DMC accomplishes this through its Local Governance and Civil Society Programmes. Democratization Officers are present in each of the six FOs in the area of responsibility, while Public Finance Advisers and Human Resource Management Advisers are present in 4 FOs and cover all the municipalities in the RC Sarajevo area. Finally, RC Sarajevo is participating in the Department’s Community Development Project and has a CDP manager located in FO Visegrad.
The UGOVOR Project has been developed by the OSCE to promote local democracy through strengthening links between citizens and municipalities. It is based on the principle that efficient and effective local government requires a commitment by both the citizens and municipalities to work together. The UGOVOR Project consists of five modules which have specific minimum standards for municipalities to achieve: Freedom of Access to Public Information, Code of Ethics for Elected Officials, Municipal Development Planning Committees, Municipal Regulatory Frameworks and Citizen-Municipal Partnership.
In March 2005 RC Sarajevo DMC began the implementation of the UGOVOR Project in 17 municipalities with a total number of 23 modules. After one year the number of municipalities involved had increased to 25 with 41 modules in progress. By April 2006, the initial 17 municipalities had completed a total of 20 modules. Thirteen new modules were also started at this time.
The DMC Municipal Administration Reform Project (MAP) supports municipal administrations in establishing efficient and effective financial and human resource management practices, with a focus on high-quality service delivery to citizens. Utilizing long-term experience with municipal administration reform in BiH, MAP is currently focusing on the promotion and establishment of sound and strategic budget planning, systematic and transparent public finance management and effective and efficient human resource management with regard to personnel policy and internal organisation.
Starting in 2003 with a comprehensive assessment of municipal administrations in all 37 municipalities of RC Sarajevo, DMC is currently working in 23 municipalities. At present 14 municipalities have signed Memorandums of Understanding with the OSCE and have developed Action Plans for the implementation of proposed recommendations.
The BiH Beacon Scheme is being implemented by the OSCE and the Council of Europe, with funding from the UK and Swiss Governments and in partnership with the RS and FBiH Municipal Associations. Based on the UK’s Beacon Council Scheme, it is designed to raise the standards of municipal governance in BiH by rewarding municipalities which can demonstrate excellence and innovation. In the first round (2005) three themes have been identified: Getting Closer to Citizens, Effective Strategic Planning and Promotion of Local Economic Development.
In RC Sarajevo area of responsibility, the municipality of Eastern Novo Sarajevo (Lukavica) has received the status of Beacon Municipality in the area of Effective Strategic Planning.
The Public Outreach Initiative (POI) focuses on developing the capacity of municipalities to develop public information and communication tools and techniques (internal and external). The initiative includes different aspects of municipal image development and techniques for increasing citizens’ participation in the work of municipal bodies. The POI consists of a five-module training programme, which provides insight into various techniques of communication, direct and indirect, aimed at increasing citizens’ participation in the work of municipal bodies. The training also assists municipalities in developing and implementing long-term communication strategies.
In RC Sarajevo area, a total of 14 municipalities have participated in three rounds of POI trainings: October 2002, April 2003 and October 2005.
The main goal of the YES Project is to encourage young people interested in starting up new businesses to work together with cantonal and municipal authorities, development agencies, employment bureaus, experts and business people in building a business environment in their municipalities. Since the beginning of the project in 2002, young people from 25 municipalities in RC Sarajevo area have gone through the two day training.
In addition to assisting youth in starting their own businesses, the OSCE is also helping young people to improve their chances of finding employment by assisting local counterparts in organising Information and Job Fairs. A good example of a successful project is the Central Bosnian Youth Initiative group which, with OSCE support, organised a three-day Information Fair for youth from Canton 6 in Vitez in May 2006. Another example is the Job Fair organised in October 2005 by a joint team of Municipal Authorities, SERDA and the Employment Bureau along with OSCE support. A total of 200 vacancies were offered by the 30 companies which participated in the fair. Eight positions were filled that day.
Education
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| BiH’s education reform process seeks to create an accessible, acceptable and effective system |
The OSCE has been working tirelessly among parents, students, local NGOs, and education officials to create new realities on the ground in the education arena in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These efforts include working to end discrimination of students from different ethnic groups, lobbying an education that will be inclusive to all students, providing tailored instruction for children with special needs, urging greater parental involvement in educational affairs and empowering local Student Councils.
In its efforts to tackle discrimination, the OSCE encourages schools with ethnically homogeneous students to accept returnee children of different ethnicities. It introduced “national groups of subjects”, and the hiring of returnee to teachers, to assist in the integration process. OSCE-supported Regional Education Working Groups have also met regularly over the past year to discuss ethnic discrimination and intolerance within schools.
Inclusive education is a particularly challenging field owing to the absence of bylaws and the misuse of funds. The OSCE is continually working to ensure that education is available to all children and young people, regardless of special needs or socio-economic background. Through working with Student Councils (SCs) and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), the OSCE introduced the concept of inclusive education into schools. Its work has also empowered parents and activists, who are now able to demand greater government and administrative accountability.
The work of SCs and PTAs, with OSCE support, led to the establishment of Centres for Social Care in December 2005. Funded by the Ministry of Education (MoE), the centres provide support for children in mainstream education with special needs. In addition, the MoE submitted a Bylaw on the Education of Children with Special Needs to local schools for comment in early 2006. It has also appointed an Inclusive Education and National Minorities Expert within Canton Six. Such significant developments are testament to the progress attainable when parents play an active role in educational matters.
Civic involvement is a crucial element of education reform. The OSCE works actively with students and parents to increase citizen participation. It organizes activities aimed at improving students’ public representation by developing the communication and lobbying skills of SCs. These training sessions, like that which took place in Canton Six at the end of 2005, enable SCs to take a more active role in shaping education and the direction of reform.
The OSCE’s inclusive education campaign has encouraged parents to take greater responsibility for their children’s future. In the Bugojno Field Office, for example, the OSCE hosted the majority of parents’ events in 2004. In 2005 parental involvement increased with parents organizing three-quarters of their total activities. There are numerous other examples of the OSCE’s efforts leading to increased civic participation and improved civic bodies.
Human Rights
RC Sarajevo Human Rights Team (HRT) completed the implementation of the Property Legislation in April 2006. It continues to monitor to a lesser degree post implementation issues in relation to access to alternative accommodation in light of the implementation of the Law on the Return, Allocation, and Sale of Apartments, development of social housing policies/plans, and the conclusion of the work of Revalidation Commission reviewing revalidation contracts.
Priority has shifted to the implementation of detailed recommendations for responsible government authorities in identifying, developing, and implementing strategies to provide and protect socially vulnerable persons. Such recommendations are based upon human rights standards according to international conventions and protection measures governing the provision of social assistance to all eligible citizens in a fair, non-discriminatory manner.
The aim is to establish non-discriminatory procedures and access to rights for all eligible citizens by: strengthening civil society; promoting advocacy and capacity building measures of human rights institutions and legal aid providers; and the promotion of measures preventing, protecting, and identifying trafficked victims. Additional efforts to support the work of the Gender Equality Commissions established by the Gender Equality Agencies will continue, as well as the oversight of measures to promote the strengthening of the judicial reform process and implementation of the criminal code and criminal procedure codes. Key areas of interest include war crimes, trafficking, and domestic violence cases in terms of how fair trial standards can be applied according to the European Convention of Human Rights and in terms of how the codes affect the judicial system.
Active support to the Office of the State Coordinator for the prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings continues to be among the priorities of the HRT. The HRT in Sarajevo supports and assists anti-trafficking initiatives through locally established inter-agency working groups.
Additional activities include the promotion and protection of rights of national minorities, in particular Roma, including equal access to housing, health care, employment, social protection, and utilities. The HRT works to empower Roma non- governmental organizations and to assist them in establishing and improving their dialogue with the relevant authorities to address and resolve issues of concern to the Roma communities. In co-operation with the Mission’s Education Department, the HRT works to implement the Action Plan on the Educational Needs of Roma and Other National Minorities, as well as the National Strategy for Roma.
In carrying out these specific activities, the Sarajevo RC HRT seeks to ensure that the specific needs of the most vulnerable groups of citizens are properly addressed.
For more information please contact:
Aida Besic, Press Officer
OSCE Regional Centre Sarajevo
Radomira Vojvode Putnika 108
71123 Lukavica/Istocno Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Phone: ++387 (0)57 340 481
Mobile: ++387 (0)61 144 341
Fax: ++387 (0)57 340 487
Email: aida.besic@osce.org
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