The 3rd National Session of the European Youth Parliament (EYP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) takes place next week in Sarajevo, with the ‘main partner’ support of ArcelorMittal Zenica and ArcelorMittal Prijedor, two of the country’s leading investors and part of the world’s largest steel and mining company.
The holding of the event was also made possible by the on-going support of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other partners of the 3rd National Session are the International Burch University in Sarajevo, Foundation Konrad Adenauer, Laax 2016 – 83rd International Session EYP and Pharmacy Vedam in Sarajevo.
A member of a Europe-wide network involving young people in 40 countries, the EYP in BiH aims to improve the social status of young people, encouraging the development of their awareness of issues of European and BiH importance, promoting participation in decision-making, fostering intercultural dialogue and diversity of ideas.
President of the European Youth Parliament in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haris Kušmić, said: “EYP tries to give young people in this country a platform where they can voice their opinions and constructively debate important topics which affect all of us. It is not only about the proposed solutions to the problems, it is about the process which leads to them, from developing critical thinking, analysing skills and active listening. The progress to the wellbeing of all of us in Bosnia and Herzegovina is challenging, but we believe progress can only be achieved if it is continuous.”
Over 110 participants from all parts of the country will discuss an agenda including countering violent extremism through education, self-sustainable energy sources, the impact of automatisation in the business sector and others.
Commenting, Mr. Biju Nair, CEO of ArcelorMittal Zenica, said:
“We are pleased and proud to support this youth initiative, which reflects many of our own values. ArcelorMittal is working hard to build a long-term, sustainable steel-making business in one of Europe’s historic industrial cities. The European Youth Parliament is an excellent platform for young leaders to test and polish their skills on the governance of the country. Our support for this event underlines our strong commitment to developing the future in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “
Mr. Mladen Jelaca CEO of ArcelorMittal Prijedor added: “We are proud to be associated with the European Youth Parliament BiH, an organisation that is laying foundation stones for the future of their country. A knowledgeable, educated and politically conscious young generation will help the sustainability of the country as well as growth. We wish them all the best for their discussions.“
Head of OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Jonathan Moore, notes that decisions which affect youth must be made with their participation, and that youth must be thought of both in the future and the present. “In this context, the Mission’s support to the National Session and to EYP BiH in general represents part of OSCE’s broader work to ensure more competent, constructive and visible youth dialogue and engagement as part of inclusive society-wide efforts to find increasingly effective and sustainable solutions to the challenges we all face”, said Moore.
The European Youth Parliament is the largest European platform for political debate, intercultural encounters, European civic education and the exchange of ideas among young people in Europe. The EYP network is present in 40 European countries, where thousands of young people are active as volunteers. The entire network organises over 500 events every year and includes more than 35 000 young people, including a growing Bosnian group of almost 2,000.
With operations at Zenica, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Prijedor in Republika Srpska, ArcelorMittal is one of the region’s leading economic generators. The combined companies directly employ 3,150 workers, and indirectly another 10,000 through more than 600 local supplier companies. Since 2004, ArcelorMittal invested more than €190m in BiH, of which over €50m was invested in ecological projects and €3m was invested in local community projects.
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