As part of the Council of Europe and the European Union initiative “Block Hate. Share Love”, a large-scale ecological clean-up campaign was organized in Bihać today at several city locations, symbolically kicking off the celebration of Earth Day.
The campaign included the cleaning of Gradske otoka, Vejzovac and Ceravaci, and was implemented in cooperation with the Bihać City Administration, the Italian organization IPSIA, youth representatives and beneficiaries of the Lipa Temporary Reception Center. Through their joint engagement, the participants, in addition to the ecological dimension, also sent a strong social message about the need to combat hate speech and discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As highlighted during the campaign, young people from Bihać, together with beneficiaries of the Lipa camp, demonstrated a high level of social responsibility, emphasizing that by working together they can contribute to the protection of human dignity and the preservation of nature.
The campaign was also supported by Mayor Elvedin Sedić, who emphasized the importance of including different social groups in such activities.
“With the arrival of spring, the first ecological activities in our city have begun. I am especially pleased that we are carrying out this year’s first clean-up campaign with people on the move. Although Bihać is only a temporary destination for them, they have a developed awareness of the need to preserve the environment and today they are cleaning together with us at three locations. I would like to thank our international partners who decided to organize this campaign in Bihać,” said Sedić.
In addition to representatives of the local government, the campaign was also attended by international officials and representatives of IPSIA, an organization that has been present in the Una-Sana Canton for three decades through the implementation of numerous humanitarian projects and continuous support to local communities.
