A two-day conference titled “Strengthening the Understanding and Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines in Bosnia and Herzegovina” opened on Wednesday, bringing together domestic and international stakeholders to address the country’s remaining mine contamination challenges.
The conference is organized by the Mine Action Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHMAC) and the Convention Implementation Support Unit (ISU), with the support of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and financial backing from a global project adopted by the Council of the European Union.
The event gathers key representatives from government institutions, the international community, civil society and other relevant sectors, facilitating dialogue on the implementation of the Ottawa Treaty and the challenges Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to face in the mine clearance process.
The primary goal of the conference is to support BHMAC in preparing a comprehensive, accurate and well-grounded Request for an extension of the deadline under Article 5 of the Convention, which obliges States Parties to clear all anti-personnel mines within a specified timeframe.
The conference was officially opened by Dr. Dubravka Bošnjak, Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Mohammed Meraimi, Ambassador of Algeria to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Chair of the Committee on the Implementation of Article 5 of the Convention; Adebayo Babajide, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Željko Volaš, President of the Association of Amputees UDAS.
Following the opening remarks, participants engaged in four key panel discussions.
The first panel addressed the international context and expectations regarding the extension request. BHMAC Director Enis Horozović, ISU Director Juan Carlos Ruan and Mine Action Review representative Rula Daoud discussed global challenges and outlined proposals for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s extension request.
The second panel focused on progress and remaining challenges in the implementation of Article 5. BHMAC presented current results and ongoing obstacles in survey and clearance operations, mine risk education and the integration of gender equality considerations into mine action activities.
A third session presented the draft plan for the extension period, detailing future mine clearance operations and reviewing results achieved in the previous period.
The final panel examined key operational challenges faced by BHMAC’s regional offices in Tuzla, Brčko, Banja Luka, Bihać and Sarajevo. Contributions were also made by Ivo Marković, representative of the NGO Posavina bez mine, and Danijel Đurić, representative of the Brčko District.
Discussions held during the first day enabled the exchange of critical information and experiences, laying the groundwork for further work on preparing the formal request for an extension of the Article 5 deadline.
The second day of the conference will focus on in-depth analysis through group work, as well as sessions dedicated to mine risk education and assistance to mine victims.
