The conference ”Effects of demographic changes on the provision of public services – the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)” was held yesterday in Sarajevo, organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in BiH and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in BiH.
The conference was addressed by John Kennedy Mosoti, UNFPA representative for BiH, Ivana Hlavsova, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to BiH, Dr. Tomas Kucera, Deputy Head of the Department of Demography and Geodemography at the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, and Assistant Professor Faruk Hadzic, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, University of Sarajevo School of Science and Technology.
The first to speak was John Mosoti, who emphasized that this is a very important project that will draw attention to the increasingly pronounced problem of population decline in BiH. He pointed out that it is necessary to take concrete steps as soon as possible, especially in the area of care for children. He also added that it is necessary to include more women in the working structure of BiH and that the female workforce is the ”only hope” for preserving the economy and economy in our country.
He presented, in his words, a ”shocking fact” that according to projections in 2070, more than 40 percent of the population of BiH will be over 65 years old.
The Ambassador of the Czech Republic, Ivana Hlavsova, pointed out that the biggest problem in BiH at the moment is not the political situation, but the departure of young people. She added that the Czech Republic will continue to support BiH and recalled that our country is one of the 6 countries that are priorities of Czech politics.
Dr. Tomas Kucera stated that yesterday’s conference was actually a ”warning” and that we must react ”as early as today because we are already late”. He added that BiH has actually lost its reproductive potential and is facing a rapidly aging population. He warned that without migration, the re-growth of the population in BiH is impossible.
Assistant Professor Faruk Hadzic presented the report and explained that it consists of two parts; the first in which the current situation is presented with projections, and the second in which there are recommendations for solutions. He stated that in addition to the population movement, one of the solutions is ”increasing the productivity of workers”. He warned that BiH will face the problem of a lack of able-bodied people.
”Reform of the payment system is necessary, the gap between gross and net wages must be reduced,” pointed out Hadzic and added that BiH will have to liberalize the labor market because, by all accounts, the only solution will be the import of workers from abroad.
The report analyzes in detail the population forecast for BiH and the impact on the pension, health, and education systems. The analysis also includes the GDP growth rate, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
