Sarajevo will on December 15th, 2025, host a regional conference titled “The Advancing Fascisization and Two Anniversaries”, organized by the Peacebuilding Network, the Igman Initiative, and ProPeace Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The gathering will be held in the Reading Room of the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo, marking the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the 25th anniversary of the Igman Initiative, one of the most significant regional platforms for peacebuilding and dialogue in the Western Balkans.
The conference aims to open a broad public dialogue on the contemporary relevance of the Dayton Agreement, the growing processes of fascisization in the region, democratic backsliding, and the role of civil society and regional networks in preserving peace and civic values. The program begins with participant registration at 9:30 a.m., and the conference will be officially opened at 10:00 a.m. by the president of the Peacebuilding Network, Damir Saciragic, Aleksandar Popov from the Igman Initiative, and Ljiljana Sinickovic from ProPeace BiH. Introductory remarks are also expected from representatives of the international community.
The first panel, titled Dayton Agreement – the foundation of peace or a source of dysfunction?, will gather key actors of the 1995 negotiations, among them Prof. Dr. Ivo Komsic and Miro Lazovic. Along with them, Prof. Dr. Lada Sadikovic, political analyst Tanja Topic, Vehid Sehic, and Prof. Dr. Sead Turcalo will also speak. The panel will open questions of BiH’s constitutional structure, political stability, and the functioning of institutions, three decades after the signing of the peace agreement.
The second panel, Fascisization in the region – challenges and responses of civil society, focuses on growing authoritarian and extremist tendencies, hate speech, and revisionism. Participants include Zoran Pusic from Croatia, Daliborka Uljarevic from Montenegro, Prof. Dr. Nerzuk Curak, Prof. Dr. Jovan Komsic, and Ajna Mesic from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights BiH. The focus will be on the role of civil society organizations in resisting regressive processes.
In the afternoon, a round table titled Civil society at a crossroads – regional networks facing new challenges is planned, featuring Prof. Dr. Branislav Radulovic, Prof. Dr. Zilka Spahic Siljak, Sofija Todorovic, Prof. Dr. Andro Martinovic, and Namir Ibrahimovic. The discussion will be dedicated to the future of regional cooperation and the new challenges faced by civic initiatives.
The conference will be concluded by organizers Damir Saciragic and Aleksandar Popov, and the moderation team is led by journalist and researcher Sanela Dujkovic. The organizers emphasize that entry is free for all citizens, students, activists, and representatives of institutions and the media who wish to participate in an open discussion on peace, democracy, and regional cooperation.
