The inaugural session of the Steering Committee for Peacebuilding for Bosnia and Herzegovina, chaired by BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina Ingrid Macdonald, was held today in Sarajevo.
This Committee will supervise and direct the work of the Peacebuilding Fund of the United Nations Secretary General in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a cornerstone of the partnership between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Nations.
Activities that will be implemented with the support of the UN Security Council Peacebuilding Fund in the period from 2023 to 2027 will encourage reconciliation and stronger ties in the community; work on bridging the gap that prevents the participation of women in decision-making processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina; to empower young peace builders and the cohesion of local communities, all in partnership with numerous institutions and civil society organizations throughout the country.
The Steering Committee will also support the acceleration and alignment with BiH’s determination to fulfill key priority 5, “creating an environment conducive to reconciliation”, within the 14 priorities for BiH’s accession to the European Union.
“I want to congratulate Bosnia and Herzegovina on this important step forward, with the support of the UN General Assembly Fund for Peacebuilding. With the promise of investing 36 million BAM until 2026, this opportunity will enable a more long-term and inclusive approach to building peace and reconciliation throughout the country said the resident coordinator of the United Nations in BiH.
She also sincerely thanked partners and donors for their unwavering support.
“Achieving priorities for membership in the European Union is a key foreign policy goal of BiH. We thank the United Nations and other international partners for all their support to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Joint work on building trust among the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina is and should be the key internal goal of all actors in the country,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković.
The members of the Steering Committee for Peacebuilding currently include the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ministers, high-level multilateral representatives, including the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and bilateral representatives, it was announced from of the Office for Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
