At a glance 

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s efforts to enhance citizen participation and human rights protection at all level are supported by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe through the project “Strengthening democratic innovations and promoting human rights at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” within the Council of Europe Action Plan 2022-2025.

Building on previous Congress interventions and stakeholder needs, the project aligns with the Congress’s political mandate, priorities, and the decisions of the Council of Europe leaders at the Reykjavik Summit, aiming to provide concrete actions for local authorities to renew democracy and reinforce human rights.

 Funding 

This project is implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025 and funded through voluntary contributions.

 Duration 

01 January 2024 - 31 December 2025

What are the goals and objectives of the action?

The project intends to propose concrete action for local authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina to renew democracy and reinforce human rights across their constituencies.

The project intervention aims to:   

• Further promote deliberative democracy as an innovative form of citizen participation in local decision making and as a complement to representative democracy.
• Enhance the skills and capacities of local authorities and their associations for advocacy.
• Enhance the skills and capacities of local authorities and their associations for contribution to strategic goals and commitments for open government.
• Raise awareness on human rights protection at local level and support human rights-based policymaking at local level.

Who benefits from the action?

The main beneficiaries of the project's activities are the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who will benefit from the strengthening of democratic culture and increased democratic participation.

Key project partners are:

• Association of Municipalities and Cities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Association of Municipalities and Cities in Republika Srpska
• Local authorities across Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• The Institution of Human Rights Ombudsperson of Bosnia and Herzegovina

How does the action work?

Within this intervention, one component focuses on further promoting and supporting deliberative processes and an open, transparent, and accountable governance at the local level through developing the capacities of local authorities and associations.

This will be ensured through the establishment of the Pool of Trainers on deliberative democracy, composed of both representatives of local authorities and independent experts. These trainers will, in turn, transfer their skills and knowledge to the respective local authorities interested in incorporating deliberative processes into their decision-making, through capacity-development activities.

Moreover, financial support through grants will be awarded to the associations of local authorities, which will co-operate to strengthen their institutional capacities. This joint work will enable them to effectively advocate for building stronger, more open, participatory, inclusive, and accountable communities.

Open government also will be prioritised through different initiatives and expertise, supporting local authorities and their associations in integrating open government principles in their strategic documents, and achieving commitments at state level, in co-operation with other stakeholders and higher levels of governance.

The second component will focus on the promotion and protection of human rights at local level. The first step will be a baseline assessment on the human rights protection and fulfilment at local level, including an overview of the competencies and responsibilities of local authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement human rights standards.

Based on this study, capacity-development activities will be designed to empower local authorities to implement human rights standards effectively, strengthening their awareness on human rights issues and their capacity to integrate a human rights-based approach in their decision-making.

What do we expect to achieve?

Upon the project's conclusion, we expect to see:

• Enhanced capacities of local authorities and their associations to implement and advocate for open and innovative democratic approaches.  
• Enhanced capacities of local authorities and their associations to promote, respect, protect and fulfil human rights.

What is the budget of the action?

The total budget of the action is 630 000 EUR.

Reference documents:

 Recommendation CM/Rec(2023)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on deliberative democracy

 Report CG(2022)42-12 “Beyond elections: the use of deliberative methods in European municipalities and regions”​