News and events
Joining forces with civil society against violence and gender inequality
The Council of Europe Ending violence against women: multi-country programme organised the conference “Synergy for change: Civil society raising awareness on violence against women in a context of global challenges” in Budapest 11-12 July 2024. Civil society organisations (CSOs) from across...
First round of training for civil servants of Bosnia and Herzegovina to recognise and tackle hate speech
The Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, organised on the mountain Jahorina the first training for 26 civil servants on recognising and responding to cases of hate speech. This training, that took place on 8 and 9 July...
Freedom of Expression in Focus of Regional School of Human Rights: Empowering Future Legal Professionals in the Western Balkans
Trebinje hosts the Regional School of Human Rights, an event that brought together 34 law students from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo[1]. The summer school introduces students to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the role of the...
Teachers take first steps to become certified trainers on the Competences for democratic culture
10 teachers from primary and secondary schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) participated in the Training of trainers for teachers from Resource centers organised within the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Quality education for all” from 2 to 4 July. This group of teachers who...
HJPC Delegation Learns from Lithuania’s Judicial Reforms
A delegation from the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina recently concluded a successful two-day study visit to Lithuania on June 11-12, 2024. During the visit, they engaged in detailed discussions and gained valuable insights into several key aspects of the...
Members of the Advisory Board call for further implementation of the Roadmap for improvement of inclusive education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The third meeting of the Advisory Board of the joint European Union (EU) and Council of Europe action "Quality education for all" in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) took place online on the 1st of July 2024. The meeting was opened by Adnan Husić, Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Civil Affairs...
Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions, academia, civil society, and media join forces to combat disinformation and hate speech online
European standards, including the EU Digital Service Act (DSA), require a multi-stakeholder approach to the protection from harmful content online, involving governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, regulatory and self-regulatory bodies, civil society, academia, and media. At a round table...
Fourteen representatives of police agencies and inspectorates certified to conduct training on human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation
In order to ensure the continuation of activities related to strengthening of the capacities of professionals through trainings organized by institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to improve work in the field on the identification of victims of human trafficking for the purpose of labour...
Addressing hate speech: training for the prosecutors and police in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Addressing hate speech effectively requires targeted training and clear legal standards. To this end, the Council of Europe organised, with the support of the European Union, a comprehensive training session for prosecutors and police officers from 13 offices across Bosnia and Herzegovina,...
Council of Europe anti-trafficking project continues support to professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina on suppression of labour exploitation
Council of Europe anti-trafficking project in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues with activities to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of professionals to detect and combat trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation. On 15 March 2024, for the second time, the project...
Integrating human rights in local policy making in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The challenges of local authorities in upholding international human rights standards were discussed at the fourth meeting of the Platform of Exchange on 13 June 2024 in Sarajevo. Organised by the Congress the meeting brought together more than 40 local elected representatives and public...
Strengthening inter-institutional cooperation on rehabilitation and reintegration of violent extremist prisoners into the society in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Council of Europe is supporting prison staff in Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen their capacities and protocols in managing and rehabilitating violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) and effectively reintegrating them into the society. One of the important aspects of this support is...
Development of the Monitoring and Reporting System on Freedom of Expression in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Freedom of expression is one of the key pillars of democracy emphasized in the Reykjavik Declaration. The protection of the right of access to information is closely linked to freedom of expression, fostering a pluralistic environment, and safeguarding the rule of law and government’s...
Protecting journalists and fighting disinformation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Enhancing the safety of journalists, combating strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), and supporting co-regulation of harmful content online are among the key priorities for protecting freedom of expression and the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second Steering Committee...
Human Rights, Camera, Action! - Council of Europe launches photo and video competition for young Europeans
To celebrate its 75th anniversary and to raise awareness of the role and impact of the Council of Europe, the Deputy Secretary General, Bjørn Berge, has launched a photo and video competition entitled “Human Rights, Camera, Action!” aimed at young people, inviting them to use their smartphones...
Congress supports local authorities advocacy efforts for strenghened local self-governement in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Guaranteeing local autonomy in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and local government financing in Republika Srpska in compliance with the European Charter of Local Self-Government, were in the focus of two advocacy events organised on 25 April in Sarajevo, and 29 May 2024 in Banja Luka,...
Role of religion in promoting human rights: how can religion and religious communities contribute to combating hate speech?
The European Union and the Council of Europe, in partnership with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, organised on 17-18 May on Jahorina a discussion with the title How can religion and religious communities contribute to combating hate speech. This activity...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Equipping prison staff with skills to provide peer-to-peer trainings on management of violent extremist prisoners
With the support from the ministries of justice on all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Europe has delivered a training of trainers on the management of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) for prison staff from all prisons in the country on 14-17 May, in Sarajevo. The aim of the...
Local capacity building on Transparency and Access to Government Information
In a pluralistic and democratic society, the transparency of public authorities is of utmost importance. The right of access to official documents provides the public with essential information, enabling them to form opinions about the actions of public authorities. The transparency of public...
The Council of Europe participated in regional events on Countering Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans
The Council of Europe project “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in Bosnia and Herzegovina” provided support to two regional events, which took place in Budva, Montenegro. The regional training of trainers on digital investigations and victim-centred interviewing techniques was organised by...
