The action “Promotion of diversity and equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ organised its third Steering Committee meeting on 9 February 2021.

Bojana Urumova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo, thanked the partners from the all institutions that are part of this board and commented on the current topic of hate speech. She emphasised that it is very important that the authorities are well informed about what hate speech is and that it is necessary to pay attention of how to act in cases of hate speech. Bojana Urumova also pointed out that the analysis of knowledge and experiences of civil servants on hate speech which was done within this action is comprehensive and reflects the standards of international institutions and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dr. Jasminka Džumhur, Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina, explained that a symbiosis is needed between academia and practitioners in order to transfer theory and practice to civil servants. She highlighted that there is important to find a way to make important documents become operational.

Steering committee members were informed about past and future activities and discussed the current state of play of this action, including of its regional sister action.

Members of the Steering Committee commented that many results have been achieved within this period and expressed their appreciation for the support that the European Union and Council of Europe are providing.

Saliha Đuderija noted that one of the main aims of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees is to improve the mechanisms for implementation of co-ordination regarding the national minorities and that within these activities an important document for documentation of the data on national minorities will be developed.

The action “Promotion of diversity and equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina” is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, implemented by the Council of Europe.