Educational reform efforts have been recommended, developed and implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) by various small and large organizations for several years. One significant initiative was the Shared Modernization Strategy implemented by the European Commission in 2001 and 2002, which sought to integrate local actors and experts in the reform and modernization process. In the summer of 2002, a broader, widely supported, coordinated and dedicated reform effort was initiated by the OSCE, which raised the profile of the issue of education as a key element of peace building, economic growth and post-war reconstruction.
Topic:
Civil Society, Education, Peace Studies, and Regional Cooperation
The ECMI Civil Society Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) began its effort on the role of Annex 8 legislation and implementation in autumn 2001 in order to provide a forum for experts to discuss an issue that had been largely neglected since the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP, or the Dayton Peace Agreement) in 1995. Annex 8 of the GFAP established a Commission to Preserve National Monuments in the wake of the destruction that devastated the cultural heritage of BiH during the war 1992-1995. Through conversations with experts in BiH and from throughout the region, ECMI recognized the potential that this Annex could have on peace-building and reconciliation in BiH.
Topic:
Civil Society, Peace Studies, and Regional Cooperation
During the recent armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) the destruction of the cultural heritage of several communities was an undeclared aim of some of the parties to the conflict. Over 1,000 mosques were destroyed or damaged, and hundreds of Catholic and Orthodox churches were also damaged or destroyed. Non-sacred structures suffered as well, most famously the Ottoman era bridge in Mostar, and hundreds of other bridges, Roman ruins, and medieval sites have suffered from a combination of the damage of war and a decade of neglect.
Topic:
Civil Society, Non-Governmental Organization, and Peace Studies
The ECMI Civil Society Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina aims to assist local actors in assuming responsibility for democratic governance in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are being involved, with the assistance of international experts, in a process of reviewing existing policy on practical issues of concern to all communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and of developing specific policy recommendations to further governance and civil society development within the framework set out by the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA).
Topic:
Civil Society, Peace Studies, and Regional Cooperation