Governance

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a state composed of two entities: the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the self-governing Brčko District. At the national level, governance of youth work is not defined due to the constitutional structure, where youth issues fall under entity jurisdiction. The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Commission for Coordination of Youth Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina handle coordination but not direct governance. The youth issues at national level are in jurisdiction of the Commission for Coordination of Youth Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina and newly established Mobility and Youth Unit at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Most of the constitutional competencies regarding youth issues are at the entities’ government level: Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The competencies at the entity level in the field of youth are within the following ministries: Republika Srpska Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Culture and Sports. The Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina government has a Department for Professional and Administrative Affairs that also has jurisdiction over youth issues. 

There are three youth laws in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

• Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Youth Law (Official Gazette of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 36/10);

• Republika Srpska Law on Youth Organization (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska, 98/04, 119/08, 1/12);

• Brčko District Youth Law (Official Gazette of Brčko District, 18/17).

Defined key goals and measures of the Brčko District Youth Policy 2022–2026

The Youth Policy is a document with a programmatic approach to action towards young people, which includes defined issues and needs of young people, policy directions of action, policy goals and measures for the realization of policy goals. It is based on research on the needs and issues of young people. According to the Brčko District Youth Law, the Youth Policy is prepared by the Brčko District Government Department for Professional and Administrative Affairs in cooperation with the Brčko District Youth Council, and submitted to the Brčko District Government for consideration and approval. The Brčko District Government approves the proposed youth policy and submits it to the Brčko District Assembly for consideration and adoption.

In 2023, the Republika Srpska Government adopted the Republika Srpska Youth Policy 2023–2027. The Republika Srpska Youth Policy 2023–2027 defined four strategic goals with a total of 15 priorities and 44 measures, and three strategic projects. Funds in the total amount of 266,389,000 KM have been planned for the implementation of the Policy. 

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is developing its first Youth Policy of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2025–2034, supported through the EU4CS (EU for Civil Society) project and USAID.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

The Republika Srpska Council on Youth was established by the Republika Srpska Government following the proposal of the Ministry, with the mission to give their opinions on professional issues in the field of youth policy and its implementation. The Council members are: Minister of Family, Youth and Sports, Minister of Education and Culture, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ministry of Labour, War Veterans and Disabled Persons' Protection, Minister of Finance, a representative of the working body which deals with youth issues of the Republika Srpska People’s Assembly and three representatives of the Republika Srpska Youth Council. 

The Republika Srpska Youth Policy 2016-2020 explained the multi-sectoral approach in the part relating to the implementation of the document with defined actors for each measure, which will be further developed through the projects in the Action Plan implementing the youth policy.

Most of the measures, programs, projects and activities defined by the policy will be implemented within all institutions, organizations, departments and services involved. The Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports is the main coordinator responsible for the planning, implementation and monitoring of the policy. In addition, a cross-sectoral team will be established to develop and implement an Action Plan for the implementation of the Youth Policy and make sure that:

• Policy is project-driven, the activities and work related to the implementation will be coordinated,

• To provide analytical, managerial and communication capacities, in order to successfully work on achieving the goals set,

• Planning and reporting are coordinated,

• Support is given to the constructive involvement of stakeholders (youth organizations, civil society organizations, business sector, international organizations, representatives of the professional community in these areas and other key stakeholders) during the preparation and implementation of the Action Plan,

• Efficient operation of the implementation through centralized coordination and support is ensured which includes the development of programs, reports, analysis, organizing meetings.

The preparation of the annual Action Plan for the implementation of the Republika Srpska Youth Policy is done in cooperation with all stakeholders and partners involved in measures set out in the Youth Policy. Support to this process is provided by USAID, which supported the Ministry in drafting the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the Youth Policy. In May 2016, monitoring and evaluation trainings were organized for the representatives of institutions and civil society organizations involved in the implementation.

Currently, the Republika Srpska Youth Policy 2022-2026 is still being developed. The document drafting process was supported with the technical assistance through the EU4CS (EU for Civil Society) project and the Youth Retention Program in Bosnia and Herzegovina - General Mobilization project financed by the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After holding the session of the Republika Srpska Council on Youth, and obtaining the consent of the relevant ministries, the Republika Srpska Youth Policy 2022-2026 will be sent to the Republika Srpska Government for approval.

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Government is currently in the process of developing the first youth policy for young people in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The process of developing a youth policy is coordinated by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Culture and Sport. 

Beside this initiative, there is an initiative of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Youth Council to form a council on youth that would have similar responsibilities as the Republika Srpska Council on Youth. 

In Brčko District, the Department for Professional and Administrative Affairs of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina cooperates with the Youth Council of Brčko District on the development of the Youth Policy.

According to the report "Mapping of Youth Policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina" (RCC, 2023), cross-sectoral cooperation is limited due to fragmented governance, but projects such as EU4CS strengthen partnerships between government and CSOs.