Cooperation with European Countries

BiH actively participates in IPA II Cross‑Border Cooperation programmes with Montenegro and Serbia, focusing on youth employment, entrepreneurship, and social inclusion.

The BiH–Montenegro (2014–2020) cross-border cooperation program allocated EUR 8.4 million to finance projects like the “Your Job” initiative. It supported employment fairs, mentoring, internships, and business support for approximately 600 youth from both countries.

Serbia–BiH cross-border cooperation project entitled „One-stop-shop service for youth entrepreneurship and cross-border partnerships” was launched in 2023 with an EU grant of EUR 183,285, providing a one-stop-shop service to build youth entrepreneurial skills and increase mobility in vulnerable cross-border areas. The project's goal is to improve the employability and entrepreneurship abilities of vulnerable groups through joint cross-border efforts, including the promotion of sustainable social entrepreneurship.

EU countries like Germany, Italy, Austria, France and Sweden, through their respective embassies and development agencies, have been investing in youth policy development at national and local levels in BiH. Some of the projects include: 

• Youth for Change and Empowering Youth for Sustainable Development through the Advisory Board for Youth of the Swiss Embassy in BiH,

• Be a Man Club in BD BiH, implemented in collaboration with the Government of Switzerland, the OAK Foundation, the Austrian Development Agency, and CARE International Balkans, and

• METAVOICE – Voices of Youth in the Digital Age, implemented by the PRONI Youth Development Center with the support of the United States Department of State.

International cooperation

The cooperation of BiH with the United Nations is implemented trough UNCT (the United Nations Country Team) in BiH. UNCT comprises 12 funds, United Nations Programmes and Specialised Agencies (UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, WHO, ILO, UNESCO, UN Women, UNV, FAO, UNEP, UNODC); the Bretton Woods Institutions (World Bank, IFC, IMF); UNICTY Office and IOM. 

Several regionally-based UN Agencies (UNIDO, IFAD, IAEA) are also operational in BiH through the implementation of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) BiH 2021-2025. This Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (CF)  describes four strategic priorities for joint work by 2025:

• Sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth, 

• Quality, accessible and inclusive education, health and social protection, 

• People cantered governance and rule of law, 

• Citizen and community engagement for social cohesion.

UNCT also co-operates and co-ordinates activities effectively and exhaustively in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, youth and employment issues, people with disabilities, local development and Roma issues.

The IOM Development Fund supported the project "BiH: Engaging Youth in Environmentally and Socio-Economically Sustainable Initiatives". The project aimed to address key socio-economic factors contributing to youth dissatisfaction within local communities across BiH. The initiative promoted youth participation in environmental preservation and socio-economic development through structured, community-based mechanisms designed to enhance social cohesion and climate resilience.

A particular focus of the project as on the empowerment of women and girls, ensuring gender-inclusive participation in all phases of activity implementation.

As part of the project’s activities, a series of EcoUP Start Weekends were organized in three municipalities:

• Bihac (28–30 October 2022),

• Jablanica (11–13 November 2022),

• Bijeljina (18–20 November 2022).

These events were held under the theme "Innovative Approaches to Environmental Protection and the Prevention of Youth Outmigration Due to Climate Change." Their primary objective was to facilitate the development of innovative, youth-led solutions for environmental protection, while simultaneously addressing the growing challenge of youth migration driven by the consequences of climate change.

Through these participatory forums, young people collaborated on concrete project ideas and strategies aimed at improving environmental sustainability in their local areas, thereby reinforcing their connection to their communities and promoting long-term engagement in climate action.

The Council of Europe Action Plan for BiH 2022–2025 is a strategic programming instrument for the period from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2025. The main goal is to support reform processes in BiH with the aim of harmonizing legislation, institutions, and practices with European standards, particularly in the areas of human rights, rule of law, and democracy. This also supports the country's aspirations towards fulfilling obligations of membership in the Council of Europe and promoting the European integration process.

The Action Plan defines the following areas of cooperation:

• Implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights at the national level,

• Freedom of expression and media,

• Protection of human rights and fight against discrimination,

• Judiciary reforms,

• Fight against corruption, money laundering, financing of terrorism, and cybercrime,

• Combating human trafficking,

• Police and prison system reform, including work on the reintegration of extremist prisoners,

• Electoral reforms,

• Local democracy and self-government,

• Interethnic dialogue and reconciliation,

• Education.

New areas of cooperation have been identified, as well as areas where efforts need to be intensified based on recent activities of the Council of Europe, monitoring mechanisms, and expert bodies, as well as challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which include:

• Migration management and rights of vulnerable groups in the context of migration and asylum,

• Interaction between human environment and human rights,

• Right to information,

• Data protection,

• Access to justice for women and prevention of violence against women,

• Support to the Constitutional Court,

• Fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking,

• Civic participation in decision-making processes.

Activities within these areas will be based on Council of Europe conventions, recommendations of advisory and monitoring bodies. The Action Plan will encompass all three pillars of Council of Europe cooperation and provide expert and technical support for the application of Council of Europe standards in priority areas, as well as capacity building of relevant institutions. Emphasis will be placed on improving coordinated activities of various actors, crucial for addressing the complex challenges of governance and promoting dialogue with civil society.

The OSCE Mission to BiH is active in youth field since 2014 through their initiative to establish a Youth Advisory Group in BiH and the 2016 initiative aiming to develop school-supported activities to counter and prevent violent extremism from taking ground in educational environments. 

Non-EU countries, which are active in the youth development field in BiH, are USA and Switzerland. Those countries are active through their respective embassies and developmental agencies and have country policies that highly prioritize youth issues. Some of their projects are mentioned in the previous subsection. 

On July 4, 2016, BiH signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) at the Summit of the Prime Ministers of the Western Balkan Countries in Paris. The RYCO's mission is to support regional youth exchanges and their ideas, based on the values of coexistence, tolerance, and respect for human rights and differences, intensifying regional cooperation among young people and youth-related institutions, as well as ensuring the implementation of joint youth programs based on principles of democratic governance, sustainable economic development, education, and innovation, and coordination of youth cooperation in the Western Balkans. The BiH Council of Ministers determined the Proposal for an Agreement on the Regional Youth Cooperation Office of the Western Balkans (RYCO) at its 61st session held on June 20, 2016.