Volunteering has a long-standing tradition in Bosnia and Herzegovina, deeply rooted in community solidarity, mutual assistance and informal forms of collective action. Historical practices of community help, religious charity and collective work have shaped social norms related to voluntary engagement, which continue to influence contemporary forms of volunteering. Since the 1990s, volunteering has increasingly been linked to civil society development, humanitarian assistance and post-conflict recovery, with youth playing a significant role in community-based initiatives.

Despite this tradition, volunteering in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains characterized by a fragmented legal and institutional framework. There is no state-level law or national strategy on volunteering, and legislation is instead defined at the entity level in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and in the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Across all jurisdictions, volunteering is defined as the voluntary provision of services for the public benefit, performed without financial compensation. 

The relevant ministries for the administration and governance of volunteering laws in Bosnia and Herzegovina are: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Justice, Republika Srpska Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports and Department for Professional and Administrative Affairs of Government of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There are no national or regional authorities responsible for youth volunteering, and most voluntary activities are administrated and governed by youth non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs).

Strategy on volunteering is drafted and adopted only at the Republika Srpska level: Strategy for Improvement and Development of Volunteering in Republika Srpska 2019 – 2023. It is not a specific youth volunteering strategy, but youth volunteering is covered.