Governance

At the level of BiH, there is no ministry in charge of social inclusion in the BiH Council of Ministers. Given that social inclusion is included in the Convention on Human Rights and other EU documents ratified by BiH, according to the target group, the area of social inclusion can be found in the responsibilities of various ministries. But mostly this jurisdiction is at the entity level.

Considering the target group, we find jurisdiction in the BiH Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees at the state level. Also, at the state level there is the Directorate for Economic Planning which includes the Department of Coordination of Preparation, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Policies and Analysis of Social Inclusion, which mostly covers the area of drafting and coordination of policies. This Department still has a Unit for Social Inclusion Analysis.

Social inclusion in FBiH is in the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which has several sectors that cover social inclusion according to target group or competence, and the Ministry of Education and Science that covers social inclusion in formal education through different sectors. Both ministries have lowered their responsibilities to a cantonal level.

In RS, the RS Ministry of Health and Social Welfare oversees social issues. The Ministry has a Department of Social, Family and Child Protection, which provides assistance in the development of policies to improve the social protection of children and youth, and support young people with disabilities for work training.

The BD Government has several departments that cover social inclusion depending on target group and field of interest, such as the Department of Displaced Persons, Refugees and Housing, Department of Education and Department of Health and Other Services. 

NGO's efforts on social inclusion in BiH are visible through projects implemented with different target groups.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

Cross-sectoral cooperation in BiH exists but is often ad hoc and fragmented, with no single centralized mechanism for overseeing youth social inclusion. Cooperation is fostered through inter-ministerial working groups at entity levels (e.g., in FBiH for youth strategy development), where ministries of education, health, labour, and youth affairs collaborate.

Projects often rely on donor support (e.g., UN, EU, UNICEF) to strengthen inter-sectoral linkages, particularly for Roma inclusion, education access, and youth employment. The Gender Action Plan (GAP BiH 2023–2027) promotes multi-sectoral coordination across education, labour, health, and social protection, including youth and vulnerable populations.