National youth policy, national youth law or national youth council or any youth representative body does not exist in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the authorities responsible for the youth related issues are mainly at entity, cantonal and Brčko District levels, there is a variety of youth participation that usually goes via the youth councils in forms of meetings with the responsible ministries and participation in government working groups and other bodies established for the purpose of developing and adopting youth related regulations.

Formal mechanisms of consultation

There is no unified national law or youth policy, due to the constitutional structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each of the three administrative levels, Republika Srpska, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Brčko District, has its own Youth Law (Brčko District of Youth Law, Youth Law of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Youth Law of Republika Srpska), which legally mandates youth participation in policymaking through youth councils and commissions. 

Youth consultation processes are institutionalized at:

• Local/municipal level, through youth commissions and local youth councils.

• Cantonal level (in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina), via cantonal youth councils.

• Entity level, via Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Youth Councils.

• State-level coordination body, the Commission for Coordination of Youth Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina—though this body has not been functional in practice since 2016.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, youth participation in decision-making processes occurs primarily through structured and informal mechanisms, reflecting the country's decentralized governance and reliance on entity-level youth laws.

Youth councils at entity and local levels serve as the main channels, conducting consultations and cooperating with relevant ministries and government bodies on youth policies, employment initiatives like the Youth Guarantee, and local strategies. The Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Youth Council of Republika Srpska actively foster dialogue with institutions to advocate for young people's interests, as mandated by respective youth laws.

Youth representatives occasionally participate in formal working groups, such as those developing action plans or strategies, or advisory bodies like the R

S Council on Youth, which includes government members.

Additionally, NGOs, international partners (e.g., EU Delegation, UNICEF, UNFPA, and Regional Cooperation Council projects), and initiatives like the "Dialogue for the Future" platform organize workshops, trainings, forums, and public events to facilitate youth input on topics ranging from education and employment to peace building and EU integration. Recent examples include the EU's Youth Advisory Board established in late 2025 and regional youth labs promoting structured dialogue.

These channels, while fragmented due to the absence of a comprehensive state-level youth strategy, enable varying degrees of influence, with youth councils providing the most institutionalized participation.

While consultation is legally required, actual implementation is inconsistent. Some youth councils meet regularly, while others only convene on a case-by-case or ad hoc basis depending on local capacity and engagement. 

Actors

Youth Councils, formally established at municipal, cantonal, and entity levels, and student councils in schools and universities (as detailed in Section 5.3), which feed into these structures. Youth NGOs and grassroots groups are also involved in consultations, policy advocacy, and project implementation. 

Youth laws require representation of young people with fewer opportunities. 

Several regional and international initiatives actively focus on involving youth from rural areas, marginalized communities, or ethnically diverse backgrounds, addressing gaps in systematic outreach:

• The EU Delegation's Youth Advisory Board, established in late 2025, comprises 15 diverse young leaders explicitly including perspectives from socially and geographically less visible communities.

• IOM's project "Engaging Youth in Environmentally and Socio-economically Sustainable Initiatives" targets peripheral and at-risk communities, empowering rural youth (with emphasis on women and girls) through environmental and community-driven pilots in areas like Bihać, Jablanica, and Bijeljina.

• The My Future project by Helvetas revives economic networks in rural Herzegovina, creating opportunities for youth in underdeveloped areas.

• Initiatives like those from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR Bosnia and Herzegovina) promote reconciliation and inclusion among youth from ethnically divided or isolated communities.

When it comes to public authorities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Culture and Sports leads youth policy in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports covers youth issues in Republika Srpska and the Department of Administrative and Professional Affairs of the Brčko District Government is responsible for youth issues in Brčko District.

The Commission for Coordination of Youth Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina nominally serves at the national level coordinating body for youth policy, while there are also parliamentary bodies such as the House of Peoples Committee on youth, education, and culture in both entities.

Other stakeholders include international bodies such as the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the PRONI Center for Youth Development, the Institute for Youth Development KULT, and the Youth Communication Center (YCC); as well as foreign development agencies supporting youth advisory groups and advocacy training, including the Swiss Development Agency, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Information on the extent of youth participation

Authorities rarely publish participation data and estimates are based on stakeholder reports and external reviews, not centralized statistics. Engagement levels vary widely. While certain municipalities demonstrate strong youth engagement, others remain practically inactive due to lack of resources or coordination.

Outcomes

Youth councils and associations contribute to draft laws, youth strategies, funding frameworks, rights-based education, and local community planning. 

While youth input is taken into account, it is non-binding, and final decisions remain with authorities. Some entity-level reforms have acknowledged youth group proposals.

There is little formal public reporting on how youth suggestions are integrated. Feedback is often provided via NGOs or council meetings rather than published records. 

Large-scale initiatives for dialogue or debate between public institutions and young people

The Council of Europe’s youth participation training (50/50 Training - Strengthening co-operation and partnership for youth participation and youth policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina), held on 9-13 May 2022 at the European Youth Centre in Budapest, delivered capacity-building workshop aimed at improving participants’ competences to facilitate youth participation in decision-making processes in the context of the creation and implementation of youth policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (at different levels) in line with the Council of Europe’s standards, principles and values.

Youth Communication Center (YCC) projects facilitate advocacy networks across Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina secondary schools, resulting in youth-led campaigns on education access and ethnic inclusion.

Broader efforts by PRONI youth clubs network and platforms such as Europe House Sarajevo, which host debates, cultural dialogue, and youth forums engaging with public institutions and EU representatives.