Culture and creativity are essential dimensions of youth development, self-expression, and social inclusion. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), however, the systemic fragmentation of governance and the absence of a unified cultural strategy have resulted in an uneven and often marginalized cultural landscape—particularly affecting young people. Despite BiH’s rich cultural heritage and artistic diversity, youth are rarely central to cultural policymaking. Competences in this sector are distributed across multiple levels of governance - state, entity - Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS), cantonal (within FBiH), and Brcko District (BD BiH)—which significantly hinders coherent planning and implementation of youth-focused cultural policies.

While cultural responsibilities fall to the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs at the state level, it has only limited authority and funding functions. No Ministry of Culture exists at the national level. Entities like FBiH and RS have their own ministries responsible for culture and youth, but integration between culture and youth development remains minimal. The Youth Policy of RS 2023–2027 marks a notable exception, promoting excellence and creativity among youth. Some cantons—such as Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Herzegovina-Neretva—have recently begun developing youth policies that mention culture, although concrete measures remain limited. In BD, support for youth creativity is largely reliant on sporadic public calls and CSO-led initiatives.

Creative and cultural development among youth is most visibly supported through international donor programs, local youth CSOs, and cultural events hosted by cities and municipalities. Still, with limited systemic support, youth cultural engagement and participation remain low. A coordinated national and entity-level effort is necessary to harmonize strategies, allocate funding, and elevate cultural participation and competence-building among youth.