Synergies between public policies and programmes

The first and still valid FBiH Cultural Strategy was drawn up in October 2008. It lists several goals and outcomes that, for the most part, follow the key themes and goals recommended in the Action Plan adopted at the Intergovernmental Conference on Public Policies in Culture held in Stockholm in 1998, which was organized by UNESCO:

• Promotion of cultural identity,
• Confirmation of European multicultural diversity,
• Encouraging all kinds of creativity,
• Encouraging everyone's participation in cultural life,
• Creation of cultural policies as key constituent elements of development strategies,
• Strengthening measures to protect cultural heritage and promote cultural industries,
• Promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity in IT society,
• Provision of more human and financial resources for the development of culture, and others.

There is the Department for Culture and Science within the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which operates as a coordinating body both in relation to the entities and BD. Its mandate is to determine the basic principles and harmonize the plans of entity authorities and define strategies on the international level. This requires a high level of cooperation as well as the strengthening of mechanisms and structures that enable interaction with several different actors. 

The RS Culture Development Strategy 2023-2030 is adopted in November 2023, a separate, detailed action plan (AP) has not yet been developed or published. 

The FBiH Youth Strategy (2024–2027) is being developed through a multi-sectoral working group led by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, in collaboration with the Institute for Youth Development KULT and the FBiH Youth Council. This strategic framework aims to align cultural, educational, and social inclusion objectives in a coherent, youth-centered policy agenda.

Funding of culture in BiH takes place at several levels of government and in accordance with constitutional competences (MDG-F, Culture for Development, (2010), GAP analysis of administrative data sources from areas of cultural policy in BiH, Draft, p. 35-36):

• 3.13% National level,
• 64.98% Entities, Cantons and BD,
• 11% Cities,
• 20.90% Municipalities.

Since 2014, Creative Europe funding has supported the Sarajevo Film Festival and numerous cultural institutions, including OKC Abrasevic and various arts centers, to bolster youth creativity, cultural identity, and economic development in the creative sector. The programme channels over EUR 5.5 million toward youth-related artistic initiatives across BiH.

Partnerships between the culture and creative sectors, youth organisations and youth workers

The Western Balkans Youth Cultural Fund is established and managed by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO). This fund offers grants (EUR 3,000–6,000) to support youth cultural activism and creative solutions aimed at pressing social and political issues. It also awards "Peace Champion" prizes to outstanding cultural practitioners, thus reinforcing regional cultural collaboration and youth engagement.

“The Art of Understanding” is an interactive project within the Joint Regional Programme “Dialogue for the Future-Fostering Dialogue and Social Cohesion in and between BiH, Montenegro and Republic of Serbia. Under the project, youth from BiH and Montenegro participated in drama and music workshops in Tuzla. The initiative fostered intercultural dialogue and social cohesion among young people through collaborative creative expression.

The youth arts organization Svitac from BD actively collaborates with educational and cultural institutions, hosting multidisciplinary workshops, summer camps, and community arts initiatives aimed at reconciliation. These partnerships demonstrate how culture and youth engagement can be interwoven with local governance and volunteer structures.