THREE-DAY FORUM 'LET US BUILD JOINT CIVIL SOCIETY' HELD IN SARAJEVO

19. 4. 2010. The EU Police Mission financially supported the Forum with 4,000 Euros, aiming to broaden the visibility of civil society actors from BiH and all over Europe, committed to a citizen-based Bosnia and Herzegovina. This confirmed the EUPM’s commitment to the European integration of BiH and also to the strengthening of the idea of active citizenship in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“The aim of civil society is to assure tangible progress and civic society as a whole is not investing enough efforts,” said Valentin Inzko, High Representative and European Union Special Representative. "Progress is only possible if citizens assume the leading role. The majority of citizens want BiH to be a normal state".

Inzko said that citizens want to decide about their future, not a small group of political power-holders, and that each and every individual is responsible for the situation in the country. He pointed out that the aims of this Forum have been consolidated with the Euro-Atlantic integration program.

"The aim of the Forum is to gather associations from BiH and the region, as well as other parts of Europe who are dissatisfied with the current situation in the country and in society as well,” said Florence Hartman, journalist, author and former Spokeswoman of the ICTY.

Hartman mentioned in particular that: “these associations attempt to create concrete alternatives through their work,” and pointed out that the Forum wants to show the associations that they are not alone and that they are legitimate entities which have the right to address politicians.

“This Forum aims to create a joint platform, a strategy, that will make civil society a recognized part of the community,” said Alma Mašić, director of BiH Human Rights Youth Initiative.

During the three-day meeting, NGO representatives from BiH and Europe discussed civic courage, the political situation, donations and factors that have contributed to civil society being seen as a weak actor. The Forum participants also saw the screening of the documentaries "Two schools under one roof", "Queer Festival in Sarajevo" and the premiere of the movie "Don't you tell me about love and peace".

“The forum aims to contribute to the empowerment and reinforcement of civil society in BiH in order to make it a key player in its democratization and European integration,” said Dr. Nicolas Moll, Deputy Director of Andre Malraux Center Sarajevo.

This gathering of civil society actors from BiH and their colleagues from various Balkan and EU countries is only the first step in the long-term process. They defined concrete actions that are to be taken in the future and presented their conclusions to the public on the last day of the Forum.

The Forum participants concluded that it is necessary to develop joint projects between NGOs from BiH and other European countries and create an umbrella association of NGOs in BiH. The EU idea was the focus of discussion and the Forum concluded that it would organize a series of debates in local communities about the European Union (EU) and the impact of European integration on the quality of life of every individual. The organizers also suggested organizing a campaign for people who will vote for the first time in the forthcoming elections in BiH.

The final conclusion was to develop the idea of "the home of civil society”, as an open and safe place for meetings and debates about civil society, and create a database of success stories from the field in order to overcome divisions in local communities.

“The Forum has achieved one of its goals – by making cooperation among NGOs from the local communities our main priority,” said Mirsad Pandžić, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, while speaking about the conclusions and impressions from the forum.

“All these conclusions will form the foundation of creating concrete strategies for action,” said Mašić. She further expressed her satisfaction that civil society actors had shown a willingness to take concrete steps toward strategic actions, aiming to work jointly with other NGO colleagues and eventually become a key player in the democratization of the country.

The Forum participants agreed that this is only the first in a series of steps, which should empower BiH civil society to enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a truly democratic country which protects the human rights of all its citizens.

Source: EUPM