OSCE Mission supports improved social protection through establishment of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Social Workers Union

As part of its effort to improve social protection, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organized on 20 May 2015 in Sarajevo a meeting to establish the Union of Associations of Social Workers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH).  

“The Union will help social workers in their effort to advocate for the improvement of the social protection system, which currently suffers from a lack of staff, adequate working space and equipment, insufficient funding to service large numbers of beneficiaries of various profiles, as well as from discrepancies between entity, cantonal and municipal level legislation and provisions,” said Head of the OSCE Mission’s Human Rights Section Barbara Chiarenza.

Members of the Board for the Establishment of the FBiH Union of Social Workers have already adopted the Statute and Rules of Procedure and have elected bodies which will manage the work of the Union. Their formal registration is expected shortly.

President of the Sarajevo Canton Association of Social Workers, Enda Pavić Pečenković, said: “The establishment of the Union at the entity level is very important for all those who deal with social work because only through our joint efforts we can enhance our work and improve the quality of our services.” .

“The Union will enhance and protect social work and social workers in accordance with professional, ethic and international standards and should be an active participant in the development of social protection laws.”

The establishment of the Union in the FBiH will further create conditions for the formation of a union at the State level in co-operation with the already existing Union of Social Workers in Republika Srpska. The State level union could co-ordinate the work of all associations of social workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and strengthen co-operation among them. Likewise, it would be able to request membership of the International Association of Social Workers.