OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina supports youth dialogue and input on the country’s security challenges
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted a visit by “The Future of the OSCE”, young leaders group from 5 to 7 April 2017 and supported the Third National Session of the European Youth Parliament-Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from 6 to 9 April 2017.
“The Future of the OSCE” group, consisting of 40 prominent young people from across the OSCE area, were welcomed by the Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Ambassador Jonathan Moore, and briefed on the Mission’s programmatic activities. The Group also visited Srebrenica and the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Centre, participated at a high-profile regional counter-terrorism conference and met with NGO representatives working on youth affairs.
Christine Lynch, Communications Director at Carnegie Europe and member of “The Future of the OSCE” young leaders group said: "During our visit we met many academic, civil society and youth representatives. We learned that structural, political and economic reforms remain fundamental to better prospects for this country, especially in combating corruption, and that international community support needs to remain strong and focused."
“The Future of the OSCE”, young leaders programme was established by the Hamburg-based association ZEIT-Stiftung within the framework of a series of youth-related conferences held last year under the auspices of Germany’s 2016 OSCE Chairmanship, with the aim of promoting and further building youth leadership in the OSCE area.
At the Third National Session of the European Youth Parliament BiH, more than 100 youth participants from across the country discussed an array of current issues, informed by nine committees. They subsequently adopted a number of resolutions designed to better inform policy- and decision-makers on youth perspectives and needs.
Ambassador Moore said that "The OSCE Mission considers youth to be one of our most important partners for working toward positive change and promoting tolerance and reconciliation. We are therefore very pleased to support this important platform, which allows young people from across the country to improve their awareness and knowledge on issues facing all of us and strengthens their ability to competently discuss these issues and propose ways to overcome them."
Haris Kušmić, President of the European Youth Parliament BiH, said: "Our partnership with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to contribute immensely to advancing the prospects for positive youth participation in this country. Together we are building capacities of young people to discuss complex and interconnected topics on current issues in a constructive and democratic manner and to more effectively present and promote their views and concerns."
The European Youth Parliament BiH is a member of a Europe-wide network involving young people in 40 countries.
The Mission’s support for these activities is a part of its continuing efforts to help increase the quality and visibility of youth dialogue and engagement, recognizing the significant value and importance of young people’s perspectives.