OSCE Calls for continuous Cross-Border Co-operation to Protect Migrants' Rights

5 June 2024, SARAJEVO – The recent ODIHR report on Border Police Monitoring in South-Eastern Europe highlights the need to advance cross-border co-operation among monitoring actors to ensure the respect of human rights of migrants/refugees and asylum seekers. The key findings of this report, published in October 2023, were presented today in Sarajevo with the support of the OSCE Mission to BiH to representatives of relevant BiH institutions and international organizations.

The presentation aimed to create a platform for discussion, identify and exchange good practices developed in specific regional contexts, and develop targeted bilateral approaches for more strategic engagement of all stakeholders, including civil society organizations and international bodies.

“The OSCE Mission to BiH encourages and promotes a ‘comprehensive border security and management concept’ which entails a whole-of-government approach focused on the necessity for interagency co-operation in this highly complex and interconnected environment. Effective border control is not only in the interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina but also of all bordering states and the region,” said Thomas Busch, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH. “We must continue to improve this situation by establishing monitoring mechanisms that prevent and resolve human rights concerns. This is essential for enabling effective border management and the realization of the rights of migrants.”

This activity is part of the broader efforts of the OSCE Mission to BiH to support BiH authorities in strengthening their border security and management, considering the protection and respect for the human rights of all people crossing the state border while minimizing the security threats posed by irregular migrations.