US$122 million UNDP - supported project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2 million tons, create 5,000 jobs over 8 years

Throughout the world September 27 was celebrated as World Tourism Day 2017, and this year’s theme was “Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development”. Via Dinarica project, as a tool for development of sustainable tourism in BiH, supported with 100.000 BAM.

A couple of tour operators and a travel blogger - journalist from Finland, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina this week, and explored some of Via Dinarica trails, aiming to inform Finnish tourists about this destination, and prepare attractive programs for them.

Over the past four months, 30 workers from socially vulnerable categories, including 10 women, have got jobs within the scope of project dubbed “Together to employment", which was successfully implemented in Foča.

MEG project started an initiative to systematically solve problems in the area of public water services, by signing Public Service Agreements (PSA) between local authorities, as founders, and public water utility companies. As of now, 11 MEG project partner local governments in BiH have signed PSAs with water utility companies for the provision of public water supply services.

Successes of the LID Project, funded with EUR 6.6 million by the EU, and implemented by the UNDP, is clearly visible in the Doboj, Žepče and Maglaj areas. This was the conclusion of the visit of Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation in BiH Melvin Asin, and Deputy UNDP Resident Representative in BiH Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, to LID Project beneficiaries and representatives of the local authorities.

The research on BiH youth’s socio-economic perceptions was conducted with the aim of examining their views and experiences on a wide range of current issues, including on employment and job markets, political awareness and activism, mobility and EU accession. It was commissioned under the framework of the global EU-funded, UNDP-implemented project on „Building and Consolidating Capacities for Conflict Prevention“.

How Integrated Local Development Project (ILDP) assists in the enhancing of cooperation among cities and municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

More than 200 local community forums held, 76 infrastructure projects and 34 social inclusion projects, 125 premises of local communities modernised, seven social centres opened, and countless trainings for local community representatives are but few deliverables of the project Strengthening the Role of Local Communities/Mjesne Zajednice (MZs) in BiH. During only one year of its implementation, the project had an impact on the quality of life of more than 100,000 citizens in BiH, of which 40,000 women.

City of Trebinje and Municipality of Ljubinje have developed long partnerships with UNDP in BiH, and Sezin Sinanoglu, UNDP BiH Resident Representative visited these areas to observe the implementation and impact of the activities of the local development projects and discuss the potential for future joint engagements in developmental programmes in Eastern Herzegovina.

How Integrated Local Development Project (ILDP) assists in the social inclusion of people with disabilities and the elderly in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

The Third National Communication (TNC) and Second Biennial Update Report on Greenhouse Gas Emissions (SBUR) of Bosnia and Herzegovina under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted by the BiH Council of Ministers on May 23rd, 2017 and submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn.

The roundtable session “Diaspora for the economy of the Srebrenica region” emphasized the need for a more intensive participation of the diaspora in the development of the municipalities of Srebrenica, Bratunac, Milići, Vlasenica, and Zvornik

UNDP BiH and Embassy of the Netherlands in BiH signed an agreement for the “First Jobs” project worth almost 655,000 US dollars, which will support 320 unemployed people in the Birač region, especially women and youth, to attain their first job.

The EU-funded EU STAR project, worth EUR 2.8 million, will enable destruction of 3,000 tonnes of unstable ammunition in specialized domestic and international demilitarization plants in order to reduce the risk that excessive ammunition supplies represent to safety of people and communities in country.

Within the scope of the ILDP project, 11 new municipalities in BiH have been selected for receiving technical support in creating development strategies and introducing systemic approach in implementation, monitoring and reporting about implementation of development priorities.

Development strategies of municipalities of Jajce, Ključ, Laktaši, Ljubuški, Maglaj, Nevesinje, Posušje, Prijedor, Sanski Most and Velika Kladuša now include cooperation with diaspora as one of the important objectives, and the grants will allow for the implementation of concrete projects contributing to better cooperation with the diaspora and development of local communities. Some of the projects include the development of professional training programmes for CNC operators, medical teams for oesophagus surgeries or integrated agricultural production for access to the EU market.

On the occasion of the International Gun Destruction Day - 9 July, the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Coordination Board of BiH organised destruction of more than 1,450 pieces of small arms and light weapons and more than 1,070 pieces of arms components at Jelisingrad smelter in Banja Luka.

Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in BiH and Čedomir Lukić, Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of the Sarajevo Canton, signed the Cost Sharing Agreement for the “Green Economic Development” Project for the part which refers to “Increasing of Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings in Sarajevo Canton.”

Sezin Sinanoglu, Resident Representative of UNDP CO in BiH, and Srebrenka Golić, Minister of Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology of RS, by revealing a plaque officially marked the completion of thermal insulation works on one of the oldest buildings in Banja Luka. The faculty building is renovated within “Green Economic Development” Project.

DRAS is an online platform, developed by UNDP, that provides accurate information to citizens and decision makers on exposure to floods and landslides. Currently the platform is available for Tuzla and Doboj cities. The development of DRAS platform was financed by the Government of Turkey. Publicly available parts of DRAS can be accessed via https://dras.undp.ba/

UNDP BiH and the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH signed a Memorandum of Understanding aiming to support growth of wood industry as the strongest export oriented sector in BiH.