On 15 October each year, the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in particular, celebrate and honor the fundamental role of rural women in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security, and eradicating rural poverty worldwide. The idea of honouring rural women with a special day was put forward by international NGOs at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, and the first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008. Last year, the spotlight was placed on the urgent need for “building rural women’s resilience in the wake of COVID-19” by strengthening rural women’s sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing. The fact that the International Day of Rural Women is purposely held on the day before World Food Day (16 October) highlights rural women’s importance for food security and production in the context of rural economy. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, rural women play a significant yet often invisible role in agricultural production According to the ‘National Gender Profile of Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods’, jointly released by FAO and UN Women earlier in 2021, in Bosnia and Herzegovina rural women often perform unpaid work, including agricultural work on family farms, and they also represent a significant proportion of the informal, or shadow labour market. Furthermore, rural women are key contributors to the specific agricultural value chains in the country, such as flower-growing, medicinal herb-collection, greenhouse-based vegetable and fruit production among others, where it is the woman taking the lead as key agent and income-earner from these activities. Rural women are also actively involved in livestock care and crop production, as well as in non-farming based activities. Women’s participation in on-farm and off-farm activities increases their income-generation capacity and contributes to the overall improvement in their families’ livelihoods and well-being. Irrespective of their fundamental role in rural economies, women still lack access to productive resources. Women remain the minority of registered land owners, and they also tend to have (or to have use of) smaller parcels of land. For example, only 30% of landowners are women and they are often co-owners of land. In Bosnia Herzegovina, out of the 363 394 households engaged in agriculture in 2013, only 18% were female-headed households. However, a positive uptrend has been observed during the recent years. For the country as a whole, the proportion of women registered as heads of family farms increased from 10% in 2016 to around 18% at present. To acknowledge the existing gender disparities, in 2020 the Agency for Gender Equality issued a set of recommendations calling for a gender perspective to be integrated into the processes of planning and implementing decisions, measures and plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including measures for a gender-responsive economic recovery. The Agency particularly noted that special attention should be devoted to women from marginalized groups, including women living in rural areas. The aforementioned FAO country gender assessment report also concludes that the outbreak of the COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted women on front lines and at home, as the general systemic issues of disrupted agricultural supply chains and lost jobs in the rural hospitality sector have been also aggravated by gender-specific effects, such as the increased risk of domestic violence and additional burden of unpaid care work due to the widespread schools’ closure.   To provide much needed support to the smallholder farmers and women-led farming households during the COVID-19 pandemic, FAO distributed plum seedlings, fertilizers, fruit sprayers, motor cultivators and other equipment and materials to the fruits and berries producers’ of Rudo municipality, coupled with the corresponding training on how to plant and protect seedlings. Rudo municipality has 163 registered producers (all of them fruit and berry producers), out of which 57 are women-led households. Within the framework of the TeleFood project ‘Development of the fruits and berries value chains in the municipality of Rudo’ over 40 producers have received seedlings, equipment and training in the spring and summer 2021, with the objective to increase their agricultural production.         FAO Telefood Projects: a definition The TeleFood Special Fund funds small grass-root level projects in developing countries and countries in transition. Donations to the Fund go directly to grassroots development projects for smallholder farmers, especially women, young people (in schools and orphanages) and disabled persons, to pay for tools, seeds and other essential supplies required to grow food for their families and communities. Biljana Drobnjak became one of the FAO project beneficiaries. Her household grows plums, apples, pears, cherries, and sour cherries in their 0.2 hectare orchard. The fresh and dried fruits, as well as processed jams and juices, are used for the family’s own consumption and are also sold in the local market. Biljana became the recipient of plum seedlings, and she also had the opportunity to participate in field trainings presenting the best methods of planting and protecting seedlings, as well as on winter and summer pruning. Biljana is optimistic about the future, as she plans to expand the orchard and plant more fruit trees, which should allow her to increase agricultural yields, and as a result, increase processing volumes and sales. That would ensure additional income for her and for her family. Biljana is very grateful for the support and signaled already that she and other producers from Rudo would be open to participate in future projects of FAO, hoping that these projects would specifically target women. Goran Stavrik, Senior Field Programme Officer, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia noted: “Thanks to the recent FAO TeleFood interventions in the country, much needed means and opportunities have been provided to community members across Bosnia Herzegovina to increase their income and improve their well-being through gained access to equipment, materials and training. TeleFood projects are highly targeted interventions with short duration and maximized impact, because of their implementation at the community level.   Under the TeleFood project umbrella FAO has already provided requested support to the beekeeping association in Bosansko Grahovo municipality and more recently to the association of fruits and berries producers in Rudo municipality. FAO is committed to continue providing all-encompassing technical assistance to the local communities through different avenues, and FAO Office in the country has immediate plans to deepen its exposure to the thematic area of rural women economic empowerment”.

Local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have recognized the importance of improving the protection of the most affected and vulnerable groups of population in emergencies with the support of the Joint UN and Swiss Programme “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in BiH”, which is  implemented by the UN agencies UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, FAO and UNFPA. With UNICEF's support, local DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) Platforms, consisting of representatives of Centers for Social Welfare, local civil protection services, municipal and city social services, local Red Cross organizations and non-governmental organizations and associations focused on supporting vulnerable groups of population, have had an opportunity over the past two years to attend, within this Programme, workshops and training sessions on strategic and action planning of disaster risk management in the social protection sector in order to improve their mutual cooperation and coordinated actions in crisis and emergencies. They have also received technical support in developing risk and vulnerability assessments and preparedness plans, which is a key step in identifying the needs of vulnerable groups of population and capacities of the Social Welfare Centers and other stakeholders for their effective response to those needs. Vulnerable groups of population are characterized by a difficult and complex life situation which is further complicated by an emergency. Mr. Dejan Panić, of the Center for Social Welfare Prijedor, explains that in an emergency situation, persons with physical, mental or sensory impairments or persons with disabilities who require permanent assistance and care by another person are in the most difficult situation. It is particularly difficult for children with disabilities and people older than 65 without family care. An emergency makes the situation of the families at risk of violence, abuse and neglect particularly difficult, with a particular emphasis on children who are victims of violence and marginalization and on minority groups of population and persons and families at risk of poverty.    “An emergency, like the COVID-19 pandemic, affects negatively the position of vulnerable groups of population. In order to meet their needs at this time, the Center for Social Welfare staff are engaged in their full capacity. The DRR Programme has emphasized the importance of the social protection role in emergencies and the importance of good coordination of different actors in community for the purpose of as best response to an emergency as possible”, Mr. Panić emphasized, adding that he hoped that the Center for Social Welfare Prijedor would become, through the DRR Programme, a member of the City Emergency Command Team in order to improve the quality of response to an emergency in their joint effort. Almir Škopo, a member of the DRR Platform and DRR Working Group in the Social and Child Protection in the Municipality of Kakanj, has emphasized that the “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in BiH” Programme has supported local communities in developing action plans for crisis situations and identifying the necessary measures and activities in the field.  He has added, however, that cooperation between the Centers for Social Welfare and civil protection services is not satisfactory in BiH. As he said, it is important that the protection and rescue system recognizes Centers for Social Welfare as very important part of the systems that provide support and care services to the most affected citizens and that the Centers should be “an extended arm of the protection and rescue system”.   “That cooperation should be improved a lot, particularly in emergencies when care for vulnerable groups of population is most needed. I believe that the implementation of this and similar projects will help raise the level of cooperation a lot. This approach contributes to better cohesion and cooperation in all areas of society and thereby affects directly the strengthening of the protection and rescue system of local communities and society as a whole”, said Mr. Škopo.  A decade ago, Centers for Social Welfare in BiH were members of local protection and rescue/emergency commands but the decisions of those commands were not particularly aimed at meeting the needs of the beneficiaries of those Centers and vulnerable groups of population, DRR Platform coordinator in the Municipality of Srebrenica Cvijetan Maksimović recalls. He believes that the DRR Programme increases the level of protection of beneficiaries of the Centers for Social Welfare. “The data we obtained during the development of the Risk Assessment and Protection and Rescue Plan at the Center for Social Welfare Srebrenica will largely contribute to making the Municipal Protection and Rescue Plan more complete when it comes to vulnerable persons and families, that is, beneficiaries of the Center services”, said Mr. Maksimović. He added that the Center for Social Welfare Srebrenica staff had learned a lot through the DRR Programme about the disaster risk reduction measures but also that it was important to provide support to them because of difficult working conditions and scope of their work in order for them to be as best prepared for a response to all challenges in the future.  “Some villages around Srebrenica are even up to 50 kilometers away from the Center for Social Welfare and some areas are hardly accessible in winter because of snow, landslides and rockslides. Nevertheless, damage resulting from natural and other disasters can be reduced to an acceptable level through involvement of all structures and training of and provision of equipment to protection and rescue forces”, said Mr. Maksimović. Selmir Buljkić, DRR Working Group coordinator in the social and child protection sector and member of the DRR Platform in the Municipality of Kalesija, believes that activities of the Centers for Social Welfare should be directed to developing volunteer capacities through strengthening of citizen awareness and responsibility for joint recognition and removal of problems in community. With the support from the DRR Programme, the Center for Social Welfare Kalesija has created strategic and planning documents through which it is possible to improve social services provided to citizens, particularly to vulnerable groups, which will result in more effective actions in emergencies, said Mr. Buljkić. “The Center should be conducting regular assessments of the situation of the vulnerable groups of the population and other citizens in social need. In this way, a database would be developed, on the basis of which we would know where our priority action is needed”, said Mr. Buljkić. Also, grants planned through this Programme will help Centers for Social Welfare in target locations to implement priority measures from the preparedness and action plans of the Centers for Social Welfare in emergencies and procure the required means and equipment, conduct the necessary training of staff members and improve the existing and introduce new services for beneficiaries in order to increase the quality of work in both emergency and regular situations. “Extreme natural disasters as well as health-related crisis like COVID-19 pandemic are increasingly becoming enormous barriers for social and economic development around the world and in BiH, while vulnerable children and families are disproportionately facing the greatest threats. Therefore, we need to anticipate better, prevent more and respond with a greater effectiveness, coordination and multisectoral partnerships.  Through Joint UN Swiss DRR Programme, UNICEF along with our partners, supports building resilience of children and families through an integrated approach through  social sectors as important stakeholders in DRR planning and implementation.  Local governments and service providers are empowered to act on prevention  and ensure not only in crisis  response but also how to bounce back better  through shock-responsive social and child protection, quality and continuous education and safe school environments as well as access to nutritious food, breastfeeding and immunization. This joint programme is a trail blazer in integrating crisis preparedness into local plans to address shocks and crisis in a sustainable manner in BiH”, said dr. Rownak Khan, UNICEF Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Ten schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina will establish safe school environment for the purpose of providing more efficient prevention and preparedness in emergencies, which is the result of activities implemented within the Joint Programme of the Swiss Government and the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in BiH”. This Programme has supported the implementation of the “Safe School Environment” model in schools across BiH through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with non-governmental organization World Vision BiH. The goal of the “Safe School Environment” model, which is supported by the relevant state, entity and cantonal institutions, is to assist schools in BiH in providing a better response to natural and other disasters, reducing or completely avoiding their negative effects. According to the World Vision BiH’s survey from 2018, which was conducted in 724 schools in the BiH Federation Entity and Brcko District, children and teaching staff are facing the risks directly at school. The survey shows that only 10 percent of schools have in place plans for rescue from natural and other disasters. Having recognized the importance of improving school safety and security, over 3,000 children will be trained through the Programme in what to do in an emergency and to develop resilience to disasters. Ten School DRR teams have been established through the Programme for the purpose of systemic capacity building for risk management and response to emergencies. These Teams link the organizations and institutions which are important for provision of a response in emergencies and they are part of local DRR Platforms. Also, a series of workshops have been held for members of the School DRR teams for the purpose of their training in development of plans for risk management and response to emergencies and also in increasing understanding of the role of the education sector, with an emphasis on schools in a coordinated model of disaster risk prevention and reduction at the local level (DRR). Important Programme activities were implemented also in the Secondary Technical School “Kemal Kapetanović” in Kakanj. The school's building conditions were diagnosed, a number of workshops were held and the documentation required for risk analysis and assessment in the school building was collected. The school principal Haris Ljubović has said that they have managed to establish cooperation with other institutions in order for the school to be more operational in case of natural and other disasters. “I am immensely happy that the school DRR team consists of the people who, first of all, like and do their jobs honestly, which guarantees that the team will do their utmost to implement the project activities successfully. We have learned a lot through the project, and we are trained to transfer our knowledge further”, said Mr. Ljubović.  A representative of the Parents Council of the Secondary Technical School “Kemal Kapetanović”, Zerina Šehagić, explains that the security and safety situation at the school is very bad, and that it should improve through active work of the DRR team consisting of representatives of the school, civil protection, the Red Cross, the Center for Social Welfare, firefighters and medical doctors. “The school is completely unsafe in terms of its structure. The construction materials are unacceptable, the school has only one entrance and exit, it does not have plans, nor does it conduct evacuation drills…This is the reason why the project activities aimed at improving safety of children and teaching staff are absolutely necessary. The links between the school and rescue services have been strengthened through the project, which is crucial in crisis situations”, said Ms. Šehagić. All members of the DRR team at the Secondary Technical School “Kemal Kapetanović” are advocates of stronger involvement of the relevant ministries and other institutions in enhancing resilience of the schools to natural and other disasters. The City of Bihać is also involved in improving the organization of work of all protection and rescue services in the planning of a response to an emergency. Members of the DRR team in Bihać are planning to work on developing an assessment of natural and other hazards in the City of Bihać as a fundamental document in this area. Mirsad Šehić, a member of the School DRR team in the Elementary School “Harmani II” in Bihać, thinks that the activities of the local DRR Platforms in the education sector creates many opportunities for the implementation of various projects which will contribute to disaster risk reduction in schools.  “In the past, we used to organize fire and evacuation drills from time to time, and they will be organized more often through this project and will further strengthen the links between this sector and all civil protection structures”, said Mr. Šehić. He added that the DRR Platform had indicated insufficient material, staffing and organizational resources of civil protection in Bihać, including firefighters, whose role is crucial in declaring a natural or another disaster. “It is necessary to work on training and equipping all civil protection structures. This is why, such projects are always welcome in our local community which becomes better organized, trained and equipped through the project activities for more effective prevention activities and also operations to be conducted in case of a disaster”, said Mr. Šehić.   The principal of the Elementary School “Desanka Maksimović” in Prijedor, Zdravko Budimir, said that the implementation of the “Safe School Environment” model had multiple significance for BiH, which is the reason why he believes that it would be good to implement it in every school in BiH.   “By participating in this project, we have conducted a detailed assessment of the school building condition and all possible risks that exist. We have learned what can be a cause of a disaster, the consequences and also which measures need to be taken to avoid a disaster. It is necessary to engage more members of our broader community in everything we do and also to share responsibility”, Mr. Budimir said.  World Vision BiH is advocating introduction of lessons on prevention and preparedness for a response to an emergency in the school curricula and to work actively towards strengthening cooperation between schools and the non-governmental sector in the implementation of joint activities for the purpose of disaster management. “By training children and the school staff in what needs to be done in case of natural and other disasters, implementing evacuation drills and strengthening cooperation between schools and municipal/city services which are important for protection and rescue, we shall improve the safety of children and the school staff in ten schools in which the Programme is implemented in partnership with UNICEF. Safety of children is an investment, not a cost. Informed and trained children of today will be adult and responsible persons tomorrow”, said the World Vision BiH director, Larisa Klepac.   “Extreme natural disasters as well as health-related crisis like COVID-19 pandemic are increasingly becoming enormous barriers for social and economic development around the world and in BiH, while vulnerable children and families are disproportionately facing the greatest threats. Therefore, we need to anticipate better, prevent more and respond with a greater effectiveness, coordination and multisectoral partnerships.  Through Joint UN Swiss DRR Programme, UNICEF along with our partners, supports building resilience of children and families through an integrated approach through  social sectors as important stakeholders in DRR planning and implementation.  Local governments and service providers are empowered to act on prevention  and ensure not only in crisis  response but also how to bounce back better  through shock-responsive social and child protection, quality and continuous education and safe school environments as well as access to nutritious food, breastfeeding and immunization. This joint programme is a trail blazer in integrating crisis preparedness into local plans to address shocks and crisis in a sustainable manner in BiH”, said dr. Rownak Khan, UNICEF Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina got eight certified MISP trainers, medical doctors, who successfully completed training on the “Minimum Initial Service Package for Sexual and Reproductive Health (MISP)“ in 2021. The training was delivered by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) BiH within the “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina“, a joint programme of the Government of Switzerland and the United Nations (UN) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The basic MISP training, which was delivered online in June, made it possible for the participants to acquire knowledge about MISP and its goals. The participants who had successfully completed the training received a certificate, which was a requirement for participation in the Training of Trainers (ToT). The Training of Trainers, which was held physically in September, was an opportunity for the participants to acquire skills necessary for transfer of knowledge to others so that they too become certified MISP trainers.   The demanding training, delivered by experienced international MISP trainers, was completed by medical doctors from Banja Luka, Prijedor, Kalesija, Sarajevo and Travnik. It helped them acquire the skills required for the organization of future MISP training sessions which will help professionals in the local communities to improve their response within sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence in crisis situations. “The ultimate goal of the activities implemented by UNFPA within this Programme is to mainstream MISP into the local development strategies”, said the UNFPA Representative for BiH, John Kennedy Mosoti, at the beginning of the training.  Boško Kenjić, of the Swiss Embassy to BiH, said that the key elements which the Programme insists on are close cooperation with partner institutions in the country, institutional leadership and sustainability of the project results.  “Disaster Risk Reduction implies a comprehensive approach to better understanding of the risks, enhancement of preparedness, implementation of prevention measures and building capacities for response to disasters. In case of a disaster, a response and activities of institutions must be adjusted to the new circumstances and must provide an access  to quality  services. The COVID-19 pandemic has showed again the need for changing an approach and developing procedures to be implemented in crisis situations”, said Kenjic. Doctor Marina Milovanović, a previously certified MISP trainer in BiH, joined the participants of the training held in September. According to her, the Minimum Initial Service Package for Sexual and Reproductive Health is a priority set of life-saving activities which need to be recognized and implemented at the beginning of every humanitarian crisis.  “Emergency situations make resources scarce, which may result in an increased risk of providing an inadequate response to the women’s needs during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care, an increased number of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence etc. In order to reduce the number of consequences when it comes to sexual and reproductive health, it is necessary to react on time and to plan activities”, said dr. Milovanović. Dr. Milovanović said that she had noticed through her participation in initial workshops, training sessions and lectures on MISP, held across BiH over the past years, that healthcare workers were not trained enough in providing a response in the area of sexual and reproductive health in crisis situations, that there was no cooperation among all the stakeholders involved in providing a response to crises and that the importance of mainstreaming MISP into the local crisis response plans was not recognized initially.  “The participants acquired knowledge in the training and recognized the importance of the protection of sexual and reproductive health in emergencies and expressed the need for MISP training and clear instructions for taking action in a crisis”, said dr. Milovanović.  Edina Kamberović, medical doctor from Kalesija, who became a certified MISP trainer in September, said that she was particularly happy to see that the “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in BiH“ included small local communities in BiH.  “BiH is the country which, unfortunately, has often been affected by crisis situations, which is the reason why such projects are extremely important. It is important that we keep up with the times and be ready to react to potential future crisis on time. Proper prevention and training may shorten the length of a response, save lives and thereby accelerate recovery from a disaster. Small local communities are the most vulnerable parts of the state and their strengthening lays a good foundation for making the entire society stronger”, said dr. Kamberović. The knowledge she acquired through the MISP training, she said, will be immensely helpful in her day-to-day work. “I have mastered new presentation techniques, which gives me a good foundation for achieving further progress in my academic and trainer work”,  dr. Kamberović added. Doctor Slađana Šiljak, of the Republika Srpska Public Health Institute, who is also a new MISP trainer, explained that the trainers of the United Nations Population Fund had provided clear instructions to the participants of the training from BiH as to how they could best prevent and reduce consequences and risks for sexual and reproductive health of the population. “The medical doctors, specialists in public health, gynecologys, family medicine  and psychiatry together acquired knowledge about crisis management in sexual and reproductive health. We can use the experiences from that training to adapt international recommendations to our own conditions and to prepare local communities for crisis management”, said dr. Šiljak. As a result of the UNFPA activities, the Strategy for Improvement of Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Republika Srpska (2019-2029) recognizes MISP as a separate goal aimed at ensuring the provision of a multisectoral response, which includes training of healthcare workers and representatives of other relevant sectors and organizations responsible for providing services in this area in emergencies.