Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina spend almost twice as much time each day on unpaid care and domestic work as men.The “Nemam ti kad” campaign brought this issue into focus and made invisible work more visible. Its continuation, “Imam ti kad”, is about the opportunities that open up when responsibility for care no longer rests on one person: education, employment, health, rest, social life and participation in the community. Care is work, whether paid or unpaid. A fairer distribution of care responsibilities within the household is necessary, but it is not enough. We also need accessible childcare and care services, support from employers, and decent working conditions for those who provide care professionally. Who makes our time possible, and what needs to change so that we can all say “Imam ti kad”?Read the full article.The continuation of the “Nemam ti kad” campaign is being carried out as part of the Gender Equality Accelerator joint programme, implemented by United Nations agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina - UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF - with financial support from the European Union and the Governments of Denmark and Sweden, in cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Centre for Equity and Equality between Women and Men of Republika Srpska and the Gender Centre of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

How often do we say or hear “Nemam ti kad” (“I Don’t Have Time”)? It sounds like an ordinary phrase, said during a rushed morning, over a coffee postponed for another day, or because a task has been put off until tomorrow. Yet for many women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it describes much more: days filled with cooking, cleaning, planning, taking children to school or appointments, supporting an older family member, caring for a person with a disability, and trying to make sure everyone else’s needs are met before their own.“Nemam ti kad” often follows the most ordinary wishes and plans: “I should get a haircut”, “I haven’t seen you in ages”, or “I’ve always wanted to complete an English course”.That everyday phrase became the title of UN Women’s 2023 campaign on the care economy. The “Nemam ti kad” campaign made visible the work that is essential to every household and to society as a whole, yet is still too often taken for granted as women’s responsibility alone. The campaign built on the Baseline Study on the Care Economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, prepared by the Economic Institute Sarajevo in partnership with UN Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of Sweden. Through public events across Bosnia and Herzegovina, social media, video stories, influencers, policy dialogues and media coverage, an experience largely treated as private was brought into the sphere of public debate. The messages were clear: care work has no gender; sharing care responsibilities opens up new opportunities and improves the lives of those who currently carry most of this work alone.Care is work, even when it is unpaidThe care economy includes direct care for children, older people, people who are ill and persons with disabilities, as well as the domestic work that makes such care possible—from preparing meals and cleaning to arranging appointments and managing the household. It also includes paid work in health care, preschool and school education, social protection, residential care institutions, childcare services, and home care and assistance services. This is work that supports people throughout their lives and enables every other sector of the economy to function. The study showed how unevenly this work is distributed. Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina spend almost twice as much time each day on unpaid care and domestic work as men. At least once a day, 85% of women cooked, compared with 27% of men. These are not simply differences in family routines. Added up over weeks and years, they shape who has time to find employment, pursue education, start a business, participate in public life, rest, exercise or care for their own health. The unequal distribution of care responsibilities is also linked to gaps in available services. At the time the Baseline Study was conducted, only 31.4% of respondents used childcare services, while data from 2020 showed that more than 6,500 children who had applied for enrolment in preschool institutions could not be admitted because of insufficient capacity. Nearly half of respondents spent ten hours a week caring for older people, and 72% believed that adequate and affordable services for older people were lacking in both the public and private sectors. When services are unavailable, inadequate or unaffordable, the work does not disappear. Families take it on—and within families, most often women.The conversation about care must also include those who provide it professionally: workers in health care, education and social protection, childcare workers, personal assistants, and providers of home care and assistance services. They form the backbone of services on which individuals, families and communities depend, and women make up the majority of the workforce in this sector. According to the 2026 Care Jobs and Policy Investment Analysis, the care sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina employs around 125,000 people, nearly 72% of whom are women. Women account for around 99% of employees in preschool education, approximately three quarters of teaching staff in primary schools, and 76% of employees in centres for social work.Many of these women therefore move from a paid shift caring for others into a second, unpaid shift at home. Yet the high social value of their work is not always matched by its economic value. Some care occupations are underpaid, insecure or informal; occupational and qualification standards do not exist for certain jobs, and workers’ practical experience is not always formally recognised. People providing home care and assistance services or childcare may be pushed into the informal economy because there is no clear framework that allows them to register and work with adequate protection.The social importance of care must also be reflected in the position of those who perform this work, through decent wages, safe working conditions, opportunities for skills development and advancement, and participation in decisions that affect their work. Transforming care therefore requires much more than redistributing household tasks. The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 5R Framework offers a more comprehensive direction: recognise the value of care work, reduce unpaid care work, redistribute responsibility, reward care work through decent working conditions, and ensure the representation of care workers and care recipients in decision-making.From “Nemam ti kad” to “Imam ti kad”The continuation of the campaign under the slogan “Imam ti kad” shifts the original message towards possibility. The change is small in words but significant in meaning. It invites us to imagine what becomes possible when responsibility for care no longer falls disproportionately on one person: time for education, professional development, paid work, entrepreneurship, health, friendships, creativity, political participation or simply rest. Time is not a luxury. It is a prerequisite for autonomy, opportunity and well-being.“Imam ti kad” is about a family in which time is not created because one person does almost everything, but because everyone takes their share of responsibility. When care work is shared more fairly, families gain more time for life together, women gain more time for their own needs and opportunities, men have more space to participate equally in family life, and children see that care has no gender. Men and boys are therefore not occasional helpers, but equal participants in care. Their involvement can challenge stereotypes, strengthen relationships and show children that competence, tenderness and responsibility do not belong to only one gender. The next phase of the campaign therefore places particular emphasis on engaging men and boys and on dialogues that make shared care visible and commonplace.Sharing responsibilities within the household is necessary, but families cannot redistribute what is not available to them. A shortage of kindergarten places cannot be solved by dividing responsibilities differently within the family. Likewise, a family cannot use affordable home care and assistance services if the community does not provide them. A person working in the care sector cannot turn informal work into decent employment without recognition, standards and protection. The shift from “Nemam ti kad” to “Imam ti kad” must therefore take place simultaneously at multiple levels: in households, workplaces, communities, public services and budgets.Care is infrastructureMore recent data show the scale of this challenge. The 2026 Care Jobs and Policy Investment Analysis estimates that formal preschool education reaches only around 25 to 30% of children from birth to six years of age. Formal home care and assistance services are available to fewer than 1,000 of the estimated 60,000 to 90,000 older people who need support. Bosnia and Herzegovina allocates considerably more to cash benefits than to developing care services that could prevent exclusion, create jobs and reduce the burden of unpaid care work. Investment in care is therefore not merely social spending. It is an investment in human potential, women’s economic participation, decent local jobs, child development, ageing with dignity and more resilient communities. The same analysis estimates that women would account for between 85 and 95% of newly employed workers under scenarios of increased investment in the care sector. This represents an important opportunity for women’s employment, but the goal of transformation is not to reinforce the belief that care is women’s work. The development of the sector must also attract more men while ensuring decent working conditions, adequate wages and opportunities for advancement for all workers.Well-designed care policies deliver two benefits at the same time: they enable people carrying the burden of unpaid responsibilities to enter the labour market or remain employed, while also creating formal, socially valuable jobs in services that communities need.The “Imam ti kad” campaign translates this systemic message into everyday language. Through activities with citizens, including the Who Cares? games planned in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Brčko, it invites us to consider who performs care work, who has time because someone else is providing care, and what would change if responsibility were truly shared.Investment in care is therefore not merely social spending. It is an investment in human potential, women’s economic participation, decent local jobs, child development, ageing with dignity and more resilient communities. The same analysis estimates that women would account for between 85 and 95% of newly employed workers under scenarios of increased investment in the care sector. This represents an important opportunity for women’s employment, but the goal of transformation is not to reinforce the belief that care is women’s work. The development of the sector must also attract more men while ensuring decent working conditions, adequate wages and opportunities for advancement for all workers.Well-designed care policies deliver two benefits at the same time: they enable people carrying the burden of unpaid responsibilities to enter the labour market or remain employed, while also creating formal, socially valuable jobs in services that communities need.The “Imam ti kad” campaign translates this systemic message into everyday language. Through activities with citizens, including the Who Cares? games planned in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Brčko, it invites us to consider who performs care work, who has time because someone else is providing care, and what would change if responsibility were truly shared.The Time We Create TogetherThe “Nemam ti kad” campaign named a reality that many people, especially women, know well. “Imam ti kad” names a future we can build: not a future without care, but one in which care is visible, valued and fairly shared. A future in which a woman does not have to choose between earning an income and meeting her family’s needs; in which a care worker is not expected to accept poor working conditions because her work is considered natural; in which an older person can receive support without exhausting family members; and in which children grow up seeing care as a human responsibility rather than a duty of women.So the question is not only: “Do you have time?” It is also: Who makes that time possible? Who carries the burden of work that remains invisible? And what must families, employers, communities and institutions change so that we can all say: “Imam ti kad”? Only then does “Imam ti kad” stop being a slogan and become a real possibility.The continuation of the “Nemam ti kad” campaign is being carried out as part of the Gender Equality Accelerator joint programme, implemented by United Nations agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina—UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF—with financial support from the European Union and the Governments of Denmark and Sweden, in cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Gender Centre of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Centre for Equity and Equality between Women and Men of Republika Srpska.

On International Youth Day, Farah Serdarević’s story shows what can happen when young people are given the space, skills and opportunity to turn their ideas into action — and to contribute to more inclusive, connected and peaceful communities. At 17, Farah is already finding different ways to do exactly that through civic engagement, art, education and initiatives responding to challenges she sees in her hometown of Mostar. Her journey began when she started secondary school and began responding to calls for workshops and youth programmes. At first, she simply wanted to meet new people and learn more about herself.What started as curiosity soon became something more.“I realised that I wanted to be part of the change. I noticed that fewer and fewer young people were interested in what was happening in their community, and that is why I decided to channel my energy into social issues,” says Farah, who usually introduces herself with a smile and her nickname — Farki.Stepping outside her comfort zone gave her a new perspective on society, civic engagement and the role young people can play in shaping the places where they live. Farah quickly realised that she did not want to remain an observer.Through the Community of Volunteers, part of the Dialogue for the Future 3 (DFF3) initiative implemented with support from the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), Farah became part of a wider network of young people learning how to identify challenges in their communities, listen to citizens and turn what they hear into concrete proposals and initiatives. The programme creates opportunities for young people not only to participate in their own communities, but also to connect with peers from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, exchange perspectives and work around challenges that often transcend local boundaries.Farah is one of 98 young volunteers from 10 communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina who have taken part in researching the needs and challenges of young people and citizens. In the process, they are building the skills, confidence and connections needed to engage constructively with others and become more active participants in community life.For Farah, one issue stood out: accessibility.“We realised that much of Mostar is still not adapted to allow people with disabilities to move around freely and with dignity, so we decided to launch an initiative to change that,” she explains. “When we identify a problem, I believe we should try to do something about it.”For Farah, this is what meaningful participation looks like: identifying an issue that affects people around her, listening to different perspectives and looking for ways to respond.But civic activism is only one way she expresses herself. Art is another. Recently, Farah presented her first large-scale artwork — a canvas measuring almost two by two metres. Combining different techniques, the piece reflects on politics, mental health, interpersonal relationships and the pressures people carry. For her, art offers another way to engage with the issues around her and express things that can sometimes be difficult to put into words.Her curiosity has also taken her into science, history and literature. At the European Researchers’ Night, Farah and her team won first place with an environmentally sustainable idea, while other projects have allowed her to combine research, creativity and teamwork.Yet when she speaks about what matters most, she does not focus on awards. She talks about people, participation and having the confidence to act.“I believe young people can change their communities when they decide to be vocal, creative and persistent. Whether through activism, art or education, I want to show that change always begins with the individual.”Her mother, Slađana, says that this sense of responsibility has been nurtured from an early age.“I raised my children with the belief that every revolution in the world was started by one person who had a vision. Farah embraced that idea completely. She is persistent, determined and deeply empathetic, especially when she recognises injustice. In a word — she is unapologetically herself.”Farah’s story is one individual example of a broader peacebuilding approach: creating spaces where young people can participate, listen to others, cooperate across differences and develop practical responses to issues affecting their communities.Through the Community of Volunteers, young people from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina are engaging with citizens, identifying needs and developing their own initiatives. At the same time, opportunities to meet and work with peers from other communities allow them to exchange experiences, discover shared concerns and build relationships beyond their immediate surroundings.This is central to Dialogue for the Future 3. By strengthening youth participation and creating opportunities for dialogue and cooperation across communities, the PBF-supported initiative seeks to build trust, strengthen social cohesion and enable young people to play a more meaningful role in shaping their communities.On International Youth Day, Farah’s experience is a reminder that young people are not simply beneficiaries of peacebuilding or voices of the future. They are already partners in building more inclusive and peaceful societies today — when they are given meaningful opportunities to participate.For Farah, it begins with noticing what could be better and deciding not to look away.And she has no intention of waiting for someone else to take the first step. The Community of Volunteers is implemented by the Local Democracy Agency Mostar as part of Dialogue for the Future 3 (DFF3), jointly implemented by UNDP, UNICEF and UNESCO, in partnership with the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with support from the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).

On International Youth Day, the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrates the young people who, over the past two years, have helped bring youth perspectives into UN planning, programming, advocacy and public dialogue across the country.The United Nations Youth Advisory Body (YAB) in Bosnia and Herzegovina brought together 12 young people from across the country during its 2024–2026 mandate. Established as a voluntary advisory mechanism, the YAB was created to provide strategic advice, strengthen youth participation, and help ensure that the perspectives of young people inform the work of the United Nations. What followed was much more than participation in meetings. Throughout their mandate, YAB members contributed their knowledge, lived experiences and ideas to some of the UN’s most important strategic processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They provided youth perspectives for the Common Country Analysis and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026–2030, and contributed to consultations and thematic discussions with UNFPA, IOM, UNICEF, UN Women, UNDP and other UN entities. Through these processes, young people raised issues that shape their everyday lives and their futures — from education, employment and financial independence to healthcare, housing, environmental concerns, safety and opportunities to participate in decisions that affect them. “The members of the Youth Advisory Body brought energy, knowledge and valuable perspectives. They helped shape strategic discussions, participated in advocacy campaigns and integrated aspirations of young people in the UN’s work. I appreciate the time, commitment and creativity they contributed voluntarily. This experience will continue to strengthen youth leadership well beyond this mandate,” said Arnhild Spence, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and HerzegovinaFrom advice to actionSome of the strongest examples of the YAB’s contribution emerged when members moved from advising to creating. As Bosnia and Herzegovina marked 30 years of peace, YAB members developed ideas for youth-led initiatives that could bring new generations into conversations about peace, dialogue and social cohesion. Several were subsequently taken forward with support from UN entities. Among them was Vozi Mir (Driving Peace), developed by YAB members Anastasija Đorđa Bosančić and Kenan Fehrić, with support from IOM and UNICEF. Through conversations involving young people, community leaders, teachers, and school representatives across 15 local communities, the initiative created space to talk about peace, dialogue, and cooperation. Nadira Ćurulija developed Peer to Mir, another youth-led initiative supported through UNFPA.   “Travelling to 15 communities with Kenan was one of the most meaningful experiences for me as a YAB member. Being on the ground with young people, sitting together, listening to how they understand peace, what connects their communities, and what they want to see change made the purpose of YAB feel very real to me. It was a chance to give young people space and a voice, and to make sure their perspectives were heard. Those conversations stayed with me and reminded me how much peace is shaped within communities, by young people who know them best.” — Anastasija Đorđa Bosančić, YAB memberYAB members also brought their perspectives into wider peacebuilding processes. They participated in Youth, Peace and Security training and regional initiatives, engaged young participants at the Peace Vibe Festival, and represented youth perspectives in discussions on peace and international law.  “Through my work with the UN in BiH, I have had the opportunity to advocate for the needs of young people across Bosnia and Herzegovina and also deepen my understanding of the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. I was also given the opportunity to become a YPS trainer, which allowed me to share this knowledge with others and take this mission forward beyond my mandate. Through the Youth Advisory Body, I have seen first-hand how important it is to genuinely listen to young people and create space for them to shape the decisions that affect their lives and communities.” — Nadira Ćurulija, YAB memberDiscovering the UN — and bringing a youth lens across its workThe mandate also gave members an opportunity to see the breadth of the United Nations’ work in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Their engagements ranged from education, health and population issues to gender equality, peacebuilding, social cohesion, sustainable development, and tobacco control. They worked with different UN entities, joined discussions with UN staff and the UN Country Team, and contributed to country-level, regional and global processes.That experience also demonstrated the importance of youth mainstreaming: ensuring that youth perspectives are considered across sectors and from the outset of programme and policy development, rather than only in initiatives specifically labelled “youth”. Young people are affected by — and have knowledge, experience and ideas to contribute to — virtually every area of sustainable development. The mandate showed the value of bringing this youth lens into the wider work of the UN in Bosnia and Herzegovina.The YAB also translated these principles into a practical tool for the UN system, developing Youth Friendly Events Guidelines with recommendations on how to make UN-supported events more meaningful, inclusive and engaging for young people. The guidance covers the full event cycle — from co-creating agendas and ensuring accessible spaces, to using interactive formats, involving young people as speakers and facilitators, and establishing clear follow-up so participants can see how their contributions are used.The YAB also connected the UN with existing youth representative structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While nine members were selected through a public call, three were nominated by the youth councils of Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  “Youth councils already provide an important space for young people to identify common priorities and advocate towards institutions. The YAB created another connection — directly with different parts of the UN system. For me, the value was in bringing these spaces closer together: sharing perspectives from youth structures with the UN, while also taking information, opportunities and a better understanding of the UN’s work back into youth networks. These mechanisms are strongest when they complement one another and create more ways for young people to participate in decisions that affect them.” — Ismar Ajkunić, YAB memberYAB members also played an active role in bringing youth perspectives into public communication and advocacy, particularly through social media. Over the course of the mandate, they produced and contributed to a wide range of public campaigns — introducing the YAB and inviting young people to share their concerns and priorities; presenting UN results from a youth perspective; marking International Women's Day; raising awareness on disinformation in the digital environment; promoting messages of peace; encouraging reflection on inclusion and the experiences of persons with disabilities; and highlighting young people's mental health as a priority. Members also used digital content to make UN processes and opportunities more accessible to a broader youth audience, including through videos explaining their participation in regional and global initiatives. Together, these efforts helped make youth voices more visible while translating often complex issues and UN processes into messages designed for young people and the wider public.  Different experiences, one tableDiversity was at the centre of the YAB from its establishment. Its members brought different geographical, social and professional backgrounds, as well as experience across youth activism, education, human rights, health, gender equality, climate action, peacebuilding, arts and civic participation.Over time, that diversity became one of the group’s greatest strengths. Members highlighted the value of learning from people whose experiences, communities and perspectives differed from their own. The mandate created space for peer learning, confidence-building, new relationships and exposure to perspectives beyond members’ immediate environments.  “When we think about meaningful youth participation, it’s not enough to bring together just well-recognized activists, the people with many awards, and those who already are in many important rooms. We need more voices that haven’t had as many opportunities to stand out, but are just as sharply-attuned to the problems of youth, especially marginalized youth. I’ve been honored to carry the responsibility of representing the community of people with disabilities as a “person on wheels” [being a part of the YAB] but hope to see this practice continue with LGBTQ+ youth, Roma youth, etc. There are so many voices that deserve being amplified, that aren’t even being heard right now.” — Arijel Kurtagić, YAB memberFrom Bosnia and Herzegovina to global youth spacesThe group’s engagement extended beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina. YAB member Kenan Fehrić was selected as a member of the Youth Reference Group of the United Nations Youth Office, contributing to consultations and working processes linked to Youth2030 and other global youth initiatives. During this engagement, he also consulted fellow YAB members so that his contributions could reflect perspectives beyond his own. He participated in the ECOSOC Youth Forum, bringing experience from Bosnia and Herzegovina into a global UN youth space.  “Being part of the UN Youth Office Youth Reference Group and attending the ECOSOC Youth Forum gave me an opportunity to bring perspectives from Bosnia and Herzegovina into a much wider global conversation. I did not see that as representing only myself- I could draw on discussions within the YAB and on the different perspectives of other members. At the same time, hearing from young people from other countries gave me new ideas, connections and experiences to bring back home. This whole experience has once again highlighted the need to help create a future where a young person from Bosnia and Herzegovina feels that their voice can travel beyond their community, reach the world, and contribute to shaping it.” — Kenan Fehrić, YAB memberA contribution that continues beyond the mandateYAB members leave behind contributions to UN strategies and programmes, youth-led peace initiatives and campaigns, work on guidance to make youth participation more meaningful and inclusive, public messages on issues affecting their generation, and recommendations informed by two years of direct experience.Perhaps just as importantly, they leave with new relationships, knowledge and experience that can travel into their organisations, professions, communities and future initiatives.Their mandate has demonstrated what becomes possible when young people are given space not only to speak, but to contribute, create, question and lead. On International Youth Day, the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina thanks all members of the 2024–2026 Youth Advisory Body for the time, ideas, perspectives and commitment they have shared:Amra Hrustanović, Anastasija Đorđa Bosančić, Anastasija Katić, Arijel Kurtagić, Konstantin Nebojša Pudar, Ena Porča, Ismar Ajkunić, Kenan Fehrić, Marko Knežević, Nadira Ćurulija, Naida Salković and Sara Jelisić.Their contribution over the past two years has shown that young people are partners in shaping the present and future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.