Improvement of digital learning by establishing and enhancing Information Management Systems (IMS) in education was one of the many activities within the Reimagining Education United Nations joint project, implemented by UNICEF, UNESCO, ILO and UNV in three administrative units in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska Entity, Una Sana Canton and West Herzegovina Canton). With the general objective of supporting the digitalization of educational processes through quality data management, the activity helps building a more resilient system able to quickly respond to emergencies, particularly when addressing the needs of the most vulnerable students. These systems aim towards a more efficient communication between all actors in education, including parents, guardians and caregivers, school administration and relevant education authorities. Integrating this type of Information Management System is being currently undertaken in Una Sana Canton. On September 2, 2021 in Bihać[i], Ministry of education, science, culture and sport of Una Sana Canton organized the official signing ceremony for establishment of the IMS in education sector. Implemented by the Breakpoint company based in Mostar, the functions of this system aren’t solely about managing the information but improving the distance learning process in primary and secondary education as well. In cooperation with UNESCO and Microsoft, the system is being improved by integrating the Office 365 package and Teams platform. In regards to the two remaining administrative units, Republika Srpska Entity has an already established and centralized IMS in education, while West Herzegovina Canton is in the ‘pilot’ phase of the implementation of the IMS in education, developed in coordination with the IT Center of the University of Mostar. E- Learning labs on digital TVET – Online course for TVET specialists and teachers Within the same context, the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation (ITCILO) organized an online course ‘E-Learning Lab on Digital TVET’ for TVET ((technical and vocational education and training) specialists, managers and teachers of three abovementioned administrative units. This online course’s objective revolves around increasing the capacities of TVET experts and practitioners for transforming available materials to suit online delivery and to operate distance learning programmes with a strong focus on multimedia, digital and interactive learning solutions. The duration of this course is 6 weeks total, and the course is conducted through ITCILO online platform, covering the most essential elements, quick tips and hands-on practice allowing participants to rapidly shifting face-to-face content of a module into an online offer. The course is being carried out and taught by SmartLab, a learning design company based in Sarajevo. SmartLab experts held an initial introductory meeting in October in all three administrative units’ centre cities, Banja Luka, Široki Brijeg and Bihać. Participants of the course had a face – to – face opportunity to interact and gain answers to any questions they had about the following course activities. At this moment, participants are finalizing their training sessions and are about to engage in final course activities. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) and Digital skills for primary and secondary teachers in Republika Srpska Entity, Una Sana Canton and West Herzegovina Canton As one of the core preconditions for the digital learning, two activities have been initiated in coordination with Antenna Office in Sarajevo of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) and Digital skills for primary and secondary teachers[i] in Republika Srpska Entity, a workshop that initially started in May 2021, is a one-week training course aimed at enhancing teachers MIL and digital skills and competencies as pre-requisites in delivery of e-learning and blended learning. The objective of this series of workshops is to raise capacities of approximately 1800 primary and secondary teachers from these three administrative units. By the end of the MIL course, taught by experts from UNESCO and communication specialists from the University of Banja Luka, participants are expected to have learned about the difference between media and information literacy, to classify areas of media and information literacy. Participants are also equipped with techniques on explaining these basic concepts of media and information literacy to their students. More precisely, a variety of topics are addressed, including but not limited to cyber security of children, ways in which online space and technology influence daily life of children and their mental health as well. In the framework of UNESCO Global Education Coalition, Microsoft is supporting the project Reimagining Education by providing its expertise in training of teachers and educational professionals from three administrative units in the use of Microsoft - developed tools for e-learning and blended learning delivery. This is the activity which also started in May 2021, and it included 90 primary and secondary school teachers in West Herzegovina Canton. Groups of 15 - 20 teachers participated in sessions about using Microsoft 365 tools and applications (i.e. Teams, SharePoint, Forms) in everyday e-learning and blended learning delivery. This way teachers are able to quickly create practical solutions in a somewhat demanding e-learning environment, and therefore elevate the interaction with students by creating virtual classrooms, online quizzes and other engaging and fun multimedia content. ,,The goal of the Reimagine Education project - mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening the capacity of education authorities and teachers to provide quality inclusive distance learning and combined teaching models should significantly contribute to the most fragile, yet the most important social sector – the sector of education.’’ [i] https://en.unesco.org/news/capacity-building-trainings-primary-and-secondary-teachers-republika-srpska-and-west [i] https://en.unesco.org/news/reimagining-education-marginalized-girls-and-boys-during-and-post-covid-19-bosnia-and  

In the context of COVID-19 pandemic induced school closures, digital distance education platforms have become essential for ensuring continuity of learning for all. Students and teachers in BiH have not stayed immune to challenges arising from the switch to online teaching modality, as they have been lacking adequate access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices and quality internet connections. These challenges prevented them to continue their learning trajectories and participate smoothly in distance and blended learning. Strikingly, the lack of learning continuum affected over 9,700 children in primary and secondary schools[1] in BiH, as well as 523 primary and secondary school teachers (including TVET) who did not have access to ICT[2]. Moreover, UNICEF’s U-report showed that 45% of youth experienced challenges with access to learning, such as sharing devices with other family members, or lacking appropriate space and environment for studying. At greatest risk of being left behind are students from marginalized groups, remote rural areas, and low-income households, as well as students with disabilities. The rapid shift to distance learning caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 highlighted the persistent digital divide in terms of connectivity, infrastructure, and the digital skills of teachers for e-learning and blended learning. Decentralised education systems in BiH resulted in a diversity of approaches to distance learning and a lack of common quality criteria for e-learning and shared e-learning platforms. Hence, most administrative units did not develop guidelines for e-learning and the teachers did not receive adequate training in this area.  "Re-imagining Education for Marginalized Girls and Boys during and post COVID-19" project in BiH recognized that defining basic ICT standards in education is one of the main prerequisites in education digitalization process. With this in mind, educational policies must offer standards to educational institutions, defining the recommended infrastructure for ICT, including equipment, stable and accessible Internet connectivity, as well as the necessary security measures. The activity set the norms and standards for computer equipment and supported infrastructure in educational institutions in BiH. The minimum standards determined the lower limit of ICT acceptable equipment which helps education authorities to achieve the goals of standardization of ICT to be used in educational institutions across all administrative units of BiH. The UN implementing agencies created the working group consisting of education authorities to work on defining basic ICT standards in education systems in BiH. During the implementation process, UNICEF and UNESCO provided technical assistance to the working group. This normative support envisages further assistance to education authorities and institutions in implementing the defined ICT standards through their incorporation into legal documents (rulebooks, strategies, manuals, etc.) of educational institutions. Besides, analysis of the existing ICT infrastructure elements for primary, secondary and higher education in all administrative units of BiH was also conducted, serving as a starting point for insight into the current situation of ICT equipment as well as for comparison with the defined ICT standards. The analysis found that 53.29 % of primary schools do not have a permanent internet connection, while 66.04 % do not have a computer classroom.[1] Moreover, number of educational institutions in BiH that use more accessible forms of ICT technology in teaching such as Netbook and tablet computers is relatively low at all levels of education.[2] Defining ICT standards served as a prerequisite for equipping vulnerable children, students and teachers with necessary ICT equipment and internet connections. This included Roma, disabled children, children from rural areas and poor socio-economic families, as well as teachers at TVET and university level where practical teaching process is assumed. “COVID-19 crisis has further deepened inequity and exacerbated an already existing learning crisis as many children, youth and adults were prevented from equal access and opportunities to continue learning. Defining ICT standards in education systems and then ensuring that these standards are followed for delivering ICT equipment to schools is one of the crucial steps in BiH. This would allow all children in BiH to continue learning and participate smoothly in distance and blended learning. Apart from increasing efficiency and resilience to the future shocks in the education systems, this activity promotes and strengthens equity for all education institutions benefiting all teachers and children, leaving no one behind.” Joint statement by Dr. Rownak Khan, UNICEF Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Siniša Šešum, Head of UNESCO Antenna in Sarajevo, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, and Ms. Lejla Tanović, ILO National Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina Apart from the engagement of UNICEF and UNESCO, procurement and delivery of ICT equipment and internet connections considers interaction with and engagement of private sector stakeholders i.e. Microsoft, in a view of expanding and enhancing the overall implementation effectiveness through formation of public-private partnership. Concretely, Microsoft will be providing authorities with the “Shape of Future Letter” document enabling education authorities to purchase ICT equipment under favourable conditions. The intention now is for the Council of Ministers of BiH and all relevant education authorities to adopt the document, and to synchronize ICT equipment for the needs of the education sector. In this way, the activity hopes to result in the provision of a long-term solution for stable and continuous internet connections for schools, necessary not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for enhancing the overall digitalisation of education systems in BiH. [1] Analysis of the existing ICT infrastructure elements for primary, secondary and higher education, UNICEF-UNESCO, October 2021 [2] Ibid. [1] Rapid Needs Assessment- Education, UNICEF BiH, March 2020 [2] Rapid Needs Assessment-Education-Phase II, UNICEF-UNESCO BiH, August 2020

The territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina is highly exposed and vulnerable to meteorological and geological natural hazards and disasters, which have huge impacts on the agricultural sector. In order to undertake measures to protect this branch of the economy, the Joint Swiss and United Nations (UN) Programme “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in BiH” promoted the engagement of a broader BiH community in the planning of priorities and measures for providing a response in emergencies.  The programme laid a foundation for long-term effective and targeted development of a disaster risk reduction (DRR) platform for agriculture in ten local communities vulnerable to risks. Attempts are made to address hazards, exposure and ability to solve problems in the households that depend on agriculture through activities of the local DRR teams. One of the cities in BiH in which communities are implementing the necessary activities to respond to the existing and future disasters is Trebinje. The DRR team in that city has been continually working towards strengthening the existing system which will contribute to reducing levels of exposure to hazards, vulnerability of people and property and an efficient land management. According to Ms. Svjetlana Vuletić of the Agrarian Fund of the City of Trebinje, coordinator and member of the DRR working group in the agricultural sector, the development of a DRR programme for each local community represents concrete support to systemic disaster risk reduction and possibility to manage an emergency.   “Every local community has a chance to have all the plans, measures and stakeholders for both preparedness for, and actual response to, disasters that have already hit at one place. The importance of power and coordination of all local institutions in disaster risk reduction is visible even today, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A local disaster risk assessment in agriculture is a particularly important segment of DRR as this branch of the economy is particularly vulnerable even without natural disasters”, said Ms. Vuletić.       In view of the importance of agriculture in terms of livelihoods, Ms. Vuletić emphasizes that it is necessary to keep focus and to improve continuously the measures for mitigation of vulnerabilities, to prevent the consequences of disasters and to enable recovery of agriculture. This is the reason why the attempt is to define through questionnaires and workshops held in the municipalities which participate in the Programme all possible measures for mitigation, prevention and preparedness aimed at reducing the impact of natural hazards on agriculture.  Ms. Sanja Vuković, member of the DRR platform and DRR working group in the agricultural sector in Trebinje, thinks that new tools for identification of the necessary measures for mitigation of impacts of natural disasters in agriculture, presented through the DRR platform, made the priorities of actions in the field visible . As she said,  the questionnaire was clearly completed just as the workshop was implemented among the local communities facing similar or the same problems.  “We maintained cooperation with all representatives of the local communities where we received the appropriate data required for the implementation of activities related to mitigation of consequences of disasters. We managed to fill out parts of the questionnaire referring to field survey, on the basis of gathered data”, said Ms. Vuković. Members of the DRR platform from Trebinje have recalled the period of floods and landslides in BiH in 2014, which, as they said, should be an alarm to the entire society, from individuals to the highest levels of government, showing  how crucial the preparation of a response to disasters is for the protection of agriculture. “With negative climate change, natural disasters, like earthquakes, landslides, floods, droughts, fires and storms, will be happening increasingly more often. We cannot have a strong impact on their frequency but we can be prepared in the best way possible, we can have an adequate response and the consequences of such disasters mitigated by individuals and local communities”, said Ms. Vuković. The role of local institutions in preparedness and coordination of a response in an emergency is the basic and most important level of preparedness since local communities are the first responders in all disasters, the DRR platform members from Trebinje added. “The conclusion we inevitably draw after every disaster is that only when communities have capacities, knowledge, skills and resources will it be possible to reduce, or at least significantly mitigate, a disaster risk”, Ms. Vuletić said in conclusion. This was shown in practice in the municipality of Kakanj, during the marking of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, 13 October. The event which brought together representatives of the international donor community and local municipality highlighted the importance of building and connecting national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction through multi-sectoral linking policies in DRR related areas. Participating at the marking, which included signing of the Declaration to implement Go Green Initiative, planting seedlings to prevent landslides, and an impressive preparedness simulation exercise, Mr.Nabil Gangi, the FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia noted: “For us at FAO the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction which we celebrate on 13 October every year offers a unique opportunity to acknowledge the progress made towards reducing disaster risks and losses for the benefit of rural lives and rural livelihoods. FAO is proud of the results achieved under the joint initiative so far, and we with great enthusiasm look forward to continuing this successful work in close collaboration with our key partners, including the Government of Switzerland, and capacitating farmers from risk-exposed localities in 10 target municipalities to become more resilient socially and economically to effects of disasters and climate change through improved awareness of evidence-based good practices in agriculture and improved access to technologies”. The Programme “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in BiH” is trying to establish strategic frameworks for DRR throughout the country which will ensure integration of risk reduction into the relevant development policies at all levels of government. The Programme in BiH is implemented by the UN agencies: UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA and FAO, in partnership with the government institutions in the country.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Week in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was held from 4 – 8 October 2021 and served as a meeting, consultation, and discussion platform for promotion of Sustainable Development Goals in BiH. The SDG Week was implemented in cooperation with the Council for monitoring the implementation of SDGs in BiH (the Council). The Council includes members from all relevant state, entity, and Brčko District of BiH representatives and will work on coordination and monitoring of implementation of the SDGs in the country. The UN and the Council work together on promotion and implementation of SDGs in BIH. The SDG Week was an important venue to present the role of the Council with wider stakeholders. "We are continuing what was started in BiH at the beginning of 2017, when the first working group was formed to roll-out implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals with the immense support of the United Nations Office in Sarajevo and the Government of Sweden. All institutions had to officially adopt the SDG Framework for the document to be alive and for its implementation to start”, said Milos Prica, ambassador at large at the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I invite everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina to read the SDG Framework and use it as a guide for how they can contribute to achieving Agenda 2030. The Framework covers many important areas from good governance, health, energy efficiency, education, economic prosperity and beyond. It is an important tool that will help us build a fairer, greener, more prosperous and more inclusive society for all, where no one is left behind”, said Ingrid Macdonald, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in BiH. Eva Gibson Smedberg, the head of development cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in BiH, pointed out that Sweden financed the development of the SDG Framework in BiH. "The adoption of the Framework and the establishment of the Council for implementation of SDGs are very important steps forward. Now that the formal conditions have been met, the real work follows on the ground. What is needed for successful implementation is certainly a better awareness of all actors in the process", said Eva Gibson Smedberg. Two events that opened the SDG Week in BiH on 4 October aimed to initiate a discussion with authorities at local level on implementation of the adopted SDG Framework in BiH and open a policy dialogue on the importance of social protection in the context of Agenda 2030. SDG Week put the spotlight on the future of work through a special edition of the Future Talks by UNDP Accelerator Lab. Future Talks brought together inspiring speakers on 5 October from different continents to discuss the future of work. One of the highlights of SDG Week was the conference “Greening the economy – accelerating business”. Representatives of businesses, financial institutions, academia, and international organizations in BiH discussed on 6 October, within three panels, what the green transition entails for the private sector and to deepen the understanding of the benefits of investing in green solutions. The event „Future of Education: Universities 4.0“, held on 7 October, involved young people and students in a dialogue on new directions and tools that education needs to embrace for sustainable living and work. This year, the principal partners of the event were Sarajevo School of Science and Technology (SSST) and The School of Economics and Business of University of Sarajevo, in cooperation with other public universities in BIH. Signing of the Pledge for Sustainable Development marked the end of the first ever SDG Week in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The winners of the SDG Business Pioneers Award in BiH 2019-2021 gathered on 8 October to confirm their commitment to sustainable business and Agenda 2030 by signing the Pledge for Sustainable Development. „Not by chance, the SDG Week closes with private sector. It is our pleasure to bring together progressive companies that share the same values based on Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals. By signing the SDG Pledge, the winners of the SDG Business Pioneers Award demonstrated once more their commitment to create decent jobs, continue to have zero tolerance to corruption and reduce their impact on the environment. We sincerely hope that this example will be followed by others and that it will result in healthier, more competitive and greener BiH private sector”, stated Steliana Nedera, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in BiH. 800+ live audience followed 70+ local, regional, and global keynote speakers in 7 events organized under the framework of the SDG Week. The recorded sessions were viewed by 4200+ people over the span of 5 days.