Campaign '30 Years of Peace' in Bosnia and Herzegovina

As the final and symbolic element of the “30 Years of Peace” campaign, the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina is releasing a video that powerfully and emotionally brings together the campaign’s core messages. Through stunning landscapes across Bosnia and Herzegovina and the verses of the well-known sevdah song „Da sam ptica“ (If I were a bird), interwoven with a contemporary musical expression symbolizing new generations, the video connects the past, the present, and what lies ahead. It reminds us that peace—like nature, tradition, and sevdalinka—is a value that must be continuously nurtured and safeguarded, echoed in the song’s closing line: “Zdravo Bosno, uvijek mirna da si” (Beloved Bosnia, may you always be at peace).

The campaign was implemented as part of the long-term vision and continued efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aimed at strengthening inclusive and sustainable peace. In a year marking 30 years of peace since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the campaign serves as a call for collective reflection, commitment, and action to ensure many more decades of peace.

Numerous representatives of the international community and diplomatic corps, institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Nations, civil society organizations, the culture, religious communities, media, as well as young people took part in the campaign. In their digital messages, they emphasized that peace is not something to be taken for granted, but a responsibility that requires continuous and collective action. They highlighted the importance of dialogue and reconciliation, functional institutions, and the rule of law, as well as the crucial role of women and youth in strengthening trust and social cohesion—underscoring that these principles are also the foundation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path. The importance of education, culture, and the arts in building lasting peace and a society rooted in European values was also emphasized.

In addition to digital messages, the campaign included video messages from young people sharing what peace means to them, as well as media content and engagements by partners and beneficiaries of PBF-supported initiatives—placing local voices and lived experiences at the center of efforts to strengthen peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is the UN’s leading instrument for investing in conflict prevention and the building of sustainable peace. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the PBF supports local initiatives that strengthen social cohesion, trust, and dialogue, and promotes the meaningful participation of young people and women in peace processes.