Local Dialogue Platforms Connect Communities Within and Across Bosnia and Herzegovina

Every community has energy, ideas, and people willing to contribute. What is often missing is a space where this energy can be connected and directed toward the common good. Local Dialogue Platforms (LDPs) provide exactly that — bringing together people with diverse experiences, roles, and perspectives around a shared purpose.

Established in earlier phases of the Dialogue for the Future (DFF) initiative, LDPs now serve as an inclusive framework where citizens, young people, civil society organizations, local authorities, and other community actors come together to reflect on priorities and seek responses to shared challenges.

Through open and structured dialogue, challenges are not seen merely as problems, but as starting points for action — shaping initiatives and solutions that can be developed in the short, medium, and long term.

In this process, dialogue takes on a deeper meaning: it reminds us that trust, social cohesion, and peace are not given, but are built every day — through cooperation, understanding, and a willingness to listen to different perspectives.

In this way, LDPs become more than spaces for conversation — they evolve into mechanisms that connect communities and institutions, strengthen trust, encourage active participation, and contribute to addressing issues that matter for local development.

Catalytic support of the PBF

Through the third phase of the Dialogue for the Future 3 (DFF3) initiative — 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) — previous experiences are being built upon to further strengthen the Local Dialogue Platform model.

The catalytic support of the PBF has enabled this model not only to grow, but also to evolve into a more sustainable mechanism for dialogue and cooperation at the local level, while expanding to new communities.

In this context, a two-day workshop for LDP coordinators was held in Sarajevo, bringing together 20 participants from 13 partner communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina — not only those involved in DFF3, but also representatives of communities participating in the “Bridges of Trust: Strengthening Social Cohesion and Resilience in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (SCORE) programme, implemented by UNDP with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

At the heart of this process are the coordinators — local facilitators who play a key role in ensuring that dialogue does not remain a one-off event, but becomes a continuous process. By bringing together diverse actors, organizing meetings, and guiding collective reflection on community priorities, they help transform ideas emerging from dialogue into concrete initiatives, recommendations, and joint actions.

The workshop provided a space for exchange, peer learning, and joint reflection on the further development of Local Dialogue Platforms. Through practical exercises, experience-sharing, and networking, participants further strengthened their role in facilitating inclusive dialogue processes at the local level.

In this way, LDPs not only reinforce dialogue within individual communities, but also contribute to building a broader network of cooperation and knowledge exchange across the country — connecting local actors who face similar challenges and work toward shared goals.

For many participants, engagement in Local Dialogue Platforms also contributes to personal and professional development. Ivana Kovačević from Teslić reflects on their impact:

“I see the value of LDPs in the space they create for open dialogue, connecting different actors, and jointly seeking solutions to local challenges. Through LDPs, trust between citizens and institutions is strengthened, active participation is encouraged, and a sense of responsibility for community development is fostered. Working within the LDP has also empowered me personally — strengthening my facilitation and communication skills, increasing my confidence, and deepening my sense of responsibility toward the community.”

A similar experience is shared by Berina Amidžić from Stolac, who highlights the importance of the space LDPs create:

“Through the project, I entered the municipal building and the meeting room for the first time in 30 years. We sat together with organizations working on different issues and had the opportunity to listen to one another. For me, the project was like a window through which we could finally see and hear each other.”

Neven Paštar from Glamoč emphasizes the importance of a long-term perspective:

“I see LDPs as a form of support — though not a solution in themselves — for the development of local communities, strengthening active citizenship, and ultimately the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their transformative potential is already showing positive results, but assessing concrete changes naturally requires time.”

Upon returning to their communities, coordinators continue the next phase of work — applying the approaches developed during the workshop, bringing together diverse stakeholders, and ensuring that citizens’ voices continue to shape local priorities and decision-making processes.

This approach is already demonstrating tangible impact. In many communities, Local Dialogue Platforms have been formally integrated into the work of municipalities and cities through decisions by mayors, laying the foundation for their long-term sustainability as part of local governance structures.

Through continued capacity-building of coordinators, the project further strengthens these mechanisms, enabling LDPs to continue functioning beyond the duration of project activities — as locally rooted, functional spaces for dialogue and cooperation.

In this way, the initiative not only supports ongoing processes, but also contributes to building lasting capacities and sustainable solutions that strengthen trust, social cohesion, and the resilience of communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina.