International Youth Day: Celebrating the Contributions of the UN BiH Youth Advisory Body

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 Herzegovina

From advice to action

Some 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 member

YAB 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 member

Discovering the UN — and bringing a youth lens across its work

The 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 member

YAB 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 table

Diversity 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 member

From Bosnia and Herzegovina to global youth spaces

The 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 member

A contribution that continues beyond the mandate

YAB 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.