Social Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The purpose of this assessment is to gain a better understanding of the needs and changing

vulnerabilities of people and the changes to societal structures that have arisen from the COVID-19

crisis.

The first part of the report presents a household survey and in-depth interview

results centred on people’s wellbeing, needs and emerging vulnerabilities, coping mechanisms

and the power dynamics in households. The household survey was conducted from 9 to 27 July

2020 on a representative sample of 2,182 households across the country, with the sampling frame

precisely aligned to ensure equal entity, regional, rural-urban distribution as well as gender and

age representation. 

The second part of the publication offers an analysis with a gender-responsive rights based approach

to guide policy dialogue, policymaking and decision-making. This section is structured in accordance

with the five pillars of the United Nations Socioeconomic Framework: pillar 1, Health First; pillar 2,

Protecting People; pillar 3, Economic Response and Recovery; pillar 4, Macroeconomic Response

and Multilateral Collaboration and pillar 5, Social Cohesion and Community Resilience.

The second part of the report draws from the analysis of the findings of the household survey

juxtaposed with the measures taken in the social area and the take-aways from the semi-structured

interviews with the key domestic and international institutions driving the response to COVID-19. It

is further informed by a critical reflection on the latest United Nations policy papers and a review

of good practice emerging from around the world as well as other reference instruments prepared

in order to guide policy and decision makers and practitioners on a people centred response to

COVID-19.