The United Nations Resident Coordinator visited Banja Luka on 1-2 February 2023 and conducted a series of productive meetings with the authorities of Republika Srpska entity, notably President Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic, Minister of Energy and Mining Petar Djokic, Minister of Finance Zora Vidovic, and the Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr Alen Seranic, as well as the President of the RS National Assembly Dr Nenad Stevandic and the Deputy Presidents Mirsad Duratovic and Anja Ljubojevic. The United Nations Resident Coordinator also met with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister of Finance, Mr Zoran Tegeltija, as well as with youth, civil society and media representatives. The Resident Coordinator expressed deep concern about the negative impacts of the global economic crisis on the everyday lives of citizens, especially record inflation and supply chain challenges affecting energy and food prices. She stressed that immediate social and economic reforms are required to protect vulnerable citizens, especially those who have the least and are often impacted the most by price rises. She conveyed the UN’s support to BiH at all levels to address key priorities discussed in the areas of socio-economic reform, human rights and sustaining peace, as well as inclusive economic prosperity, strengthened health, education and social protection systems, enhanced governance, and social cohesion. These areas underpin the UN’s partnership with BiH and will guide our cooperation in the coming period to assist the country’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals so that institutions and authorities can better address the needs of citizens and strengthen trust. The UN in BiH looks forward to engaging constructively with the new authorities established at all levels of Government to move forward this important agenda for the benefit of all citizens.

Speeding up efforts to reverse and prevent land degradation is vital in the next years if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved, including target 15.3 which contains the objective to “combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world” by 2030. Reversing land degradation can boost soil productivity, increase water retention and contribute to sustainable livelihoods and people's resilience. So, what does Land Degradation Neutrality mean in practical terms? Land Degradation Neutrality or LDN has been defined by the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification as “a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources, necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security, remains stable or increases within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems”. LDN is a powerful concept designed to help people understand land degradation and ways of how to respond effectively. Any LDN intervention has the final objective of either avoiding or reducing new degradation via sustainable soil management or sustainable forest management practices and reversing  past degradation via restoration and rehabilitation, with neutrality or zero net loss being the desired target state. In farmlands, sustainable land management techniques can entail increased crop rotation, less reliance on agro-chemicals or increased tree cover to protect soils and waterways, improve nutrient cycling and support pollinators. Sustainable forest management practices can involve natural regeneration or enrichment planting as well as the sustainable harvesting of forest products. Degraded ecosystems in Bosnia and Herzegovina Climate change-induced land degradation has become extreme in BIH, as manifested through more frequent floods, drought and wildfires in recent decades. Land use in BiH is affected by inadequate and unsound planning practices of resource utilization. During the validation workshop organized by UNEP and FAO earlier this year, main land degradation drivers were identified for BiH, which included abandoned agricultural land, abandoned households, floods, erosion, drought, bare land and unsuccessful afforestation, sizable percentage of mining contamination on 2.3% of the country’s territory, and over-use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers, illegal deforestation. In BiH, 1.2 million people were living on degrading agricultural land in 2010, which constituted an increase of 2% in a decade, bringing the share of rural residents who inhabit degraded agricultural land up to 52% of the total rural population. In the process of LDN strategizing Federation of BiH set the target to “improve land quality and protection and restore degraded land functions in specific ecosystems or minimize adverse environmental impacts” by 2030. Republika Srpska aims to “increase land productivity on 7% of its territory” by 2030. Under this project, UNEP and FAO will extend technical assistance to support the achievement of these entity-level LDN targets in the country by strengthening institutional, legal, policy frameworks, and monitoring and reporting capacity of relevant stakeholders for LDN implementation. The most vulnerable regions affected by land degradation have been identified in both entities during the LDN Target setting process in BiH. In the Federation of BiH these are Tuzla canton from the standpoint of land degradation under anthropogenic influence, and Herzegovina-Neretva canton and Canton 10 from the standpoint of natural influences-drought and fires, followed by erosion, as a result of degradation processes. In Republika Srpska these are Lijevče polje and Semberia from standpoint of human impact on agricultural land, then floods, drought and erosion, and Herzegovina from standpoint of wildfires, drought and bare land expansion. Four pilot areas in the most vulnerable regions affected by land degradation have been identified as the project sites, those being located in the South-eastern part of the country and the other in the North-eastern part, namely in Tuzla Canton, Bijeljina Municipality, Neretva Canton and Trebinje Municipality, where the indicator on the number of hectares under best practices, supported with a gender perspective, will be monitored and entered into the interactive Decision Support System, developed by this project. UNEP-FAO response action Land-based mitigation options rank among the most cost-effective opportunities to sequester carbon emissions. Economic evaluations of various climate change mitigation alternatives show that capturing carbon through restoring degraded lands (including degraded forest) is a cost-effective option that offers multiple co-benefits. The joint project will focus on institutional strengthening for improved land management and reduction of land degradation through capacity-building of key partner institutions and also demonstrations of sustainable soil management and sustainable forest management best practices in agricultural land, forests and rangelands that provide carbon benefits on 4 pilot areas in both Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska. Restoration success should not be assessed using only the number of hectares under restoration or trees planted within the framework of this project, but also with improvements in land-based natural capital, restored ecosystem services and socio-economic changes. The learning and knowledge platforms of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration can contribute to fostering national communities of practice and applied research on achieving LDN in the country. “Healthy landscapes are fundamental to the health of life on earth. From food we produce and eat to clean air we breathe and clean water drink, depend on our land. Unfortunately, land degradation and desertification, are amongst the most pressing problems threatening our well-being. UNEP, working in partnership with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), respective entities Ministries of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, entities ministries of environmental protection will jointly work to address this problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina. UNEP will support this partnership by providing innovative knowledge, global network and expertise for scaling up the activities and providing necessary assistance to successfully attain project objectives”. Ersin Esen, GEF Task Manager at Europe Office, UNEP “The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification has estimated that the returns on taking action against land degradation are estimated at USD 6 for every dollar invested in restoring degraded land in Bosnia and Herzegovina. FAO assessments of the costs of action against land degradation through sustainable land management and sustainable forest management practices highlight the strong economic incentive for bold actions against land degradation. Utilizing a strong toolkit of methodological frameworks and environmental data monitoring metrics, our organization is honoured to having been tasked by Bosnia and Herzegovina to support the county and its institutions to execute the Global Environment Facility-funded project to support the achievement of the ambitious LDN targets and restoration commitments by the 2030 horizon”.  Nabil Gangi, FAO Deputy Regional Representative, Head of FAO in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Today, we are celebrating International Human Rights Day. On 10 December 1948, in the wake of the World War II (WWII), the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This was the first ever universal recognition that every single person, everywhere, has inalienable, indivisible rights - civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. For the first time in history, an international text enshrined a common vision of dignity, justice and equality for all. Premised upon the recognition that contempt for human rights had led to the horrors of WWII, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a formidable promise of a new social contract. And much was accomplished over the following 70 years to strengthen the protection of human rights as the Declaration inspired the adoption of important human rights treaties that are binding on States parties, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.  However, as noted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, “the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under attack”, referring to increasing conflicts, the climate crisis, economic instability, racial injustice, rollbacks in women’s rights, and misinformation. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, highlights that these trying times “require reignition of our collective commitment to protecting all human rights”. In his report “Our Common Agenda”, he stresses the need for a new social contract between governments and people, anchored in human rights. A recent public survey conducted by the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina indicates that citizens across the country, in both Entities and Brcko District, irrespective of ethnic identity, feel that their individual rights are not safeguarded and that institutions should be doing more to protect them. In areas such as health care, education, employment and environment protection, citizens want to see authorities prioritizing their wellbeing and prosperity.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is inscribed in the preamble of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As new authorities across Bosnia and Herzegovina begin their mandates, there is a great opportunity for authorities to uphold their responsibilities through a renewed social contract with citizens, anchored in human rights. This is essential to rebuild trust in institutions and hope for a better future; with legislative, economic and social reforms that focus on upholding and improving the rights everyone who lives in this beautiful country, without discrimination; and with inclusive, participatory processes that enable citizens to take part in public affairs. A renewed social contract will also help Bosnia and Herzegovina deal with its painful past to build a better common future.  As the High Commissioner said today, “even where the challenges seem intractable, if the leaders in politics and society would only centre their responses on human rights, the solutions will be always within sight”. In doing so, it is critical to listen to the voice of citizens and leave no one behind. Civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina has played an extraordinary role - survivors of atrocity crimes and violations, including conflict-related sexual violence, who have been at the forefront of the quest for justice and truth; journalists reporting on corruption; young peacebuilders combating hate speech; environmental activists engaged in protecting the natural wealth of the country; citizens calling for a more inclusive society; and so many others who have made a positive difference. Throughout 2023, as we move towards the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations across the world, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will engage in reviving the spirit and letter of this foundational text. We look forward to working across the country to keep alive the legacy and pertinence of the Declaration, together with the authorities, institutions and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the first two days, exercises were held where over 50 representatives of the DRR Platforms from Bijeljina, Bihać, Sanski Most, Trebinje, Prijedor, Banja Luka, Kakanj and Gradačac tested local plans, procedures, and systems to assess the readiness of local communities to respond to disasters, and on the third day, a demonstration exercise of the rescue operation was held on the right bank of the Sana River. "We can never be sufficiently prepared for disasters, but we can be aware of the importance of prevention and building an efficient system for responding to them. Increasing the capacity of local authorities to manage and reduce the risk of disasters, as well as improving the readiness and resilience of local communities, must be a priority of BH institutions," said Mladen Radulović, Senior Expert Associate for Training, Planning and Programming in the Department for Structure and Training of the Sector for Protection and Rescue - Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The demonstration exercise was conducted by trained and certified professionals, together with units of water and underwater rescue services, rescue from heights, medical care, as well as firefighting units from Prijedor, Bijeljina, Banja Luka, Bihać and Sarajevo. "The purpose of this simulation exercise is to validate and improve the preparedness and response plans for the rescue services, because speed, efficiency and good coordination are essential to reduce the human and economic costs of disasters. Emergency situations can very easily create chaos and uncertainty, and that's when emergency teams must remain calm, be prepared, and well trained to deal with such situations," explains Vedran Ibrulj, Coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction project of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Simulation exercises, as a practical implementation of priority 4 of the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction, play an important role in promoting a culture of disaster risk reduction and are a very effective tool for additional development of skills and readiness through practical experience. The challenges that local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina face during crises, emergencies and/or disasters, from coordination and security to possible administrative and technical difficulties, can be reduced by regular simulation exercises. “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina” is 7.1 million KM worth Joint Programme of the Government of Switzerland and the United Nations (UN), implemented by the UN agencies: UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA and FAO in partnership with domestic authorities.  The Joint Programme aims to address key disaster risk reduction (DRR) priorities identified by 10 local governments and various stakeholders across various sectors: protection and rescue, education, social and child protection, health, and agriculture. The Programme puts special emphasis on improving local DRR coordination mechanisms, as well as affirming risk -informed strategic planning processes with focus on the most vulnerable population groups.