This year, the International Literacy Day (8 September) is being celebrated across the world under the theme “Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”. The unprecedented learning disruption, affecting hundreds of millions of children and youth over the world is a reminder of the critical importance of literacy. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid shift to online learning environment has made evidence of the potential of digital learning – but it has also highlighted the digital divide. According to 2013 data, illiteracy rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 2,82 per cent and this trend is in constant decrease, compared to 38,7 per cent of digitally illiterate population under the age of 10[1]. It is expected that the positive trends in reducing number of illiterate persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue. On the other hand, based on PISA 2018 findings, the minimum level of functional literacy is not attained by 58 per cent of students in mathematics, 57 per cent in science and 54 per cent in reading. A negligible percentage of students were assessed as top performers in these subjects. Further, PISA 2018 evidence showed that 15-year old students in BiH are on average about three school years behind their peers in OECD countries. There is an evident gap between functionally and digitally literate population in the country, which could potentially be deepened by COVID-19 pandemic consequences to education sector. Since the pandemic outbreak, approximately 500,000 children and youth have been affected by country-wide closures of all education institutions from March 2020. Learning loss, caused by COVID-19, disproportionately affected the most vulnerable children and youth[1] across the country. In march 2020, the BiH education authorities estimated that the lack of continuum of learning affected over 9,700 children in primary and secondary schools[2], as well as 523 primary and secondary school teachers (including VET) who did not have access to ICT[3]. In response to the fallouts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, three UN agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNESCO, UNICEF and ILO, with support of UN Volunteers joined efforts to support the education authorities to address learning inequalities, while focusing on the most marginalized through implementation of a human-centered and gender responsive project “Re-imagining Education for Marginalized Girls and Boys during and post COVID-19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” The main objective is to support public sector education in the 3 selected education administrative units (Republika Srpska entity, West-Herzegovina Canton and Una-Sana Canton) while focusing on improvement of quality e-learning and blended learning practices, enabling learning continuity, as well as strengthening teachers’ digital skills and competences in a view to tackle learning losses, prevent dropouts and ensure inclusive and quality education for all. “…this crisis, however, is also an opportunity to re-think and reimagine education practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina…Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, are a basis for advancing reform, applying innovation and developing blended learning to ensure the resilience of the education sector”, stated dr. Ingrid Macdonald, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the occasion of the project launch in March 2021. At global level, studies indicate that COVID-19 could provoke a generational catastrophe, putting at risk of deteriorating previously made learning progresses. Bosnia and Herzegovina has faced this detrimental trend even before the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 showed that in BiH over 50 per cent of children are not achieving the minimum level of functional literacy in language, science and mathematics. There are estimates that this percentage may further increase as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis. The rapid shift to distance learning also highlighted the persistent digital divide in terms of connectivity, infrastructure, and the digital skills of teachers/trainers for e-learning and blended learning. In that regard, UNICEF, UNESCO and ILO support conducting the Assessment of quality of e-learning delivery of primary, secondary (including Technical and Vocational) and higher education, and the Assessment of professional development needs of teachers. The aim of this activity is to assist all education authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at all education levels in better-informed decision-making, as well as in quality planning of digital competency development of teachers for quality inclusive e-learning and blended learning, which would at the end increase functional literacy of all pupils. Increasing digital competencies should go together with enhancement of functional literacy, and these two processes should not be developed as parallel, but fully complementary. To this end, on 02 September 2021, the installation of Information Management System in Una-Sana Canton, funded by ‘Re-imagining Education in BiH’ project, was officially launched. The main objective is to support the digitalization of the education process in Una-Sana Canton, through quality data management, while building a more resilient system which can prevent, mitigate impacts and respond quickly to emergencies, particularly when addressing the needs of the most vulnerable students.  “With this project, we would like to assist education government authorities in Una-Sana Canton to be better prepared for future challenges that could potentially affect the education sector. At the same time we are pleased that establishment and implementation of new IM system will support the Ministry to increase quality of the both programmatic and administrative management of education system in Una-Sana Canton. Moreover, the integration of Office 365 and Teams platform in this IM system will enhance delivery of e-learning and blended learning during and beyond COVID-19 pandemic”, stressed Sinisa Šešum, Head of UNESCO Antenna in Sarajevo of the Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. UN agencies within the ‘Re-imagining Education’ project remain committed to support education authorities, teaching professionals and students at all education levels in attaining quality learning outcomes, while applying one of the main principles of Agenda 2030 of leaving nobody behind. [1] The Economic and Social Impact of COVID-19- Education, World Bank Group, Spring 2020 [2] Rapid Needs Assessment- Education, UNICEF BiH, March 2020 [3] Rapid Needs Assessment-Educatio-Phase II, UNICEF-UNESCO BiH, August 2020  

Sustainable tourism in rural areas such as agritourism, eco, adventure, hunting and pescatourism is an important driver of socio-economic growth that can reduce inequalities, increase resilience of rural communities and boost rural incomes. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in cooperation with local communities around the world works on strengthening rural livelihoods through income diversification (both on-farm and off-farm) of farmers and creation of employment opportunities, where tourism plays a pivotal role in supporting rural economies. ‘Rural tourism’ is the tourism activity performed in a rural environment and is oriented towards the use of local tourism resources. Local communities play the fundamental role in performing the role of the custodians of the natural and cultural heritage and environmental resources in rural areas. The concept of ‘rural tourism’ entails stays in a rural household, consumption of traditional food and drinks and full immersion into authentic activities of a rural family. Rural tourism can offer complementary value-added to the on-farm agricultural production activities through adding value to agricultural products, creating new markets and shortening value chains. Diversification of the rural economy towards the development of non-agricultural activities, such as the production of authentic arts and crafts, or the collection and direct marketing of raw and processed forest fruits, has the potential to accelerate the rural development. It can be also assumed that rural tourists often endorse the responsible lifestyle values, hence leaving a significantly better socio-economic footprint than mass tourists. Almost all destinations in BiH have a combination of key tourism products that are highly or less related to rural tourism: accommodation and catering on agricultural, wine, culinary and gastronomic routes, eco and ethno-farms and villages, mountain tourism and water sports tourism, cultural thematic routes, cycling, hiking. As a part of the ongoing project entitled “Strengthening of the private and public sector capacities in priority value chains” FAO is currently developing the pilot rural tourism plan for the municipality of Pale in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). FAO applies the value chain approach to structuring this technical assistance for the development of the rural economy of the municipality of Pale. According to the conducted analysis, the municipality-specific rural tourism value chain consists of the following elements: (1) accommodation (rural households and weekend houses, (2) food (rural households, farms, restaurants, etc.), (3) activities (rural families, CSOs, cultural centres, religious institutions, etc.), (4) information and services to tourists, and (5) promotion, booking and sales (social networks, booking platforms, guest recommendations). Such value chain-based approach should help the local rural economy to diversify and fully utilise available resources, while providing options for adding value to smallholder farming. In the municipality of Pale traditional farming has been scaling down which leads to the possible degradation of rural economy, as much as to the negative environmental impact on landscapes which are largely shaped through traditional farming practices. Local markets in rural tourism provided through short supply chains seem to provide the ‘win-win’ solution for rural society welfare: enhancing the vitality of smallholder farming sector and overall attractiveness of the destination itself for further diversification and development of the rural economy. Home to the world-famous winter holiday destinations of Jahorina and Ravna Planina, mountainous municipality of Pale also has several famous caves: Orlovača, a cave at the spring of the Mokranjska Miljacka, Popova Cave, Novak’s Cave and others on its territory. 65% of the territory of the municipality is covered with mostly coniferous forests. The municipality of Pale is already highly exposed to all the advantages and disadvantages of the mass tourism, while the segment of rural tourism is still underdeveloped. Because of the municipality’s factor endowment of natural and cultural attractions, experienced-in-tourism human resources, rural tourism is considered to be a promising option for the development of those parts of the municipal territory which are not the grounds for the winter (ski) tourism at the moment. In Pale there is already a successful track record of connecting smallholder agriculture with the ski tourism. For example, the local farm "Alpino" already supplies its cheese to the large hotels of the ski resort Jahorina. Moreover, the ethno-hut "Lane" in Vrhprača and the rural household "Pavlović" in Sumbulovac are among a few rural households in Pale, which offer niche package of accommodation, catering and activities to rural tourists. “According to the statistical estimates, the inflow of tourists to the municipality of Pale has decreased by 25% because of the unprecedented COVID 19 pandemic – such reduction in numbers is relatively smaller than the respective figures for some other tourist destinations in BiH and globally, where the number of incoming tourists has decreased by 85% in some locations. We are expecting for the recovery of the national and regional tourism sectors to start in 2022. Thanks to the FAO assistance, the rural tourism plan for the municipality of Pale has been developed in consultation with the key stakeholders. The formulated recommendations will be highly instrumental for the development of the local tourism industry during the post-COVID recovery”.                                                                                           Dragan Jakić, Director of the Tourism Organization of the Municipality of Pale FAO International Expert on Rural Tourism - Professor Suzana Đorđević-Milošević from the Singidunum University in Serbia has identified possible drivers, which can strengthen the rural tourism value chain in the municipality of Pale. The suggested list of rural tourism attractors for Pale municipality has been validated by the value chain stakeholders (including representatives of the local rural communities, service providers, academia and tourist organizations, natural and cultural heritage conservation institutions and civil sector, as well as organizations managing forests, hunting and fishery resources) during the workshop held on 21 and 22 June 2021 in Jahorina. The workshop participants have been presented with the integrated approach to development of rural tourism in municipality of Pale which places a special emphasis on developing the agrotourism. The municipal rural tourism value chain and local attractors in the municipality of Pale include rural accommodation and catering in combination with the adjacent activities in rural environment, namely adventure/mountain tourism (caving, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, nature and special interest-tourism (hunting, fishing, ecotourism, and excursions), cultural tourism (rural ways of life, spirituality, events), hedonism/ gastronomy and wellness and history/ reenactment. The rural tourism plan is based on the multisectoral and area-based development approach which includes such critical actions, as strengthening the small family farming, empowerment of local leaders and public-private partnerships. One of the key targets of this plan entails the development of rural tourism short supply chains from local food production in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting. Building a well-functioning interaction between urban and rural areas is identified as a possible measure for mitigating the risks related to rural depopulation – this would potentially ensure full engagement of local human and spatial resources, as well as empowerment of the high-quality civil sector, youth, women and other marginalized groups. Taking into account the factor endowment of the municipality of Pale, the rural tourism plan is being prepared by FAO experts in fully participatory and evidence-based manner, focusing on the advancement and diversification of the locally provided services and products. Considerations for better environmental awareness and environmental rehabilitation are also taken into account for the territorial development through the rural tourism value chain lens. FAO is committed to providing an all-encompassing technical assistance to the municipality of Pale through different avenues. On 1 July 2021 FAO experts delivered the final presentation of the Local Agriculture and Rural Development Plan for the municipality of Pale which included the foreseen actions.

The publication “Project D-0 Ark 1-2-3-4-5” was presented at the UN House in Sarajevo on the occasion of this year’s celebration of the International Day of Cultural Diversity for development. The publication is the result of a ten-year collaboration with the UNESCO Antenna in Sarajevo, Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe in partnership with the Biennale of Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground and the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tito’s Atomic Shelter or the Atomic War Command in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, colloquially referred to as the “bunker” has an incredibly fascinating and complex history. In fact, there is a significant discrepancy between the historical context of the bunkers construction and the cultural importance that it serves today. The bunker was built in complete secrecy over the course of 26 years – between 1953 and 1979, to protect the political and military elite in the event of a nuclear strike. Today, the Atomic War Command is home to one of the top contemporary art collections in Europe with an estimated value at 7 million euros. Turning this bunker into a permanent exhibition celebrating tolerance and diversity has lifted it from the historical constraints of its construction and has turned it into a prestigious regional cultural institution committed to preserving cultural heritage connecting places, spaces and people. The artistic team behind the “Biennale of Contemporary Art D-0 ARK Underground” project presented this journey with a publication titled “Project D-0 Ark 1-2-3-4-5”, on the occasion of the International Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The UN Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ingrid Macdonald, and the Head of the Antenna of the in Sarajevo of UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Sinisa Sesum, hosted the promotion of the publication at the UN House in Sarajevo, bringing together partners who followed Biennale’s expansion throughout the years.   The publication is a ten-year retrospective of the “Project D – 0 Ark”, known today as the Konjic (Bunker) Biennale. Its activities have played an important role in the promotion of art and culture as a connecting unit, furthermore, it has increased cultural diversity, dialogue and cooperation. The project, the concrete result of a collaboration between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia, has been extended to Austria, Turkey, Italy, Germany and several other countries. These artistic partnerships are at the core of its formation. Five cycles of the Konjic Biennale, 1-2-3-4-5, have resulted in 159 works of art permanently exhibited at the Atomic War Command, these have been created by 119 artists from 39 different countries. 86 of those artists have represented their countries at the Venice Biennale, whilst all selectors and curators who participated in the Project were also selectors for their own countries at the most prestigious contemporary art festival in the world. This standard of quality has been recognised by art historians, who place the project’s Underground Collection at the very top of contemporary European art collections. “UNESCO has been supporting the Biennale from its very beginning, since 2009, because the Biennale is an extremely valuable platform for exchange among contemporary artists from South-East Europe and beyond. A platform that connects people regardless of borders between countries, disagreements and unpleasant events and conflicts from the not-so-distant past”, says Sinisa Sesum, Head of the Antenna in Sarajevo. During its last cycle in 2019, the Konjic Biennale was presented at the UN headquarters, during the High-level Event on Culture and Sustainable Development convened jointly by UN General Assembly and UNESCO, emphasising its contribution to the promotion of culture as a lever of change, innovation, empowerment, and equality. “The purpose and the primary idea of the Project D-0 ARK Underground is to preserve this great social treasure and, at the same time, to use the energy carried by art to breathe new life into this ghastly place, the nuclear fallout shelter” explains Edo Hozic, Director and Founder of the Biennale. “The facility D-0, the Atomic war command has received, sheltered and enabled artists of the world to use their art to protect a nuclear shelter.” Due to its importance in promoting, dialogue, mutual coexistence and cultural diversity since 2015, the Biennale has enjoyed United Nations’ support through several stages of the Dialogue for the Future (DFF) Project, financed by the UN Peacebuilding Fund. “Transforming a nuclear bunker into a contemporary art museum with regional partnerships and dialogue illustrates the power of culture for peace and development. By working together, by countering the threats to our cultural diversity and social cohesion, by expanding and building upon initiatives like these we maximise the value of heritage for the benefit of all”, concluded dr. Ingrid Macdonald, UN Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, H.E. Zoran Tegeltija and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina Dr. Ingrid Macdonald signed the new 2021-2025 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework at a ceremony held on 20 May. The new Cooperation Framework ensures a continued work in partnership towards a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive society, supporting all people in BiH to live longer, healthier and more prosperous and secure lives, while helping reach the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda2030 at the same time. The UN in BiH delivered 442.27 million USD in the past 6 years, across rule of law and human security, sustainable and equitable development and employment, social inclusion with education, social protection, child protection and health, and the empowerment of women. The new Cooperation Framework is a renewed commitment to continue working together with citizens and communities to build a society in which no one is left behind; to protect and promote human rights, advance gender equality and women's empowerment and deepen resilience.  The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Zoran Tegeltija, reminded that this is not the first time that such a document was signed; BiH had signed such frameworks twice before, and the implementation of the last one was extended for a year due to the global coronavirus pandemic. "The difference between the previous ones and this document is the pandemic impact, because BiH has faced a complex situation and the fight for people's health is still going on, but also for the preservation of the economy. The document, which was signed today, was endorsed by the Republika Srpska, the Federation of BiH, the Brčko District, also the business community and the non-governmental sector. We have a good document that will provide the basis for development and instruments for measuring and achieving our goals," said the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Chairman Tegeltija also pointed out that the document is dedicated to the realization of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, the EU accession process, the joint socio-economic reforms 2019-2022, regional cooperation and a better life for the citizens of BiH. The authorities in BiH and the UN are already working together on supporting the ongoing transformation of the economy and society toward sustainable growth and inclusive prosperity with renewed efforts to give young women and men reasons to stay and to create a more prosperous future for BiH. “The new Cooperation Framework reinforces the United Nations commitment to strengthen partnership with the people and authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will guide our efforts to accelerate sustainable development across the country from 2021 - 2025. Together, we’ll focus on shared priorities such as lasting prosperity for the people of BiH, 21st-century skills for everyone, reimagined education, improving health services, people-centered governance, strengthening social cohesion between communities and ensuring that those who are most vulnerable are not left behind. These goals were mutually developed based on rigorous analysis and consultations with people and partners across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Cooperation Framework is also timely, as it provides a roadmap through which the United Nations can strengthen efforts to mobilize support for a greener, fairer, and more inclusive recovery from the COVID19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” said dr. Ingrid Macdonald, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in BiH. Some of the United Nations partners and champions of sustainable development from Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the official ceremony. Ms. Emina Zolota from the joint IT Girls initiative shared her journey, starting in 2018: “Ever since, I have only grown thanks to various activities and competitions, as well as mentoring support which I constantly receive and which means a lot to me. Not only is my technical knowledge growing, but so am I as a person. The “Go Green” app that I developed thanks to this support is now used in 14 municipalities in BiH. Just like I was inspired by IT girls, I also want to be an inspiration to someone else. In the future, I want to be a real IT girl who will help girls and young women to enter and fall in love with the IT world in which there are no limits.” Young innovator and scientist Dženan Kovačić commented on the connection between sustainable development and the pandemic, and highlighted the fact that this connection is especially visible when it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina: "Sustainable development goals did not arise just like that, but were developed by Nobel laureates, scientists, eminent thinkers keeping in mind the survival and development of the human species in the next 50 years or more. Sustainable development leaders are not the people who see just two meters ahead, rather they are those who see hundreds of years in advance and everything they do – they do it for the benefit of human civilization." Petar Ćorluka, President of the Violeta Company board, shared the lessons from the sustainable business path that Violeta is taking: “I think it is an honor and pleasure to be responsible in all spheres of life and work, which Violeta shows. We employ 550 women and 550 men, and this is not just a form, but it is our practice. Women are equally valuable, responsible and systematic, and in particular in management positions. As an employer, my goal is to support and practice as much humanity as possible in development and working conditions, but also in the development of products that will be less polluting and are in line with the goals of sustainable development. I want all entrepreneurs to invest as much effort not only in the development of their products, but in reaching the sustainable development goals." Video messages from representatives of the UN agencies, funds and programms working in Bosnia and Herzegovina, broadcasted during the event, reaffirmed what sustainable development means to their work and what the focus will be in the next five years. The message sent from the signing ceremony emphasizes the importance of involving all levels of authorities in BiH and creating partnerships across civil society, private sector and academia.  Event was organized in compliance with COVID-19 safety measures and was broadcasted live from the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Building to a large online audience - UN agencies representatives in BiH, media and media association representatives, NGOs representatives, academia and students; the full stream can be found at the UN BiH official Facebook page.