prijava
SARAJEVO, May 21 (FENA) - The OSCE Mission to BiH marked the International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination with a conference titled "10 Years of Combating Discrimination in BiH", held in Sarajevo.
Marking the International Day of Cultural Diversity throughout BiH, the OSCE also wanted to bring the attention of the public in BiH to main conclusions and recommendations from the Conference on Anti-Discrimination, organized by the OSCE Mission to BiH on 21 March 2019.
With its conference “10 Years of Combating Discrimination in BiH“, which took place on the 21 and 22 March 2019 in Sarajevo, and on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) marked the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination (the Law).
Around 150 participants gathered at the conference, including Ambassadors to BiH, the President of the BiH Constitutional Court, the President of the FBiH Constitutional Court, members and representatives of the BiH High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, around 20 judges (five of them being presidents of the municipal/cantonal courts), the Ombudspersons for human rights of BiH and their advisers, the Deputy Minister for Human Rights and Refugees, members of the FBiH Parliament, the RSNA and the BDBiH Assembly, representatives of both the legislative and the executive, representatives of the international community in BiH, guests from Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, and other representatives of professional associations, civil society organizations, and scholars.
This conference aimed to provide a space for key local and regional actors to exchange opinions and discuss the main issues for the implementation of anti-discrimination legislation.
Moreover, the conference attempted to address whether the Law has strengthened the mechanisms designed to combat discrimination and whether these mechanisms have provided a functioning framework, allowing the realization of equal rights and opportunities for all persons in BiH.
The Mission used this occasion to launch its report titled an “Assessment of the Work of BiH Institutions in Combating Discrimination”.
As part of its efforts in combating discrimination, the Mission analyzed the work of three key institutional actors with the mandate and competencies to combat discrimination: the judiciary, the BiH Institution of the Human Rights Ombudsman/Ombudsmen and the BiH Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees.
Identifying challenges whilst not losing sight of the many achievements that have been made in this field, the Mission offered straightforward, concrete recommendations. Undoubtedly, discrimination prevails in almost all spheres of life in BiH and there are many challenges the country is facing in combatting this social ill.
To be able to effectively break down the barriers of prejudice and hate, co-ordination and co-operation between key stakeholders is essential. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to discuss a wide selection of important topics. Spread among four panels, themes included judicial protection from discrimination, the role of national human rights institutions in ensuring protection from discrimination and the impact of their recommendations, the utilization of situational testing, as well as mechanisms for prevention from of gender based discrimination. On the second day, time was allocated for a productive dialogue on these topics, with many participants contributing concrete proposals to improve the status quo.
The recommendations elaborated upon in this document reflect the inputs of the Conference participants, for which we are truly grateful, in addition to the Mission’s own recommendations, stated the OSCE Mission to BiH.
(FENA) S. R.
