With EU Support, EUR 320,000 awarded to confidence-building initiatives

Within the framework of the regional project “EU Support to Confidence Building in the Western Balkans”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), grants have been awarded to nine civil society organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The selected projects focus on promoting transitional justice, dealing with the past, strengthening social cohesion, and protecting human rights.

To mark the awarding of grants, a meeting was held in Sarajevo where representatives of the selected civil society organizations met with UNDP representatives. The gathering provided an opportunity to discuss planned activities, expected outcomes, and avenues for collaboration aimed at strengthening trust and reconciliation within local communities.

Aida Laković Hošo, Head of the Good Governance Sector at UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressed hope that this type of support would contribute to raising public awareness about the conflicts and war crimes of the 1990s, as well as enhancing regional cooperation.

“Civil society organizations play a key role in this process. They operate where institutions often cannot — within communities, among youth, victims, and witnesses. They offer support, foster trust, and amplify the voices of those who have long been overlooked. These grants are not just financial assistance — they are an investment in trust, dialogue, and peace,” she stated.

Funding was allocated through two public calls, which received a total of 73 project proposals from Bosnia and Herzegovina — 49 proposals under the first call and 24 proposals under the second. The overall grant fund was limited and distributed across the region in line with the project’s objectives and available budget. Due to high interest from civil society organizations, competition was strong, and the selected initiatives represent the most impactful and relevant proposals with the potential to contribute to reconciliation and trust-building.

A total of nine projects led by civil society organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina have been approved under two public calls, with a combined funding allocation of approximately EUR 320,000. The selected organizations and their initiatives are:

• Association BH Journalists, Sarajevo – Transitional Justice Academy

• Association “Roma Girl – Romani Ćej”, Prnjavor – Learning Together, Building Peace Together

• Association “Forum”, Sarajevo – Time Machine

• Youth Theatre Tuzla, Tuzla – Catharsis for the Future

• Association “Pravnik”, Sarajevo – School of Transitional Justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Association of Women from Prijedor “Izvor”, Prijedor – Preventing Secondary Victimization through Support and Trust-Building in Institutions

• Foundation for Local Democracy, Sarajevo – Traces of the Past, Strength of the Future

• Association “Education Builds Bosnia and Herzegovina – Jovan Divjak”, Sarajevo – Overcoming Post-Traumatic Consequences in Women with War Trauma

• Foundation “United Women”, Banja Luka – Art as a Bridge: Healing through Creative Intercommunity and Intergenerational Dialogue

The approved initiatives include activities such as youth education, artistic interventions, public campaigns, support to victims and witnesses, and efforts to strengthen trust in institutions. Projects will be implemented across Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Sarajevo, Tuzla, Prijedor, Banja Luka and Prnjavor, engaging diverse social groups with a particular focus on women, youth, and marginalized communities.