Peace Newsleer broj 5 juni/srpanj 2011. In this issue: Network for Building Peace received “Freedom“ Award One Billion Rising - BiH Orange Day in Nahla Support for Egypan acvists Phallocentric mechanisms of exclusion: women and disnguished psychiatrists Shaping the future in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Civil society aſter the october 2012 local elecons issue 26 March 2013 ONE BILLION RISING, 14 February 2013, Sarajevo (Photo: Leila Šeper)
Transcript
Peace Newsletter
broj 5 juni/srpanj 2011.
In this issue:
� Network for Building Peace received “Freedom“ Award
� One Billion Rising - BiH � Orange Day in Nahla � Support for Egyptian activists
� Phallocentric mechanisms of exclusion: women and distinguished psychiatrists
� Shaping the future in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Civil society after the october 2012 local elections
issue 26 March 2013
One BilliOn Rising, 14 February 2013, Sarajevo (Photo: Leila Šeper)
Network for Building Peace received “Freedom“ AwardOn February 8th the Network for Building Peace in Sarajevo received the traditional Sloboda (Freedom) Award from the International Peace Centre Sarajevo (IPC) for their extraordinary contribution to building peace and humanism, as well as fighting for human rights and free-dom in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe and the world. The award was presented during a special ceremony as part of the 29th International Festival in Sarajevo.Goran Bubalo received the award on behalf of the Network for Building Peace. After restruc-turing, the organization now has 83 members.Besides the Network for Building Peace other Sloboda Award winners for 2012 were: USAID, Regional Cooperation Council, UNESCO, Council of Europe, ACIPS, Foundation Mak Dizdar, Foundation Mozaik, Kurt Bergmann, initiator of the humanitarian project “Neighbor in Trou-ble” from Austria and Nermina Kurspahić, Editor-in-Chief of the Odjek magazine.Network for Building Peace was established February 10, 2010. This was great addition to the celebration of their anniversary.
Mirovne novosti 3
choosing peace together
One Billion RisingExactly 15 years ago the author of The Vagina Monologues and known fighter for women’s human rights, Eve Ensler, founded the V-Day movement against violence against women and girls. Since its inception, the movement has earned over 90 million dollars through performances and other activities and educated millions of people about the global epidemic of violence against women and the efforts being made to stop it. V-Day created a variety of international educational and media campaigns, reopened shelters, and funded over 14.000 local anti-violence pro-grams. The initiative opened safe houses in the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. This year to mark the 15th anniversary, V-Day launched the new campaign One Billion Rising.ONE BILLION RISING is a call to action and response to the horrifying statistics that one in three women is beaten or raped in her lifetime. Since there are 7 billion people on Earth, it is estimated that at least one billion women and girls suffer violence.The global campaign mobilizes ONE BILLION WOMEN and those who love them to STRIKE, DANCE, RISE AND DE-MAND END OF VIOLENCE. There were over ten thousand events in 207 countries around the world on February 14th. One Billion Rising was the largest mass global action against violence against women and girls in history. And it’s not just women who rose against violence, but also men, minorities, persons with disabilities, poor folks, individuals from the LGBTTIQ community, and migrants, among others. Through this movement, global solidar-ity transcended gender, borders, class, age, race, etc. Women’s organizations have once again united with other groups and educated communities about the causes and consequences of violence. The campaign engaged people in dancing, poetry, song, and art and encouraged them to take to the streets and peacefully demonstrate their resistance in creative ways.The campaign received a lot of media coverage and many key socio-political themes were addressed including violence, patriarchy, poverty, militarization and working conditions. A space was opened up where we could share stories about the violence, where we could feel free to see the truth and feel real support. For some women it was the first time they spoke about the violence in public and danced in protest. Men inspired by the campaign sent messages against violence and showed that they want to end patriarchy. Many donors pledged to raise funds for the fight against violence and to put this issue back into their strategic objectives. This campaign has united women and men and demonstrated the power of community.I am immensely proud and happy this campaign has been
launched. It enabled us to educate citizens in different ways about the effects of violence in our society and pro-vided networking opportunities. One Billion Rising is the largest joint campaign so far in BiH, organized by 210 organizations in 37 local communi-ties throughout the country. Participating organizations prepared for the campaign for two months without any or with very modest means. The campaign is still not over as it continues through other kinds of activities. The fact that so many organizations have recognized the importance of this campaign demonstrates that this is an important issue for our country. The unity and solidarity that we felt at the event returned hope to us, especially in young people who recognized and accepted this campaign. All of the activi-ties, from preparation to organization and education of people about violence against women and girls were done through youth and other organizations throughout the country. It is wonderful to know that all those hours we spent at trainings, workshops, seminars and lectures had such positive impacts. News of the events was spread in all the media throughout the country and their support was truly phenomenal. It is particularly important that we con-tinue to send the same message and that we are united in our actions. One Billion Rising is the beginning of a new world and new energy. This is not the end of our fight, but it is inspiring and motivating.On February 14, 2013 we danced in solidarity with all those who suffer violence. This campaign is a call to mobilize to end violence against women and girls and a reminder that every day of the year we should be working on preventing and ending violence.
Danijela Dugandžić Živanović Campaign Coordinator for BiH
Director of Association for Culture and Art CRVENA
Peace Newsletter 4
ONe BilliON RiSiNg iN BiH was sup-ported by Club of Women Parliamentarians at Parliament FBiH, Head of Office at Council of Europe in BiH Mary Ann Hennessey, Minister of Education, Science and Youth Damir Marjanović, Minister of Justice Emir Hrenovica, Minister of Work, Social Poli-tics, Displaced People and Refugees Muamer Bandić, Denisa Sarajlić-Maglić, Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs, Šejla Kamerić, Maja Bajević, Jasmila Žbanić, Elvis J. Kurtović, Ombudsperson Jasminka Džumhur, Minister of Foreign Affairs Zlatko Lagumdžija, David Barth – Mission Director at USAID/Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador of USA, HoD/EUSR Peter Sørensen, Nina Suomalainen, Head of Mission at OSCE-a u BiH Fletcher Burton, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, OSCE Secretary General Lam-
berto Zannier, Senior Gender Advisor Miroslava Beham, Club of Rhythmic Gymnastics “Arabesque”, Albin Zuhrić, Dennis Gratz, Mayor of Sarajevo Alija Behmen, Yuri Afanasiev, Faruk Šehić, Billain, Damir Imamović, Mirela Laković, She:You, Zumba Club, SFK 2000 - women football players, Football Club Sarajevo, Namik Kabil, Dunja Blažević, Dušan Vranić, Jelena Milušić, Boris Šiber and many others.
Peace Newsletter 5
choosing peace together
Banja Luka celebrated V-Day!
several hundred citizens gath-ered at Krajina Square in Banja Luka on February 14, 2013,
taking part in the global One Bil-lion Rising campaign. Participants danced in protest against violence against women and girls.
According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska, during 2000-2012 there were approximately 130 family murders in the entity, 68 of which were female victims of domestic violence.
After the dance in commemora-tion of those 68 women, a symbolic photograph was taken with the attendees gathered in the shape of the letter V.
Banja Luka was one of 37 towns in BiH where V-Day was marked. Many nongovernmental organi-zations, dance and sport clubs, civil society activists, and people from public and cultural life were involved in the campaign. Partici-pants were photographed symboli-cally answering the question “Why do I dance?” In that way they gave their voice to the actions aiming to end, and punish, violence against women.
The actions in Banja Luka were or-ganized by Helsinki Citizens assem-bly in cooperation with dance group Free Step, organizations UNSA Geto, Oštra nula, United Women, AIESEC, Hi Neighbor, Association XY, ASU BiH, Perpetuum mobile/Budi Muško Klub and Duga.
One Billion Rising
Svjetlana Marković, Helsinki Citizens Assembly
Peace Newsletter 6
One Billion Rising in Tuzla
“One Billion Rising” began as a call to action based on the dire statistic
that one in three women will be raped or abused during her lifetime. Together with Radio Kameleon Tuzla, Association “HO HORIZONTI” took part in organizing the campaign and activities in Tuzla, animating citizens through our official website (www.horizonti.ba), Facebook, e-mail, and direct distribution of leaflets throughout the city.
Our goal was to encourage citizens to show, through dance, their strength, numbers and solidarity by joining us on February 14, 2013 at 14.00 on Turalibegova Street in front of the police. However, we also aimed to raise awareness of a broad issue that is often kept silent - violence against women and girls.
The protest rally in Tuzla, which began at 13.30, was attended by
public figures, activists of non-governmental organizations, high school students and many other male and female citizens of Tuzla. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, HE Anne Vibeke Lilloe, opened the public meeting and emphasized the importance of tackling violence against women systematically. The group “Dirty Angels Crew” took care of the dance portion of the event, as they had prepared choreography to the dance “Break the Chain”, the official song of the “One Billion Rising” campaign.
Keeping in mind that students at the Gymnasium “Ismet Mujezinovic” in Tuzla were not able to skip classes to join us at the public meeting, one of our volunteers worked in cooperation with professors to organize that all departments would stop for a short moment at 14.00 to take pictures as a sign of support.
We are grateful to everyone who responded to our call. Their presence showed that all of us, citizens of Tuzla, are against all violence against women and girls.
We are grateful to Radio Kameleon for their cooperation, and we are especially grateful to our valuable young activists.
Our goal was to encourage citizens to show, through dance, their strength, numbers and solidarity by joining us on February 14, 2013 at 14.00 on Turalibegova Street in front of the police. However, we also aimed to raise awareness of a broad issue that is often kept silent - violence against women and girls.
Peace Newsletter 7
choosing peace together
GORAŽDE ROSE AND WE WERE A PART OF IT!
The Center for Education, Recreational Therapy and Women and Children, “SEKA”, in Goražde supported actions by the local team of AsuBiH Goražde, and stood together on February 14th to make it clear that the violence must stop.On that day, Goražde Town Square was filled with a special energy, sending a message around the world that we do not tolerate violence!It was nice to see the majority of people in the Town Square wearing pink or red clothing in support of the cause. They came, danced and supported this action that took place simultaneously in most countries around the world. We were very proud to be part of the billion that rose.Children of “SEKA” prepared for this event for many days. Even with their schoolwork, they were still able to find free time to prepare banners and badges to spread their message. The professional team from “SEKA” supported this group of young girls and children, who also became our beneficiaries. It was easy to recognize us dressed in pink and red, wearing badges, with balloons and banners in our hands, walking through the city attracting the attention of other curious citizens.One of our girls (12 years old) said, “I felt best when we crossed the bridge with banners. I proudly watched all those who went in the opposite direction of the Town
Square.”In the Town Square we were joined by high school students and other citizens who came out, danced, and demanded the end of violence.It is a sad fact that one in three women in the world are exposed to violence. That is why we were there that day. There are one billion reasons to demonstrate and prove that we care! We want to express to the women who have experienced violence that they are not alone, that we can combine our forces and show that we are part of the world and that we are stronger together!That day there were no geographical boundaries because we all had the same mission and the same goal: Say NO to violence against women and girls.This action was announced in the media, both locally and internationally. For several days before and after the event there were stories and articles about this action. I read that many celebrities from the public, political, artistic and social life also supported this action. Members from “SEKA” also joined, all of GORAŽDE joined!We maybe not be famous, but that day there were a great number of our girls, young women, members and beneficiaries of “SEKA”,” high school students and citizens of Goražde who were proud to be part of one billion that day.
AMINA VRANA SARAJLIĆProfessional associate in work with children, youth and
parents
BiliON FOR BilliON!
Peace Newsletter 8
As a part of this campaign, the citizens of Bratunac and Srebrenica gathered in the Bratunac town square and danced to protest against violence against women and girls.This gathering, as part of the world’s One Billion Rising campaign, was organized by “Dialogue Centre Srebrenica - Bratunac” from Srebrenica and the Youth organization “Odyssey” from Bratunac. Primary and secondary school students as well as other citizens of Bratunac and Srebrenica, danced to the official song of the campaign “One Billion Rising - Break The Chain” led by young dancers from the Nansen youth group who, for this event, prepared a complete choreography to the song.At exactly 14:00 more than two hundred young people from Srebrenica and Bratunac raised their voice against violence against women. We thank all those, in Bratunac and around the world, who joined the campaign and call on everyone to continuously work to prevent violence against women every day of the year.
“Dialogue Centre Srebrenica - Bratunac” joined the One Billion Rising campaign
Trebinje stood up in fight against violenceOn February 14, 2013 at 14:00, Trebinje stood up in Freedom Square to join the fight against violence.In an action named “One Billion Rising Against Violence” Trebinje kids raised everyone to their feet, and with the rhythm of the music, they sang and danced, adding their contribution to the fight against all forms of violence against children and women.The main participants in this important event were a hundred children from the playgroup “Ciciban”, dance group “Maris”, Association of Trebinje high school students, and Nursery Day Center Trebinje.
Jovanka BakmazGraduated Educator - Pedagogue
Director of Children Playgroup “Ciciban” Trebinje
Peace Newsletter 9
choosing peace together
list of organizations who were preparing and took part at celebration of V-Day in BiHAerobic i zumba klub Athena, Sarajevo; AISEC, Banjaluka i Sarajevo; Akcija građana, Sarajevo; Art kino Kriterion, Sarajevo; ART LA, Sara-jevo; Asocijacija srednjoškolaca u BiH, Banja Luka, Bijeljina; Bosanski Petrovac, Brčko, Cazin, Goražde, Jajce, Mostar, Novi Grad, Odžak, Olovo, Sarajevo, Sokolac, Srebrenik, Trebinje, Visoko, Zenica; Asocijacija studenata Srebrenice; Asocijacija XY, Banjaluka i Sarajevo; Aso-cijacija za demokratske inicijative, Sarajevo; Budi Muško Klub Banjaluka; CARE International in North West Balkans, Sarajevo; Centar za edukaciju, terapiju i rekreaciju žena i djece “SEKA”, Goražde; Centar za kulturu Bijeljina; Centar za izgradnju mira, Sanski Most; Cen-tar za ljudska prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu; Centar za pravnu pomoć ženama, Zenica; Centar za promociju civilnog društva, Sarajevo; CKMD, Sarajevo; Crveni krst, Bijeljina i Prijedor; Dance Development Centre, Sarajevo; Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative; Dijalog centar Srebrenica – Bratunac; Dječija igraonica “Ciciban” Trebinje; Dom zdravlja Bugojno; Dom zdravlja Srebrenica; Duga, Banjaluka; Edukacija za ljudska prava i aktivno građanstvo na Zapadnom Balkanu, Sarajevo; eFM Studentski radio, Sarajevo; Fondacija CURE, Sarajevo; Fondacija Heinrich Böll, Sarajevo; Fondacija lokalne demokratije, Sarajevo; Fondacija Schüler Helfen Leben, Sarajevo; Gender centar Federacije BiH; Gimnazija Bugojno; Glas žene, Bihać; Grad Bijeljina; Heinrich Boell, Sarajevo; Helsinški parlament građana Banja Luka; Humanitarno udruženje “Čisto srce”, Prijedor; IAESTE LC Sarajevo; IMIC – In-ternacionalni Multireligijski Interkulturni Centar, Sarajevo; Infoteka, Zenica; Inicijativa mladih za ljudska prava BiH, Sarajevo; Institut za razvoj mladih KULT, Sarajevo; Intereduca, Brčko; Internacionalni teatarski i filmski festival MESS, Sarajevo; K.U.D. Turbe; K.U.D. Visoko; Kino Kozara, Prijedor; Klub ritmičke gimnastike “Arabesque“, Sarajevo; kolektiv.ba; Komisija za ravnopravnost spolova Općinskog vijeća Bugojno; Komunalno preduzeće “Polet”, Srebrenica; KUD Mladen Stojanović, Prijedor; KUD Osman Džafić, Prijedor; KUM; LIFT - pro-storne inicijative, Sarajevo; Lokalna koalicija nevladinih organizacija za ravnopravnost spolova Bugojno; Lokalni tim ONAuBiH Visoko; Magacin kabare, Sarajevo; Magic Factory, Tuzla; Međunarodni centar za djecu i omladinu “Fortis”, Jablanica; Megadance studio, Bijeljina; Misija OSCE u BiH, Srebrenica; Mozaik, Visoko; Mreža Vijeća učenika Zeničko-dobojskog kantona; Mreža za izgradnju mira, BiH; Muzička radionica O.C. Turbe; NATO, BiH; Narodna biblioteka, Srebrenica; NGG CD Volonteri i prijatelji Konjica; NVO Glas žene - Bihać; NVO Ka-meleon, Tuzla; NVO Pravna pomoć ženama, Zenica; NVO “Sumejja”, Bugojno; NVO “Sunce”, Bugojno; Obdanište “Poletarac”, Srebrenica; Odisej, Bratunac; Odred izviđača “Igman 92”, Ilidža; OKVIR, Sarajevo; Omladinska grupa Helsinškog odbora u Republici Srpskoj, Bijeljina; Omladinska novinska asocijacija u BiH, Banja Luka, Bihać, Bijeljina, Brčko, Cazin, Doboj, Foča, Goražde, Gradiška, Istočno Sarajevo, Jajce, Mostar, Sarajevo, Šamac, Visoko, Velika Kladuša, Visoko; Omladinski centar Jajce; Omladinski centar Turbe; Omladinski centar, Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje; ONE WORLD SEE, Sarajevo; Opća biblioteka Maglaj; Općina Bugojno; Opština Srebrenica; Organizacija „Žene učesnice i žene žrtve rata Usk-a“, Bihać; OSCE, BiH; Osnovna škola “Cazin II”; Oštra nula Banjaluka; Partnerski omladinski pokret, Banja Luka; Per-petuum Mobile, Banjaluka; Plesni klub “Romantik”, Sarajevo; Plesni klub “Violeta” Bugojno; Portal www.bug.ba; Prava za sve, Sarajevo; Pravo Ljudski Film Festival, Sarajevo; proMENTE, Sarajevo; PRONI, Brčko; PRONI, Centar za omladinski razvoj Bijeljina; RTV Bugojno; RTV Maglaj; Savjet mladih Srebrenice; Savez NVO-a “LSG-Bugojno”; Savjet učenika Poljoprivredne i medicinske škole Bijeljina; Savjet učenika tehničke škole “Mihajlo Pupin” Bijeljina; Savez studenata Pravnog fakulteta u Bijeljini; Senzor, Jajce; Studio Kolektiva, Sarajevo; Swiss Cultural Programme in the Western Balkans; Šesto čulo, Doboj; Teen Group, Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje; Tim najbolji 7, Visoko; Top Dance Studio, Prijedor; ToPeer, Doboj; TRIAL, Sarajevo; Udružene žene, Banja Luka; Udruženje “Damar omladine”, Visoko; Udruženje “Dijakom” Sanski Most; Udruženje “Eko viking” Visoko; Udruženje “Green Art”, Sarajevo; Udruženje “Orhideja” Stolac; Udruženje “Život sa Down sindromom”; Udruženje građana Motus Adulescenti, Istočno Sarajevo; Udruženje građana Omladinska romska inicijativa “Budi mi pri-jatelj” Visoko; Udruženje HO Horizonti, Tuzla; Udruženje Hor Selsebil, Goražde; Udruženje Iskre; Udruženje “Leptir” Bugojno; Udruženje mladih “Dictum factum”, Maglaj; Udruženje mladih Steel Slaves, Zenica; Udruženje mladih za razvoj “Vizionar”, Bugojno; Udruženje “Prijatelji Srebrenice”, Srebrenica; Udruženje slijepih Kantona Sarajevo; Udruženje “Srebrenica 99”, Srebrenica; Udruženje “Klisa”, Sre-brenica; Udruženje “SARA Srebrenica”, Srebrenica; Udruženje roditelja hendikepirane djece i omladine “Leptir”, Srebrenica; Udruženje za kulturu i umjetnost CRVENA, Sarajevo; Udruženje za promociju kulture mira, Sarajevo; Udruženje žena “Donna”, Bugojno; Udruženje žena “Đerđef”, Bugojno; Udruženje žena “Emina” Turbe; Udruženje žena “Lara”, Bijeljina; Udruženje žena “Sevdalije”; Udruženje žena “Viktorija99”, Jajce; Udruženje žena romkinja “Bolja budućnost”, Tuzla; UG Bioplod, Jajce; UG “Nada”, Jajce; UG Omladinska romska inicijativa “Budi mi prijatelj” Visoko; Ujedinjena Hercegovina, Sarajevo; UN Women, BiH; UN, BiH; UNDP, BiH; UNDP, Srebrenica; UNHCR, BiH; UNSA GETO, Banjaluka; USAID, BiH; Vijeće Evrope, BiH; Vijeće mladih Goražde; Vijeće mladih, Mostar; Vijeće učenika “Osnovna škola Maglaj”; Vijeće učenika “Prva osnovna škola”, Maglaj; Vijeće učenika Gimnazija “Edhem Mulabdić”, Maglaj; Vijeće učenika Mješovita srednja škola Maglaj; Vijeće učenika MSŠ “Gornji Vakuf”; Vijeće učenika MSŠ, Bosanski Petrovac; Vijeće učenika, Velika Kladuša; Zdravo da ste, Banjaluka; Žena BiH, Mostar; Žene Ženama, Sarajevo; zenskaposla.ba, Sarajevo
List of towns and places at BiH where V-Day was celebratedBanja Luka; Bihać; Bijeljina; Bosanski Petrovac; Bratunac; Brčko; Breza; Bugojno; Čapljina; Cazin; Doboj; Goražde; Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje; Gradiška; Grude; Jablanica; Jajce; Kakanj; Konjic; Ljubuški; Maglaj; Mostar; Novi Grad; Olovo; Prijedor; Sanski Most; Sarajevo; Srebreni-ca; Stolac; Tešanj; Trebinje; Turbe; Tuzla; Velika Kladuša; Visoko; Zavidovići; Zenica
Peace Newsletter 10
Orange Day in NahlaVIOLENCE CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED BY RELIGION!
The Center for Education and Research Nahla, Svi Zajedno - The youth group of the Inter-religious Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Institute for Youth Development KULT, marked the eighth Orange Day on February 25, 2013.Orange Day was organized as a part of the Global Youth Network UNiTE campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina in support of preventing violence against women and girls,. On that occasion, Nahla hosted an interfaith workshop and panel discussion in their mulitmedia room. They discussed the topic “Dignity is God’s inalienable gift” and promoted the Bos-nian edition of “Restoring Dignity: A Toolkit for Religious Communities to End Violence Against Women”.During the specially prepared workshop, young people from four major religious communities in BiH discussed the relation-ship between violence against women and religion, and analyzed different forms of violence against women being justified by false interpretations of religious teachings.Lecturers on the panel discussing “Dignity is inalienable God’s gift” were prominent representatives of religious communi-ties in BiH: Dr Mato Zovkic, Dr Dzevad Hodzic and Bosko Tosovic. Their common message was that all religions cherish the inherent dignity of every human being and that violence cannot, in any way, be justified by religion. Dr Mato Zovkić, Vicar of the Vrhbosna archdiocese for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, addressed the phenomenon of justifying violence by faith in Catholicism by saying: “It is not true that God allows us to exercise our male power over the weaker, it is a sin, mortal sin.”Dr Dzevad Hodzic, professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, said in his speech: “We can change our Muslim tradition, which has been largely characterized by masculinist patterns, and make room for the dignity of women, but we will have to change our own views and relations toward tradition. From the Muslim perspective, the fundamental thing for many issues, including the question of the status of women, her dignity, her holiness, is our ability to differ universal from historical in our traditions, to develop the ability to universalize the message of Islam. “Bosko Tosovic, an Orthodox theologian and priest, said that this is a very complex issue, about which we have to talk at all levels, but the basic message remains that violence is never a solution.It was concluded that our society is slowly coming to a point where the civil society sector has matured enough to be able to legitimately react towards religious communities. This is a new process for all of us and though the establishment of dia-logue in this area may be painful and complex, it is crucial for addressing the most critical social problems.A toolkit “Restoring Dignity: A Toolkit for Religious Communities to End Violence Against Women” was also pre-sented at this event. This toolkit was originally published by the global organization Religions for Peace. Co-pub-lishers of the Bosnian issue are Center for Education and Research Nahla and Svi Zajedno - The youth group of the In-terreligious Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Publication in electronic form is available on www.nahla.ba and www.svizajedno.org.
Peace Newsletter 11
choosing peace together
Support for Egyptian activists
A spontaneous gathering of activists (following a call that was circulated on Facebook) took place in front of the Egyptian embassy in Sarajevo. On 12.2.2013,
all the people of the world were invited to show their soli-darity with activists from Egypt who experience violence daily, in both everyday life and while attending protest rallies demanding better living conditions for all of their countrymen and fellow-citizens. It is a particularly sad fact that brutal attacks are occurring at protests. Although police legitimized the group of activists that gathered spontaneously in Sarajevo, they complained about its “brutal actions”, emphasizing two protest ban-ners. The activists delivered letters on behalf of them-selves and those who danced against violence against women on February 14, because solidarity is the duty of us all! The assembled activists expressed their desire, and expectation, that this letter reach all those who are not aware that what is happening to Egyptian activists is a crime!Translation of the letter given to the Egypt embassy is available here: http://www.zenskaposla.ba/content/soli-
darnost-sa-aktivistkinjama-iz-egiptaPhotographs from the protest are available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.227389610719647.27395.121545924637350&type=3
A ceremonial meeting of the Municipal Council was held on 26.02.2013 in Bihac, to mark
the 753rd birthday of Bihac. At the formal session the most deserving individuals and groups recieved awards.
The organization “Voice of Women” from Bihac was awarded the Plaque of Bihac for outstanding contribution to the realization and promotion of the rights of citizens in various spheres of life and work in the Bihac area, especially the rights of women and youth.
During its nine years of active work “Voice of Women” has made significant and selfless contributions
to many areas, in addition to implementing dozens of projects that are vital to the life and work of women and young people in the Bihac area and beyond.
It is especially necessary to emphasize that this particular organization has put special emphasis on working to create equal opportunities for women in rural areas and women in the municipality of Bihac. They are also equally involved in the implementation of projects with the purpose of educating and connecting women from rural and urban areas.
The executive director of the organization “Voice of Women” Enisa Rakovic received the award.
Plaque of Bihac awarded to The organization “Voice of Women”
Peace Newsletter 12
PHALLOCENTRIC MECHANISMS OF EXCLUSION: women and distinguished psychiatrists
PHAllOceNTRic SOcieTieS are abounding with mechanisms of exclusion, and it was Foucault who warned about this in his lectures in the 1970s. Due to social structure - the positions of power of interlocutors, taboo subjects of conversation and rituals of circumstances - people are deprived of their right to fully express themselves. We cannot speak about everything in any circumstance and can not talk to anyone about anything. And what about those who still dare to cross the line?!
One of the most common phallocentric mechanisms of exclusion is op-posing reason and proposing madness. Since the early Middle Ages the madman’s discourse could not circulate as did the discourses of others. His word was considered worthless, false and meaningless. Disease, by definition, is an abnormal condition of the body which causes some kind of injury, swelling, etc. Yet, for much of history the mind was not considered part of the body - psychiatry didn’t have physical, “material” evidence for the disorder - which left room for manipulation of diagnoses. Psychiatrists, therefore had legitimate power to declare unwell those who deviated from socially acceptable norms, regardless of whether or not they were actually mentally ill. Women were particularly prone to these monstrous practices because of the deeply rooted patrocentric vision of “desirable women” as silent, submissive, calm, invisible daughters/mothers/wives, and that a change in a woman’s behavior and/or rebellion against the patriarch must be reproved. One method of punishment was removal from “normal” society by encarcerat-ing her in a “madhouse”. As it turned out, psychiatric institutions in the 19th and 20th centuries held many more diag-nosed “madwomen” than “madmen.”
History assigned the role of patients to women, and the role of doctors to men. Many doctors have gained fame and fortune specializing in disorders such as hysteria, often at the expense of women. For a long period, hysteria was consid-ered to be a “mental illness”, inherent only to women. “The volatility is a characteristic of hysteria because it is charac-teristic of women”, wrote the Victorian physician Edward Tilt, and as general rule, French physician Auguste Fabre said in 1883: “All women are hysterical and (...) every woman wears in her a seed of hysteria (...) what is the temperament of the women is rudimentary hysteria.” According to British analyst Gregorio Kohon: “The woman at the heart always remains hysterical.” Hysteria in men has long been considered a shameful, “feminine” disorder. In early studies, hysteri-cal men were characterized as cowardly, effeminate or homosexual. In the early 19th century John Russell Reynolds wrote: “hysterical men and boys are mentally or morally of the female system”. The late 19th century Emile Batault represented the same thesis: “hysterical men are timid and fearful people (....) flirtatious and eccentric, they prefer ribbons and manually made scarves.” From these studies it is evident how difficult it was for doctors to accept that conventionally masculine men may suffer from hysteria.
In the early 20th century, wanting to empower and further legitimize their field of work, doctors teamed up with drug producers. French pharmaceutical company “Rhone, Poulene” and American agent “Smith, Kline and French” produced the drug known as kloropromazin. Kloropromazin was not, in fact, invented for the treatment of schizophrenia, but instead for nausea and itching, that is, as a general anesthetic. However, when the company was threatened by huge monetary loss (as there was no market for kloropromazin) they hired 50 travelling salesmen to convince psychiatrists and other influential people that kloropromazin treated mental illness. Kloropromazin obfuscated patients so it was easier to manage them. Pharmaceutical companies also convinced the state that drugs were something only doctors could prescribe, making them even more valuable.
Writes: Enesa Mahmić
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Psychoanalysis and psychotherapy brought improvement to some women, but it was simply another means to maintain the existing social order, keeping women “nailed” to their traditional place - with the kids in the kitchen and bedroom. One could say that today’s psychiatry corresponds to the formula of patriarchal capitalism which does not tolerate diversity and believes in abundance and control, a society that wants to stop, fix and isolate those who deviate, convinc-ing them that they need a particular drug. “When we look at the information about the treatment of women today there is conspicuous inequality - more women than men were treated for psychiatric disorders; twice as many women than men suffer from depression, women stay longer in the therapeutic process and retrieve large amounts of drugs. 70% of psychiatric drugs (sedatives, stimulants, antidepressants, tranquilizers) go to women, and 20% of women received strong drugs for the appeasement of the same complaints (stomachaches, headaches, fatigue) for which men receive the proper medication.” (A.Ž.: Someone said feminism)
Feminist interpretations of hysteria in women offered a new perspective by decoding physical symptoms, psycho-therapeutic exchanges and literary texts as well as the presentation of the conflict over the meaning of femininity in a
particular historical context. Physical and linguistic evidence of the social and symbolic phallocentric order can be seen throughout history. But phallo-centric practices are still present today, and their proponents now include some women, as well as men, who take on the established patterns of thought and behavior by condemn-ing other women who “cross the border”.
Each community group calling itself democratic and prescribing itself to even elementary social-political correctness will not allow any open or hidden discrimina-tion of its members. Of course, such an ideal image of society can hardly be realized in full. But this does not prevent us from striving towards it.
Peace Newsletter 14
Peace and Conflict Studies Summer Program American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina
-Fact Sheet-
Open to: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Deadline to Apply: Final April 7 Please contact to express interest ASAP
Program Dates: June 2 - August 3
US Credits: 12 (4 main courses, 3 credit hours each) -Genocide War Crimes and Transitional Justice
-Balkan History -Balkan Security -Peacebuilding Statebuilding -Optional Bosnian Croatian Serbian Language
Internship: Students also have the option of completing an internship at a locally based NGO
Cost: $3525/ €2635 (with optional language course) $3140/ €2345 (without optional language course)
Includes: housing for 2 months, travel around the region, courses and materials.
Contact for an application or more information: Sarah Moore International and Study Abroad Program Director Email: [email protected]: 011 387 33 296 415 (BiH Time Zone: UTC+1)
Website: www.aubih.edu.ba/en/studyabroad
Peace Newsletter 15
choosing peace together
New books
Peace and Conflict Studies Summer Program American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina
-Fact Sheet-
Open to: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Deadline to Apply: Final April 7 Please contact to express interest ASAP
Program Dates: June 2 - August 3
US Credits: 12 (4 main courses, 3 credit hours each) -Genocide War Crimes and Transitional Justice
-Balkan History -Balkan Security -Peacebuilding Statebuilding -Optional Bosnian Croatian Serbian Language
Internship: Students also have the option of completing an internship at a locally based NGO
Cost: $3525/ €2635 (with optional language course) $3140/ €2345 (without optional language course)
Includes: housing for 2 months, travel around the region, courses and materials.
Contact for an application or more information: Sarah Moore International and Study Abroad Program Director Email: [email protected]: 011 387 33 296 415 (BiH Time Zone: UTC+1)
Website: www.aubih.edu.ba/en/studyabroad
Nebojša Šavija-Valha: Beyond Peacebuilding Assistance in Bosnia and HerzegovinaPublished in: Resisting the Evil: [Post-]Yugoslav Anti-War Contention, edited by Bojan Bilic and Vesna Jankovic (Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft | Southeast European Integration Perspectives, vol. 7), p. 243-262http://www.nomos-shop.de/Bilic-Jankovic-Resisting-Evil/productview.aspx?product=14341
SummarySignificant external resources and efforts have by now been invested in the process of peacebuilding in post-Dayton Bosnia-Herzegovina. This has led to a wide spectrum of outcomes beneficial for various target groups and individuals throughout the country. Fifteen years after the Dayton Peace Agreement, there have been no major violent conflicts in Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, these efforts have failed to substantively contribute to democratic post-war reconstruction of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian state and society. Ethnic tensions still dominate political and social space, creating dysfunc-tional systems. I argue that the failure of agencies (both international and local) to intervene to make use of the outcomes they produced to rebuild the state and society, partially comes from a complexity of factors, which I call anthropological ignorance. This includes the peacebuilding agents’ lack of fundamental knowledge of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s macro and micro culture(s) as well as their insistence on intervention based on methodology dominated by development projects. I suggest that comprehensive analysis of the existing strategies, goals and technology in terms of both the local macro and micro culture(s) is a necessary step towards transforming intervention results into real social change.
Bok promotion: Abstract Rethinking Peacebuilding: The Quest for Just Peace in the Middle East and the Western Balkan
This book presents new theoretical and conceptual perspectives on the problematique of building just and durable peace. Linking peace and justice has sparked lively debates about the dilemmas and trade-off s in several contemporary peace processes. Despite the fact that justice and peace are commonly referred to, there is surprisingly little research and few conceptualizations of the interplay between the two.
This edited volume is the result of three years’ collaborative research, and draws upon insights from disciplines including peace and conflict, international law, political science and international relations. It contains policy-relevant knowledge about effective peacebuilding strategies, as well as an in-depth analysis of the contemporary peace processes in the Middle East and the Western Balkans. Using a variety of theoretical perspectives and empirical approaches, the work makes an original contribution to the growing literature on peacebuilding. This book will be of much interest to students of peacebuilding, peace and conflict studies, Middle Eastern politics, European politics and IR/security studies. Karin Aggestam is Associate Professor in Political Science and currently the director of Peace and Conflict Studies, Lund University, Sweden. Annika Björkdahl is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at Lund University, Sweden. Link to the web-site: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415525039
Peace Newsletter 16
II International Workshop
SHAPING THE FUTURE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA -CIVIL SOCIETY AFTER THE OCTOBER 2012 LOCAL ELECTIONS
16 - 17 November 2012, Freising / Germany
Report prepared by: Hansjörg Brey, Johanna Deimel, Tobias Flessenkemper, Daniela Knodt, Martin Weiss and Adelheid Wölfl
BACKGROUND OF THE WORKSHOPBy Tobias Flessenkemper, South East Europe Association, Berlin
2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the end of the war in 1995, the peace and stabilization process has made visible progress. The opening of a perspective for EU membership in the early 2000s has contributed to limited reforms. The introduction of a visa-free travel regime to the Schengen area in 2010 has helped to facilitate people-to-people contacts, including of civil society actors.
Despite these positive developments, many citizens and observers consider the state and the society to remain in a situation of protracted crisis. The effects of the European debt and growth crisis have further contributed to a widely held pessimism. The failure of elites to generate reforms, growth and credible efforts on the way to EU membership further darkens the picture.
In October 2012 municipal elections were held. The local level is the key area for the work of the civil society sector given that the influence at state or entity level seems to be rather marginal and often dominated by donor-driven policy discourses. At the same time the municipal level offers space for experimentation, emancipation of minorities and resis-tance as shown by recent events. It is also at the local level where EU integration can take place, may it be through youth and other exchange programs, twinning, pilot projects in the social field or for the protection of the environment. These initiatives can help to familiarize society with EU standards and their implementation.
Following-on to the workshop held in December 2009, the workshop in Freising served as a stock-taking exercise where participants could reconnect to their discussion three years ago, and debate their state of integration into European NGO/CSO networks. The purpose was to continue dialogue by bringing together - inter alia - members and representatives of civil society organizations, think tanks, journalists, political parties and international experts. The workshop was held un-der Chatham House Rules in order to facilitate an open and candid exchange of views and ideas.
The organizers identified issues for discussion in close cooperation with participants who were invited, ahead of the event to contribute to the program. The program itself was based on interactive panels, which involved all participants at least once as presenter. This approach facilitated an open, at times controversial, exchange of views.
While a set of recommendations was identified, the workshop illustrated a high level of commitment by civil society organizations to participate actively in the European integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Yet, the discussions also exposed a painful absence of cohesion within the country and a substantial degree of frustration about current de-velopments. ISSUES DISCUSSED DURING THE WORKSHOP
1. “POLITICAL SITUATION IN BIH”
Crisis was the key word describing the internal political development in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The general elec-tions in 2010 have led to a 14 months stalemate until the formation of a state-level government, which only few months later fell apart. One speaker even stated that today BiH seems to be facing one of the biggest crisis since the end of the war. According to this opinion, it looks as if there won’t be a single actor to take care of BiH as a whole, but different interest groups - some of which even openly aiming at the destruction of BiH. It was argued that the necessary reform-process does not come from inside the country and thus has to be triggered by international pressure. It was critically mentioned that there is no open discussion on the further development of the country to overcome the negative aspects of the Dayton Accord so far, i.e. that every ethnic group is only interested in its own territory.
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The so-called asymmetrical solution for the election of the members of the Presidency was seen critically. Some said that this would be a highly risky solution because the BiH Presidency is one of the few state institutions that are still func-tioning. The introduction of an asymmetrical solution would further complicate the situation. Reform of the Federation should also be part of constitutional reform, because it is hardly functioning and the Federal government appears in some ways as the 11th canton. Participants referred to some constitutional issues that need to be solved following decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court.
Local Elections of October 2012
It was commonly agreed that the local elections of October 2012 were important for ordinary people and for the po-litical scene. The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) clearly became the winner, while interestingly the Croat national parties lost the majority they enjoyed in central Bosnia since the end of the war. Some worrying trends were observed by analysts:
a) return to power of several indicted and sentenced war criminals – most of them on the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) ticket; b) increased number of reports of electoral fraud across the country, but especially in Republika Srpska (RS) and c) the Central Election Commission having problems to deal with these reports. As a consequence, election results were not confirmed over a month after the elections. Also after the local elections power struggles on different levels continue.
One participant conveyed that the elections in Srebrenica demonstrated a successful engagement by Civil Society (CSO) /political activists who managed to unite all predominantly Bosniak parties in Srebrenica. Thanks to this unified approach they seem to have won the mayor’s position. However, the governing Party of Independent Social-Democrats (SNSD) disputes the election result. It was stressed that Srebrenica is a sensitive area especially for Bosniaks. SNSD and Milorad Dodik have announced that SNSD and the other Serb parties will block the establishment of the city council in Srebrenica, if the Bosniak mayor will remain in position. Moreover, the next possible level to block administration in Sre-brenica is that in Republika Srpska the entity government is essentially in charge of ratifying and approving all municipal budgets. So even if the municipal council were established, the RS government would have another possibility to influ-ence the work of the administration in Srebrenica – which in turn may lead to serious tensions.
The second hotspot discussed was Mostar, which was the only place where elections did not take place because the BiH Constitutional Court found the city statute, imposed by the High Representative, unconstitutional. The local parties were supposed to find an agreement on a new statute that would allow local elections to take place. The Mostar city council decreed for itself to remain in office with a technical mandate until elections will be held. Yet, the international
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community does not accept this decree because it runs against basic democratic principles. Additionally Mostar will be left without a budget and administration, which certainly bring new tensions, also among the general public.
Agreement between Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Party of Independent Social-Democrats (SNSD)A further topic discussed during the workshop was the agreement announced on 31 October 2012 between the So-
cial Democratic Party (SDP) and SNSD. Some of the issues of the agreement were seen as potentially problematic either regarding the IMF stand-by arrangement or existing trade agreements. Some participants articulated that the biggest problem was that it was agreed between two party leaders with little or no participation of the relevant institutions, let alone civil society. It was stated that such machinations further weakened the already weak institutions in BiH. This was seen as another indication that the approach to decision-making through the political elite introduced over the last years is not working any longer. Yet, other participants highlighted that the agreement showed that domestic politicians volun-tarily have started to dialogue and to cooperate among themselves, and not as a result of pressure by the international community.
Role of Youth
It was critically mentioned that youth in BiH is perceived as a social problem rather than a resource for the future. The situation of young people was regarded as difficult; young people are divided, they do not meet each other, and divisions are increasing. It was underlined that youth employment as a motor of society needs to be better considered. A new law on young people in the Federation stipulates to take care of youth at the municipal, city, cantonal, federal and state level. So far 25 youth councils have been established aiming at representing youth in policy (not only youth policy) and enabling public debates. The Federation is obliged to establish youth commissions at municipal levels. Youth councils were regarded during the discussion as a great step towards self-governance on the local level. “Youth has a voice now”. Youth councils should be set up on the federal level until the end of 2013. Political parties are not delegating the people in the youth council – this is the job of the NGOs, it was said, and it was further stated by a politician that there is no way that a political party in a municipality directly nominates young people as it was the case with the RS youth council.
The isolation of people in BiH was highlighted with an example of two students for whom the longest travel they ever did was the way from Mostar to Bihac and the way from Mostar to Zenica. A number of existential problems were described: e.g. about 5,000 persons in BiH have no ID-cards or birth certificates, which excludes them from almost all services and opportunities. People have not received a degree since they could not pass exams during the war.
One participant reported about bringing young people together, e.g. in Fojnica or Gornji Vakuf. The approach of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights was not to talk about genocide and dealing with the past, but rather focus on prejudices while sitting together “in a safe place”. This work was described as “baby steps” while it was highlighted that the new law on youth in the Federation might have a positive impact on such initiatives. The question was raised how the contact be-tween Banja Luka and Sarajevo could be intensified. One participant told about the summer school of the Youth Initiative that lasted for three weeks with 20 participants. The initiative has received 70 applications and people from all over the country came to Sarajevo - despite the fact that some of them living in the RS had been afraid to come to the capital city. The summer school inter alia discussed antidiscrimination and segregation and the outcome was encouraging.
Education system
It was very critically mentioned that the education system lacks harmonization with the labor market. Employers can-not find professionally trained staff. The question was raised how to reduce unemployment and to find a strategy for employment connected to education policy. The Federal Minister of Education and Science has no exclusive competences for education but can only serve as a coordinator of those cantonal education authorities which want to be coordinated. This creates further difficulties. Five cantons are coordinating their work so far. One participant stated that the worst thing for citizens in the Federation of BiH is not the Dayton Agreement as such but the Washington Agreement as it devolved competences for most issues to the cantonal level.
census
A pilot census has been carried out involving approximately 6,000 homesteads. Interestingly, according to the informa-tion leaked 30 % of the people who participated in the pilot census have declared themselves as Bosnians, Herzegovinians
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or Bosnian-Herzegovinians and not as any of the three constituent peoples. Assumed that the data leaked are correct then 30-35 % of respondents and especially young people declared themselves as citizens of the state or a region rather than an ethnic derived identity. This has created a lot of attention especially among Bosniak nationally oriented politicians as well as among the Islamic community, which has issued a legal declaration in how Muslim believers should be filling in the registration form. The 2013 census could become a stepping stone for BiH. There were two lines of development identi-fied: one coming from civic oriented activists and NGOs suggesting people who do not feel being part of one of the three constituent ethnic groups to declare themselves as others; the second line of thought coming from Bosniak nationally oriented politicians and religious leaders insisting that Bosniaks should clearly declare themselves Bosniak.
Socio-Economic situation
Due to the political situation economic and social development suffers. Economists predict that governments in BiH may be facing insolvency, as revenues no longer cover expenditure. Serious reforms are not initiated, mainly because they are difficult and not popular. At present there seems to be no one willing or ready to undertake real reforms. Remittances from abroad (approx. 20 % of GDP) plus the grey economy estimated at 40 % of the GDP helped so far, yet 60 % of GDP are not reflected in the official statistics. Furthermore, BiH has inherited a social, health and pension system from Socialist Yugoslavia, which was based on the assumption that everybody works and pays for the funds. Participants were very clear that with an official unemployment rate of 45 % the system is unsustainable. However, doubts were raised that unemploy-ment could be solved through education / higher education. The only way according to this view is through production. But BiH almost has no export production; there is no investment, because the society and system suffer from corruption. Employment and politics are stuck in clientelistic structures – with the result that professionals are not sitting anywhere.
Role and Performance of Media
There is a considerable number of media outlets in BiH: About 1,700 journalists work in 12 daily and 97 weekly newspa-pers, in 147 radio- and 64 TV-stations. It was generally agreed that the media sector proved to be increasingly unprofes-sional. There is a notable lack of intelligent research, analysis and trained personnel. Even more, according to some views there is not a single local media organization which does its work professionally and does not sway to one or another party or interest group. Most participants didn’t see the media of BiH in the camp of the civil society. According to them, media in BiH are closely linked to the political parties and the government. There is a lack of non-profit media. “Social media” can play a positive role, but also often are misused by political parties.
2. ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF BIH
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Participants argued that the behavior of politicians mirrors the overall failure in domestic development which is re-flected in the work of NGOs as well. It was complained that NGOs lost their “ownership”, that the international presence has somehow spoiled the very idea of CSO – i.e. to take the future in own hands. It was emphasized that CSO is about power and politics and politics from below. Political parties including CSO – another participant claimed - have managed to de-politicize the public sphere completely. The system is discouraging for any bottom-up approach, because BiH is divided between privileged and non-privileged. For many people the state is a mean and not a goal. People are more and more apathetic and build micro worlds for themselves. It was underlined that CSO should concentrate on small villages and on rural areas.
is there an emerging Bosnian-sphere?
Interestingly, if one looks at the ex-Yugoslav space one can observe since some years a process of defragmentation, of growing links and interdependencies in the different republics and countries. It was assumed that the driving forces for this are economy and culture. The discussant referred to Tim Judah who called this new and essentially old space the Yugo-sphere. The question was raised whether there is far from politics a similar process ongoing in BiH? How are economic and cultural actors between the entities interlinked in BiH? How are CSO structured, are they interacting between the entities? Is there an emerging Bosnian-sphere?
Role and Nature of NgOs
When the role and nature of NGOs was further discussed and clarified - different understandings of “civil society” came up. It was argued that the NGO scene in BiH should not be regarded as one homogenous group, as it is comprised of a large variety of different organizations pursuing different approaches and strategies. It was stated that these dif-ferences are an opportunity rather than an obstacle, because by acknowledging them and by building strategic links amongst each other, CSOs could be more effective. It was even stressed that NGOs are interest groups and thus have to be political.
However, it was also critically mentioned that NGOs in BiH do not have to prosper further, but to the contrary that 70 – 80 % could even disappear. There are about 12.000 NGOs in BiH of all kinds, but only 10-15% of them are really active. NGOs, one participant pointed out, are working along the principle of the chaos theory: there is a totally free, dynamic and chaotic market that used to receive a lot of funding and artificially produced a high number of actors. To establish workable structures seem to be very difficult: there exist minimum six different NGO-networks, but there is no function-ing co-ordination throughout the country and only few co-operation.
The discussion also turned to the question of the role of CSOs within – or beside? - the political strata of the country. It was commonly agreed that NGOs at least to some extent already represent the country´s elite. If CSO is understood as per se political then consequently NGOs push their interests by political means. All panelists, however, considered the political influence of civil society in BiH as limited. Yet, it was critically mentioned, that this could be considered prob-lematic when NGOs act like an opposition party – by openly opposing governmental policy and aiming at removing the governing elite rather than representing citizens’ interests.
During the discussion some positive results of the engagement of NGOs in different working-fields were presented from which “Internal Peace in BiH”, “Fighting against corruption” and “Protecting of whistle-blowers” were regarded as especially important. On the other side, all proposals from NGOs have been rejected during the discussion on the new constitution and only three proposals for new laws have managed so far to be discussed in the parliament. CSO are only formally accepted as important partners by the government and by state-institutions, there inputs are disregarded. Even the input to a draft NGO-strategy has been rejected by the government. One panelist described this phenomenon as “a constitutional discrimination”. The NGO councils as institutionalized regulating bodies still lack efficiency. More effective networks and coordination are needed to meet the goal of establishing coordinative boards to advise the government.
Others considered civil society in BiH as “self-absorbed” and expressed concerns that CSOs would have still the same discussions in five years time. Another participant stressed that civil society in BiH should design a strategy that leads to more transparency, clarity and accountability. Eventually, a misunderstanding was identified about the meaning of civil society and the role of the international community. Civil society is too much focused on what others should do while one should ask: “What are we willing to do ourselves?”
Overall and despite all (self-)criticism, the vital democratic function of the civic sphere was acknowledged: by giving citizens a voice, driving reform processes and holding politicians accountable they do not only pave the way for EU-
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membership but also for a prosperous and stable democracy. The strength of civil society in BiH was highlighted: “These are stubborn people, who love their country."
3. PERSPECTIVE EU MEMBERSHIP OF CROATIA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR BOSNIA
The multiple implications of the EU membership of Croatia for BiH, envisaged for 1 July 2013, constituted another main topic of the workshop. Croatia’s position as EU member means, according to one participant from BiH, that many of the present bi-lateral issues between BiH and Croatia will be subjected to EU interests and the interests of the 28 EU member states. So far, Croatia has been supportive and friendly as concerns BiH issues in relation to the EU. The fact that the volu-minous acquis communautaire is already available in Croatian language was seen as an asset for BiH.
Several bi-lateral issues between BiH and Croatia need to be solved before Croatia’s accession. One of them is an agreement on the use of the port of Ploce. While on Croatian territory, BiH enjoys special rights to its use for its exports. This will have to be made compatible with EU rules. The BiH-Croatia border will be the longest land border an EU member state shares with a non-member. Yet, currently there are only two EU-standard border inspection points foreseen for a border of almost 1,000 km length. BiH has until now not been successful in negotiating the opening of additional border inspection points.
Partly due to the lack of corridors for international trade, one speaker argued, Croatia’s accession to the EU will cause a substantial setback for producers from BiH, who presently export around 16 % of their total exports to Croatia. Some producers will be directly affected by new EU standards and import restrictions on certain agricultural and livestock goods. Thus, according to one participant, as much as 15,000 milk producers having delivered their produce to dairies across the border are in danger of losing their customers and possibly their jobs. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Croatia with its entry into EU is automatically leaving CEFTA, with all trade preferences of BiH in relation to Croatia becoming void. Adopting EU rules, laws and by-laws, establishing the necessary infrastructure like phytosanitary labora-tories, was regarded as a challenge for BiH, in order to tackle with the impacts of Croatian EU integration. Adoption to EU standards was seen as even more difficult under the circumstances of constitutional impasse with insufficient administra-tive structures and lacking mechanisms of coordination. In sum, it was critically stated, BiH has done little to adapt to the new situation, the “motivational energy of Croatia’s accession” remains limited. One discussant replied that the Republika Srpska has so far done much more about European integration in comparison to the Federation.
4. EU INTEGRATION PROCESS OF BIH
BiH’s progress in EU integration was seen as limited. CSO activists considered it a depressing fact that BiH, together with Kosovo, remains the only country without EU candidate status in the region, without having completed the SAA process. There was general consent, though, that with respect to EU accession, the country still has a long way to go. The well-
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known internal problems are one reason for the situation. But also the EU’s role, impact and performance were discussed controversially among participants. “About 49% of responsibility” according to one BiH participant “rests with the EU, having lost much (or all) of its dynamics for integration and positive impact on the country s development”. In particular, it was complained that the EU has no real strategy for the region.
Apart from that, the new EU Special Representative “has little to do”, and “does not reach the people”. EU issues have not been translated by the EU office, according to the same participant, and therefore people do not understand what EU accession means.
BiH media have also failed to support a public discourse on EU integration. Citizens for their own information there-fore rather use foreign media sources (for example Croatian TV).
One participant pointed out that a lot of young people do not even know about the EU agenda. 60% have never been outside the country; many are living in isolated areas. Others agreed that a lot of people are not interested in the EU agenda but rather “care about how to sell their blackberry juice”.
Not surprisingly, the question of EU-integration of BiH does not play a prominent role in civil society discourse. When discussing the possibility to influence the EU agenda in BiH, some participants were convinced that it is possible while oth-ers expressed doubts about it. One participant summarised that there was not enough coordination between the NGOs and mentioned three projects about rural development which are not coordinated.
There is a deep EU-skepticism in the society coming from the widespread perception: “EU has only demands on us, they do not really want us, but they prefer Turkey”. Therefore the question of EU-integration also for NGOs is not an im-portant issue. EU’s influence on the country to this assessment is obviously limited and a “change from inside” is required to promote sustainable progress. Instead of focusing only on the EU and its performance, civil society actors should act more independently and pursue their own agenda. EU membership can only be the means but not the single goal. What is happening in BiH now, one participant said, is important for BiH itself and not due to EU accession. Yet, BiH does not have any alternative to the EU integration perspective. One panellist was convinced that civil society cannot influence the EU agenda from below.
Meanwhile, also BiH politicians do not treat accession with high priority and are often paying not much more than lip service to this goal. Furthermore, the concern was raised that too much international attention, especially under the assumption BiH has to be treated as a special case, harms and postpones the internal reform course of the country. Less attention from and reliance on the international community might even encourage the relevant actors to seriously focus on domestic problems. The strong commitment of Germany, especially of German political foundations, in assisting BiH was assessed positively.
5. EU FUNDS AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN BIH
The discussion also tackled the distribution of EU funding to organisations such as the OSCE and UNDP with the effect that NGOs are risking to compete with these organisations and even to be excluded from funding opportunities. It was asked why NGOs do not lobby authorities for not having to compete anymore with international organisations such as the OSCE or UNDP. It was very critically mentioned that while the EU recognizes the importance of the civil society in BiH most of the money would go to organisations like the OSCE and UNDP and from there the money would be distributed to the communities, which are politically ruled. There would be no transparency. The dissatisfaction with that situation was pointed out by stating. “There is an invisible wall we are running against”.
Some participants assessed that EU funding practices are often non-transparent and ineffective, the application as well as the handling of EU funds are complex and require to have at least ten employees or to find at least 20% of co-funding for EU projects. In particular small NGOs are confronted with these difficulties and thus need to find additional funding. It was stated that authorities “do not listen to us” and also questioned why a lot of EU money has been spent for capacity building so far. An activist from BiH said that his organisation is not taking any money from the EU since the latter is aiming at changing the mind-set and his NGO furthermore would not like to depend on EU funds.
One participant explained that IPA funds are spent for capacity building because BiH doesn’t have a candidate status yet. He said that civil society has to get used to the fact that the way EU money is spent for NGOs will be always unsat-isfactory. It was stressed that civil society in BiH is continuously asked to be more proactive. “But we are proactive”, a participant said. He mentioned the case of the drafting of a law for whistleblower protection when he was convincing a
Peace Newsletter 23
choosing peace together
representative from the IPA fund to cooperate with their organisation. Another participant added that some decisions by EU funds would be to her view not understandable. She mentioned an application for a cross border programme of IPA funds for building a regional civil protection facility to fight wildfires. The participant told that this useful project was not approved but a questionable project about bird watching instead.
Finally, one voice stated, money is not the most important issue. Less money can also lead to more competition and creativity; small steps of activities are also possible with few financial mean.
6. ecOMMeNDATiONS
� Participants unanimously insisted on a strengthening of the role and political influence of the civil society in BiH. There is a need to improve the daily work of the civil society.
� NGOs in BiH shall seek to gain more credibility. They should “care from inside”. Civil society in BiH should design a strategy that leads to more transparency, clarity and accountability.
� NGOs should be independent from political parties and the government. However the links to the parliament should be improved. NGOs however should not act as advisors to political parties but only serve as “research wing”.
� Co-ordination and co-operation are key to overcome the fragmentation of the NGO scene in BiH. Strong efforts and political will on all sides will be necessary to create a real functioning co-ordination and co-operation to make the civil society more effective and influential.
� Civil society actors should act more independently and pursue their own agenda. EU membership can only be the means but not the single goal.
� CSOs should concentrate their activities on small villages and on rural areas.
CSO AND EU INTEGRATION
� The experiences of Croatia in adaptation to EU rules should be used (“learning from Croatia”). BiH, rather than to lament about the problems coming from Croatia’s EU integration, should try to profit from Croatia’s new position.
� The administration on the different levels must adapt. One way to do this is to charge it with work preparing for EU integration. Special attention should be given to professional skills needed in the process of adopting the EU acquis communautaire. As an example, universities in BiH, contrary to the demand, train too many political scientists instead of veterinarians.
� From a bottom-up perspective, civil society can do much to popularize EU issues among the general public: “We should take a chapter of EU accession, digest it, and present it to the people” suggested one activist
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY / EUROPEAN UNION
� The EU should only measure the output and give technical support in institution building. Conditionality has to be limited to functionality (i.e. for example BiH needs a functioning law enforcement system – how this is organized is
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up to BiH; it needs oversight over public tenders to allow for fair competition, but how such an institution is built up should be left up to the country). A clear condition for joining the EU should be that the territorial integrity of BiH has to be preserved.
� The EUSR and his office should enhance its efforts to familiarize people with the EU agenda. Here, first positive at-tempts have started with the training of journalists.
� The means from outside to influence the country are limited, especially as far as the constitutional framework is concerned. It is nevertheless absolutely necessary to keep EU membership on the horizon as a goal.
� The constitutional reform process has to be returned back to the beginning. It should this time be done properly with the full engagement of civil society, local experts and local public through town hall meetings. A lot of thinking “out of the box” is required with a maximum of local engagement and maybe including a reform of the federation within the constitutional reform endeavor.
� Only the citizens of a country are in the position to push the politicians to fulfill necessary criteria; the internationals should become by-standers, supporters and not the main actors. If one day BiH has full legitimacy among its citizens as a state it has to reinvent itself. This process will take place inside the country and will start bottom-up pushed by the new elite.
� Less attention from and reliance on the international community might encourage the relevant actors to seriously focus on domestic problems.
TO THe SOg
� organize in cooperation with other German NGOs (e.g. Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Heinrich Böll Foundation et.al.) and partners from BiH an event in Berlin at the German Bundestag to inform about the situation in BiH, to provide insight and expert knowledge and to promote the case of BiH in the German public.
� The next follow-up meetings on BiH within the SOG’s “Shaping the Future in….” project should broaden the range of participants to business, academics, media as well as to small NGOs and MPs. Besides gaining new input and topics this would generate disagreement among participants – the basis for a fruitful debate as this conference demon-strated.
� It was also suggested to organize meetings in BiH (on the initiative of local NGOs) since especially for representatives from grass-root organizations the English language poses an obstacle.
This publication was produced with assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflectthe views of the USAID or the US Government.
