The overall goal of the project is to contribute to an efficient and harmonised facilitation and supervision of the implementation of the Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is considered a pre-requisite for a successful implementation of these strategies, which should have a positive impact on the economic development of the country and result in higher employment.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is undergoing a continuous reform process in order to achieve political and economic stabilisation, support economic growth and increase employment. In addition to this, European Union requirements have to be met and steps have to be taken in order to harmonise the local legislation with EU legislation. Having recognised the need for a systematic approach to social and economic development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Ministers (CoM) developed a Development Strategy (DS) of the country and a Social Inclusion Strategy (SIS) IN 2010 (it still has not been adopted by the Council of Ministers). The DS and SIS of Bosnia and Herzegovina are based on an assessment of national needs and trends and include obligations and standards to be met under the EU integration roadmap. Strategic documents define the priority of directions to be followed by governments at all levels during the application of the mentioned strategies (until 2013).
The Development Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina includes six strategic goals related to the socio-economic development of the country: (1) macroeconomic development, (2) competitiveness, (3) employment, (4) sustainable development, (5) EU integration, and (6) social inclusion. One of the key goals of DS is employment support, including also special measures for the employment of youth, women and long-term unemployed persons.
In 2010, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted DS and SIS and developed a relevant action plan. By doing so, it assumed the obligation to implement these strategies. In the complex administrative structure in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, every planned strategic step, from the development until the implementation of an action plan strategy, now has to be agreed upon among different government levels in order to ensure devotion and partnership. This specifically means that all ten cantons in the Federation have to develop their own action plans and monitoring and reporting systems in order to ensure and monitor the implementation of these plans. In compliance with the decision of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, cantonal governments must establish cantonal implementation units (IU) for monitoring and implementation of DS and SIS.
The Federal Development Programming Institute (FDPI), established by the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was entrusted with the role of the main coordinator of the implementation of DS and SIS in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As part of its duties, FDPI is in charge of the coordination and provision of support for the development of cantonal action plans and establishment of relevant monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is a Swiss international cooperation agency that is part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and it is, together with other Federal offices, responsible for the overall coordination of development activities, cooperation with Eastern Europe and humanitarian assistance. Switzerland, but also other European countries, see stabilisation of this region as a political goal needed for ensuring peace. Economic recovery is also an important goal, since it is a pre-requirement for social and political integration of the region through trade, and one day also the accession to the European Union.
SDC has contributed to the development of DS and SIS by supporting the Directorate for Economic Planning (DEP), the public institution in charge of developing the above-mentioned two strategic documents. The support that SDC provided to FDPI resulted in a successful planning of activities in the process of implementation of Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Project goals
The overall goal of the project is to contribute to an efficient and coordinated facilitation and supervision of the implementation of the Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is seen as a pre-requisite for a successful implementation of these strategies, which should have a positive impact on the economic development of the country and result in an increase in employment. It is expected that the implementation of strategies will ensure a better inclusion of the most vulnerable members of the society, especially the vulnerable groups (Roma, disabled persons, minorities, etc.).
The goal of the project is to build capacities of the Federal Development Programming Institute and relevant cantonal institutions in order to ensure an effective support of the implementation of the Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy at all cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Upon completion of the project, a strategic planning system will be established in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including also efficient and functional coordination and communication between FDPI and coordination units at cantonal levels.
The goal of the project will be achieved through the following activities:
- Establishment of a FDPI strategic planning team and ensuring the necessary trainings and seminars by international strategic planning experts,
- Establishment of implementation units in at least 5 cantons and organisation of training for the staff of these units,
- Participation and assistance for cantonal implementation units (IUs) in the development of cantonal action plans and supporting instruments and the processes of their adoption by cantonal governments,
- Training for the participating staff provided by FDPI with expert consultants and technical assistance of SDC,
- Establishment of supervision, assessment and reporting to be used at IUs.
During the initial project phase, the focus will be on the development of human potentials at FDPI for the purpose of preparing the institute for a successful transfer of knowledge to lower government levels. A series of trainings will prepare the FDPI team for the use and application of monitoring and reporting tools.
In the second project phase, the trained FDPI team will serve as the contact point/resource persons for all cantons in the process of development of cantonal action plans, development and implementation and evaluation of plans and reporting standards applied by FDPI. FDPI will provide support, training and counselling in relation to monitoring and reporting on the implementation of strategies in the country for all interested cantonal governments and implementation units.
Direct project beneficiaries are institutions in charge of providing support to the implementation of the Development Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, primarily FDPI and cantonal implementation units. Indirect beneficiaries are other institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina that are not directly included in the coordination and supervision of the process, but are important in the process of strategic planning and implementation of the Strategy. These can be universities, schools, public employment agencies, regional development agencies, associations of employers, research centres, etc. Final beneficiaries of the project are citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are in desperate need of better living conditions and employment opportunities.
The project will be implemented by the Federal Development Programming Institute of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will be responsible for the overall project coordination and monitoring, regular reporting, internal monitoring and coordination with key partners. For the purpose of project implementation, FDPI will set up a project team that will include a team leader, project coordinator, monitoring and evaluation expert, communications expert and two trainees. The project team will be responsible for the implementation of all planned project activities within the specified deadlines, in compliance with the defined goals.
The project of implementation of the Development Strategy and Social Inclusion Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina is implemented from October 2011 to September 2012.