Democracy & Human Rights
in Bosnia-Herzegovina
During Covid-19

Project on Peacebuilding 2021 is a programme that off­ers a unique perspective on Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), its politics, culture and young people. It will take place in a beautiful part of northwestern Bosnia that had witnessed some of the worst atrocities in the early 1990s, ultimately leading to the creation of the first international war crimes tribunal since The Nuremberg trials. Yet, in spite of its recent history – like that of the Prijedor municipality having one of the highest numbers of convicted war criminals in the world – this particular region in Bosnia has sparked some promising initiatives which have reverberated internationally.

2021 is likely to be remembered just as 2020 was – for the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has a­ffected the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. This program will explore the human rights issues that have dominated the Bosnian political and cultural landscape for the last 25 years and which have been exacerbated during the pandemic. The program will delve into the legacy of the Dayton Accords that have only served to entrench pre-existing ethno-national-religious divides in Bosnian politics and society that are systematically exploited chiefly by politicians but also by other actors (e.g. media, some religious figures). This threatens to destabilize the peace and security of this region and of BiH as well. This programme recognizes the potential that young people have in this historic and urgent moment to advance the vital cause of peace building and reconciliation grounded in respect for everyone’s human rights and heritage.

Because these topics are closely related to the issue of memorialization in the Prijedor region, some of the lectures and workshops included in the programme will cover the subject of memorial architecture, and conceptualization of memorials, thus we invite all students, young architects, designers and artists from ages 16-30 to apply for this free week-long field experience facilitated by Most Mira and forumZFD.

The programme will take place in the Prijedor region from August 09 – 16 2021, and the application deadline is June 30th 2021.

The full description of the programme can be found at the following link. To apply for the programme click on the following link.