The government of the United States of America has provided more than one million KM for ten civil society partner organizations that advocate for human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The government of the United States of America (USA) announced today that through the American Agency for International Development (USAID) it will support ten civil society organizations that advocate for the rights, empowerment and dignified life of underrepresented social groups with 1.3 million KM (about 714,000 USD). group in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The voices of many citizens – such as young people, women, Roma, people with disabilities, victims of human trafficking and members of the LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex) community in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still not heard enough. They are often excluded from everyday social, cultural, economic and political life.
The new financial support provided by USAID’s Human Rights Protection Support Program (USAID/INSPIRE) continues the continuous efforts of the United States Government in strengthening civil society organizations to advocate for human rights and government institutions with the aim of systematically improving the protection of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Herzegovina.
USAID/INSPIRE program
The allocated funds will support five organizations fighting human trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the next fourteen months: KALI SARA – Roma Information Center, Faros Association, SOS Kinderdorf International Organization, Center for Integrative Inclusion of Roma and Romani Women “Otaharin” and Women’s Association Romani woman “Bolja budućnost”, as well as five organizations that advocate improving the position of members of the LGBTQI+ community in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo Open Center, Realstage Association, Mensana Association, Association for psycho-social support and a better future “Progres” and Youth Cultural Center Abrašević.
“Supported organizations and their projects are another example of US Government assistance aimed at better protection of human rights for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially for some of the most vulnerable groups – victims and potential victims of human trafficking and members of the LGBTQI+ population. Including the funds just allocated, USAID/INSPIRE supported 32 civil society organizations fighting for human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina through technical assistance, organizational capacity building and grants in the total amount of 7.8 million KM (4.5 million USD). from 2020 when the program started. We continue to support the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in their efforts to protect human rights and promote tolerance and reconciliation. Human rights are and must remain a guiding star for all of us,” said Courtney Chubb, Director of the USAID Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The most important activities that have the greatest impact on preventing human trafficking are preventive. And, the most effective prevention implies direct work with the most vulnerable population, but also systemic solutions. As part of the Family Strengthening Program, we will continue to intensify direct work with families in social need and work on raising awareness of this problem in local communities in the area of Tuzana Canton, in Gračanica, Doboj-Istok, Lukavac and Srebrenik. We consider very important the activities of mobilizing key institutional actors at all levels, from local service providers to the House of Peoples and the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, with the aim of strengthening systemic support for groups exposed to risk. The support of the USAID/INSPIRE program enables us to continue working on this mission,” said Denis Šiljak, representative of SOS Kinderdorf International.
“We are extremely pleased that the Sarajevo War Theater SARTR is a project partner of the Realstage Association within the framework of USAID/INSPIRE. By recognizing the theater space as a driver of change in society and connecting artists with the entire community through workshops and the realization of three theater projects, we are encouraged to influence the media space and be initiators of the inclusion of marginalized groups, and offer our audience a new approach to theater performances through adaptations of world classics and the greatest writers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a public institution, but also a project partner, we are convinced that through our actions we can influence the process of strengthening public institutions and encouraging them in the choice of topics, promotion of works of art and raising awareness of LGBTQI+ topics, primarily through research-based learning, and then through creative process in the realization of theater projects”, are the words of Maja Salkić Burazerović, director of the Sarajevo War Theater SARTR.
In 2020, the US government launched the Human Rights Support Program (USAID/INSPIRE) as a response to the sociopolitical and economic challenges faced by marginalized groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main goals of the program are to empower citizens and government institutions, improve the human rights protection system and ensure better opportunities for marginalized groups throughout the country.
For more information about supported projects, as well as past achievements, visit the website usaidinspire.ba .
Source: klix.ba
