On May 19, 2021, the Youth Council of the Republika Srpska, the Youth Council of the Federation of BiH and the Youth Council of the Brčko District of BiH signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Doboj with the Institute for Youth Development KULT.
By signing this document, the umbrella bodies of youth in BiH and the Institute for Youth Development KULT have the intention to lead continuous cooperation through joint action to improve youth policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and strengthen the role of youth in BiH society.
We see networking of youth organizations and umbrella organizations for youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an opportunity to strengthen the youth sector, joint activities, clear articulation of youth needs and exchange of experiences. Today’s event is the crown of previously established cooperation and the foundation of new programs and activities, said Asja Dizdarević, President of the Youth Council of the Federation of BiH.
Common interests such as strong and full implementation of the law on youth, improvement of existing mechanisms, strengthening the voice of young people in decision-making processes, youth participation in social action, and mutual support in creating measures and activities for better position of youth in BiH and development and support of umbrella youth organizations are only part of what the umbrella bodies of youth will carry out together with the Institute.
In the previous period, the Youth Council of the Republika Srpska closely cooperated with the Youth Council of the Federation of BiH and the Youth Council of the Brčko District of BiH, and that cooperation was crowned by signing a Memorandum of Cooperation in August 2020. On this path of joint initiatives, the Institute for Youth Development KULT proved to be a great and important partner. Signing of this Memorandum of Cooperation means another new opportunity to strengthen our structures through joint work, to learn from the best, and we are sure that KULT will be a real mentor to our organizations on that path of empowerment – said acting Secretary General of the Youth Council of the Republika Srpska Živko Ćetojević.
The memorandum is also important for the Youth Council of the Federation of BiH in order to work on joint action for a better position of young people, implementation of existing youth mechanisms, but also development of the organization. Namely, the FBiH Youth Council believes that the signing of this memorandum is a logical consequence of long-term cooperation with the Institute, but also an opportunity for new joint advocacy activities for youth issues. We also draw inspiration from the experience of the Institute for further growth and development of the capacity of the FBiH Youth Council itself, said Secretary General Nedim Alibegović.
The professional commitment of the Institute to young people is an indicator that with this memorandum we have obtained an excellent partner for young people in the Brčko District of BiH. It is very important for us as an organization to know that we have the support of the Institute’s team in order to create better opportunities for young people in our country from the implementation of the memorandum, said Vladimir Kanostrevac, – President of the Youth Council of Brčko District of BiH.
Signing of the memorandum was preceded by a working meeting, where previously mentioned youth councils and the Institute discussed the current situation in the youth sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, previous joint initiatives, and proposed new ones. During the meeting, the importance of youth participation in decision-making processes, strengthening the capacity of youth umbrella bodies, improving opportunities for young people and joint cooperation with institutions in BiH was repeatedly emphasized.
