Publications

Since 2004, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) has conducted comprehensive trial monitoring of war crimes cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Complementing this trial monitoring, in 2014, the Mission’s War Crimes Monitoring Project (WCMP), funded by the European Union (EU), began collecting and analyzing data regarding the pre-indictment backlog of all reported potential war crimes.

This document was developed with the aim of providing guidance on the use and care of police dogs/dogs used within law enforcement agencies. The purpose of this document is to provide all dog handlers/instructors/supervisors and other stakeholders with documented and structured guidelines on the use and maintenance of dogs, for law enforcement officials, as well as a description of their responsibilities.

In 2024 the OSCE Mission in BiH supported four committees of both houses of the Parliament of Federation of BiH4 in holding three thematic sessions on domestic violence. This collaboration was the result of a need for an increased and strategic approach towards the gender-based violence issue that needed an urgent respond and long-standing co-operation between the Mission and the key stakeholders and decision-makers.

Research results: The presence of principles and policies of gender equality in political life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from support for female candidates, through appointments to the representation of women in legislative governmental bodies after the 2022 General Election and to visible and invisible obstacles during their term of office.

In line with its mandate and relevant OSCE commitments, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) supports Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in improving governance of its defense and security sectors by strengthening democratic control and parliamentary oversight of the BiH Armed Forces (AF BiH) as well as of the security and intelligence agencies in BiH. To this end, the Mission assists the authorities, civil society and other stakeholders in sustainably increasing their capacities for overseeing the overall performance of the sectors’ actors, advance accountability, and promote transparency. This particularly includes support to State-level parliamentary oversight bodies in their work on setting the legal parameters, adopting the budget, overseeing security activities, and protecting human rights of the AF BiH service members.

The Mission supports Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in ensuring open and secure borders. This includes attaining an integrated border security and management system that effectively prevents all forms of cross-border crime and threats while still enabling the unhindered movement of persons, goods, services and commerce. Such assistance is framed by the OSCE Border Security and Management Concept which entails a whole-of-government approach and promotes co-operation among all relevant agencies as well as international co-operation.

Security Sector and Governance Reform (SSG/R) is a nationally led process of improving the provision, governance and oversight of security and justice, principally in terms of ensuring democratic control, accountability, rule of law, and respect for human rights and gender equality. It complements parallel political, economic, and social developments within the broader context of stabilization and democratization. By increasing the capacity of a society to deal with complex threats to national and human security, and by garnering public trust and confidence in the legitimacy and ability of institutions and decision makers, such good governance engenders peace and stability

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) facilitates a comprehensive and co-operative approach to counterterrorism (CT) as well as to prevention and countering of violent extremism and radicalisation that lead to terrorism (P/C VERLT). The Mission provides policy guidance and expertise, conducts tailored capacity building, and facilitates the exchange of best practices. It also promotes and applies human rights-based and whole-of-society approaches to strengthen co-operation, non criminal interventions, and rehabilitation and re-integration programmes.

n line with its mandate, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) supports Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in developing a reliable disaster preparedness and management system in accord with its OSCE commitments and the Framework Law on Protection and Rescue of People and Property from Natural and Other Disasters. The Mission assists authorities, civil society and other stakeholders to increase resilience to natural and other hazards and to reduce the susceptibility of people and property to disaster risk. With its comprehensive approach to security, the Mission is in a unique position to advance co-operation and co-ordination among all relevant ministries and agencies on emergency/crisis management and recovery. These efforts complement implementation of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2015-2030 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) works to enhance the ability of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to prevent and respond effectively to security threats emanating from cyberspace in accordance with its commitments as an OSCE participating State. The Mission’s comprehensive approach entails a spectrum of support, ranging from strategic to operational. These efforts involve support to development of a harmonized strategic cybersecurity framework, establishment of Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), and cybersecurity co-operation.