Contribution to the Constitutional Reform (CR) in Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH)

The constitution of BiH is stipulated in Annex IV of the Dayton Agreement; it sets the terms of a complex institutional structure (1 State, 2 Entities, 10 Cantons), where real reforms remain slow and minimal, due to political deadlocks. The EU’s Venice Commission stated the clear need of a thorough CR in order to track BiH’s way towards Euro-Atlantic integration. There is broad accord among BiH’s main political actors that the constitution needs to be amended (including clearer terms for the participation of ethnic minorities into all political processes).

The project contributes to set the basis for elabo-rating and articulating a sound vision for BiH’s development, for building a democratic political culture (and system), as well as for promoting a participatory constitutional reform process.

• Leaders and members of LG Institutions (LGIs), in particular Mayors, municipal parliamentarians, members of standing committees;
• Members and staff of the two Entities’ AMCs, as important promoters of the CR between LGIs and higher governmental tiers;
• About 800 young politicians / 30-50 students of law and political sciences;
• Women and men in political positions (including in parties), in particular about 1’000 women in rural communities and towns (pro-active citizens);
• Selected parliamentarians at State level (political key stakeholders) who are particularly involved in the CR process.

1. Members of Local Governments (LGs) and of Associations of Municipalities and Cities (AMCs) are able to promote relevant changes in policies and the constitutional frame which enable self-governance and a citizens’ oriented work of LGs.
2. Representatives of the youth have improved their knowledge about democratic processes, values of bridging divisions across Entity lines, as well as on promoting social integration and human rights; their role as responsible citizens is strengthened.
3. Women and men in political positions are pro-ficient to play an active role in a gender oriented CR; in particular, women of rural areas become empowered and skilled to defend and apply their civil and political rights.
4. Selected parlamentarians who are involved in the CR have improved their knowledge in leading a constructive (needs oriented) and coherent, parti-cipatory CR process.

Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

SDC, in close cooperation with the Swiss Embassy to BiH, offered a unique platform for a conducive debate and exchange about the political future of the country and the respective (necessary) constitutional amendments between institutions and politicians at all tiers, as well as civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens, since 2005. The major achievement of this Swiss initiative is the established trust between all involved actors in a continuous dialogue, where key issues can be clearly addressed; the Swiss facilitators played (and still play) an important role as reliable and neutral brokers (mediators). Among the specific results it can be stated that:

• The capacities of CSOs to develop their advocacy role in reform debates notably improved; they are now recognized partners in the CR process;
• 30 constitutional amendments were drafted by CSOs and submitted to relevant commissions of the Parliament – 4 were presented and discussed;
• 141 educational workshops were implemented by 13 women’s organizations; the number of female candidates on party lists increased by 6% as com-pared to the previous elections;
• The learning with political officials on different models of CR resulted in a first CR Committee, approved by BiH’s Council of Ministers.

Fase 4 10.06.2012 - 31.03.2014   (Completed)