News

 

A group of ten government officials and nongovernment employees from across the Ukraine visited Sarajevo from October 15-22, 2017, in the context of a study trip on the topic of the “Role of government, civil society, and private sector in helping internally displaced persons (IDPs) to gain employment”. The goal of the visit was to share Bosnia and Herzegovina’s experience in providing assistance and protecting rights of IDPs after the Dayton Peace Agreement from the viewpoint of BiH’s institutions, nongovernment and international organizations, and private companies. The training and study trip was organized by the Peace Academy Foundation based in Sarajevo with the support of USAID and World Learning.

 

Ukraine’s institutions and society are facing ongoing violence in the eastern parts of its territory, causing 1.5 million officially-registered persons to leave their homes. As a result, Ukrainians aim to find the best ways to accommodate displaced citizens, provide them social protection and means of social integration, with a focus on employment. To discuss these issues and learn about BiH’s approach in facing similar problems in its recent history, study trip participants were introduced to the social and political context from the beginning of the ’90s onwards. Participants had also a chance to acquire a brief glimpse at the distant history of BiH through a guided tour of Sarajevo.

Selma Porobić, assistant professor of international humanitarian and social work at the Palacky University in Czechia, provided contextualization of the topic and a background for understanding the specifics of Bosnia’s context. During the following days, participants met government officials on the cantonal, entity and state levels of BiH who deal with IDPs and their employment, including the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, Ministries of Refugees and Displaced Persons of Republika Srpska and FBiH, Ministry of Labor, Social Policies and Displaced Persons of Canton Sarajevo, and the Employment Center of Canton Sarajevo. In addition, they examined related issues and possibilities and means to deal with displacement through meetings and discussions with nongovernment organizations, working on the protection of rights and integration of IDPs and other social issues, such as UNHCR, the Union for Sustainable Return and Integrations in BiH, Economic Institute, Mediacenter, Your Rights Legal Aid Network, and the Youth Employment Project.

The newly-acquired theoretical knowledge was broadened during a field trip to Modriča in the north-east of BiH, where the ten Ukrainians had the opportunity to meet employed and self-employed IDPs and returnees. Many of these IDPs and returnees are organized in cooperatives such as OPZ Tarevci or PPC Jabučik which provide mutual support during production and helping each other in placing fruit and vegetable products primarily on foreign markets. Our hosts from Modriča openly shared their stories of a more than 20-year-long struggle in a process that has not yet ended in many parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

What seemed evident to our Ukrainian guests very quickly is that much was done in BiH in terms of housing and house reconstruction of IDPs and returnees, but what remains lacking are more proactive and coordinated efforts and programs to support the complete social integration of this population either in their pre-conflict or post-conflict places of settlement. Questions such as providing psycho-social support to IDPs, setting legislative normative promptly, the need for efficient coordination of government and nongovernment humanitarian aid and support, as well as programs for supporting family-sized businesses are now, at the end of the study trip, of high priority for our Ukrainian colleagues. Differences regard the socio-political contexts are evident, but there are many similarities when comparing IDP struggles in Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina, study trip participants said. They will take lessons learned back home, trying to implement successful practices mapped from the experience of BiH and will be working hard to avoid related mistakes.

The Peace Academy team thanks all who supported this program and made it possible to share our experiences with others.

Essays

Videos

Ubleha for idiots

  • ACRONYMS (in general)

    One of the important criteria based on which the level of ublehahood is instantly determined. According to this criterion, there are the following levels: The first (highest) level: a person in his/her written communication does not write sentences containing more than 7 words,  where at least 3 words are acronyms. For example: "See. Att. FYI. TBC. Send me your CV ASAP to prepare TOR." In normal language, these two sentences would go something like this: "Attached please find some fudge that is of no benefit to anybody but do keep it so you may show it in case we are  happen to be asked if we considered it.   You may doodle  on it a little and write some comment if you can grab some time.  Most likely, some jerks pulled it out of their asses as it has nothing to do with anything. By no means, if you do happen to read it, take it at face value.  You are still on probation here although half a year has already passed . Write some good CV of yours and backdate it half a year ago and do try to make it compatible to what you have allegedly been doing for us over the past six months. As soon as I get it and find some time, I will rewrite it a bit and name it your job description –just to have it on hand, in case those spooks from above come by. Poselami amidžu (See) and tell him that “ that thing” is OK. " Obviously, the advantages of acronyms are unmistakeable. Time saving, confidentiality of data and transparent professionalism and perfection in technical language usage. Every layman simply has to be fascinated and has to give his/her moral approval for the high salary for the speakers in question.

from Ubleha for Idiots – An Absolutely non useful Guide for Civil Society Building and Project management for Locals and Internationals in BiH and Beyond by Nebojša Šavija-Valha and Ranko Milanovic-Blank, ALBUM No. 20, 2004, Sarajevo, translated by Marina Vasilj.