Regional dialogues about employment of youth and entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina (21 December, 2005 – 28 February, 2006)

At the end of the year 2005 OIA started with the realization of a regional dialogue concerning one of the most important issues of today for the young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for the development of the whole country – the need and the possibilities of employment of youth.

The first Regional dialogue was held in Zenica on 21 December, the second in East Sarajevo on 23 December, and after that the dialogues were continued in the year 2006: the third in Travnik (18 January), the fourth in Livno (19 January), the fifth in Trebinje (24 January), the sixth in Široki Brijeg (25 January), and the seventh in Mostar (26 January).

In February the following regional dialogues were planned: the eighth in Goražde (8 February), the ninth in Brčko (15 February), the tenth in Tuzla (16 February), the eleventh in Zvornik (17 February), the twelfth in Bihać, the thirteenth in Mrkonjić Grad, the fourteenth in Banja Luka and the fifteenth in Sarajevo.

At the regional dialogues it was planned to gather approximately 500 key actors from some seventy municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to discuss these issues, and these were the representatives of local authorities, entrepreneurs, regional development agencies, authorized agencies and employment offices, trade unions, micro credit organizations, non governmental organizations, young people etc.

The goal of these meetings that are being organized by OIA BiH with support of USAID is the initiation of a dialogue about possibilities, measures and policies when it comes to employing young people, with emphasis on youth entrepreneurship as well as active involvement of all actors who could help solving the problem of youth unemployment. We want to hear about good practice, establish priorities, and form a special ‘Reference book of the possibilities of employment of youth’, which will be presented at the meetings as working material. A part of propositions and conclusions of these meetings will be forwarded to the Unit for Economic Policy Planning, Youth Coordination Commission which is a part of Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, State Parliament’s Youth Subcommittee, as well as to all the actors on the lower government positions, private sector and non-governmental organizations, which should help creation of the plan of action of employment of the youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This project reclines on recently held conference ‘BiH Youth, Let’s Make Our Future!’, which was organized to mark the 10th anniversary of Dayton Peace Agreement, in Sarajevo, on 11 November, 2005 with the support of USAID.

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