On November 30, 2023, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted a conference titled "Participation of citizens in decision-making at the local level in BiH: Towards a meaningful partnership".
The conference's goal was to provide a forum for representatives from municipal and cantonal authorities, NGOs, the media, and international organizations in BiH to discuss the practice of citizen participation in decision-making at the local level, identify facilitating and inhibiting factors, and suggest next steps.
Mathieu Lemoine, Chief of Policy and Planning Unit of the OSCE Mission to BiH, emphasized: "The importance of citizens' participation in decision-making cannot be overstated. It is a crucial feature of democracy and good governance. Unfortunately, democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been suffering from a participation deficit for decades. This is especially true when it comes to democracy on the local level, as we find that the existing mechanisms for citizen participation have been both underused and ineffective."
The participants had the chance to analyse existing mechanisms, including their strengths and weaknesses, as well as to outline lessons learned and best practices in the country and the region.
Bryony Rudkin, Chair of the Current Affairs Committee, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities said: "Our shared vision for inclusive, human-rights based local democracy requires ongoing efforts to amplify everyone's voices, particularly of those unheard, continuous engagement with citizens in all stages of policymaking, and embracing innovative approaches in doing so."
The President of the Centre for Environment Tihomir Dakić stressed: "When one exhausts all the options for public participation, starting from obtaining information, through the provision of proposals and suggestions, it then becomes necessary to raise awareness and inform the public about the need to also exercise the right to access to justice, in case of a violation of the right to public participation. Exactly as it was envisaged in the Aarhus Convention. We make choices every day, and not every four years."
This conference was a part of the OSCE Mission to BiH's larger efforts to support endeavors and initiatives that aim to strengthen and facilitate citizen participation in decision-making processes across all levels of governance, ultimately reinforcing and promoting this fundamental democratic principle.
