Full Coverage: Bosnia

31.10.2005 Sarajevo joined Turin, Jerusalem and Rome and signed the Olympic Armistice Appeal. The official signing ceremony was held last Wednesday, October 26, at the Olympic Museum at “Zetra” sports Centre in Sarajevo.

28.10.2005 The First Employment Fair of the Canton of Sarajevo was held yesterday at the “Skenderija” congress and sports centre. The Fair was organized by the B&H Labour and Employment Agency, the Government of Canton Sarajevo and the Employment Bureau of the Canton.

25.10.2005 More that a year passed since the term in office of Dragoljub Mirjanic expired, and Banja Luka University still hasnÂ’t elected a new Chancellor. The optimistic expectations shared by the Chairman of the University Council, Jovo Stojcic, and the representatives of the Students Organization that a new Chancellor would be elected by the start of October and the new academic year, did not materialize.

24.10.2005 The European Commission recommended the European Council to start the negotiations on the signing of Stabilization and Association Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina (SAA), and presented the draft-Negotiation Directive that needs to be passed by the European Council.

21.10.2005 The World Harmony Run relay, that started in April this year, arrives to Zenica today. The WHR is manifestation of peace, tolerance and understanding, and includes ultra-marathon runners from all parts of the world running a 24,000 kilometre race that goes through 70 countries on six continents.

20.10.2005 The “Ten Years of Dayton and Beyond” International Conference for Bosnia and Herzegovina started today at the International Conference Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference will end tomorrow, October 21.

19.10.2005 Bosfam has helped provide psychological support for displaced women in Bosnia for over 10 years, and now the members of its weaving co-operative have scored a major coup, securing a contract with Worldstock.com to sell their hand-made carpets online this holiday season.

19.10.2005 The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Council of Europe, in partnership with the Association of Cities and Municipalities of the FBiH and the Association of Towns and Municipalities of the RS, launched the Beacon Scheme today in Sarajevo, on 28 September 2005.

18.10.2005 Asocijacija za podršku oboljelim od HIV/AIDS-a APOHA, uz finansijsku podršku Svjetske banke, u julu mjesecu uspostavila je telefonsku liniju za pružanje anonimne psihosocijalne pomoći osobama koje su inficirane HIV-om ili oboljele od AIDS-a, kao i njihovim bližnjim.

18.10.2005 The 45th International Theatre Festival MESS was officially opened last Friday, October 14, in Sarajevo. The Festival was opened with the performance of William ShakespeareÂ’s Hamlet, co-produced by the BelgradeÂ’s JDP (Yugoslav National Theatre) and Budva Theatre City from Serbia and Montenegro. The festival will officially end on October 28 in Sarajevo.

17.10.2005 Jan Zlatan Kulenovic, the Executive Director of the Youth Information Agency of B&H (OIA) talks to OneWorld SEE about youth policy in B&H, the positions of the state towards the youth and the development of civil society.

17.10.2005 The Royal Netherlands Embassy provided 594,920 USD to UNDP for conducting the Return and Development Research in BiH. The research should start in January 2006, while its results are planned to be announced by July 2006.

16.10.2005 The Bosnian women's organization Bosfam, a partner of the Advocacy Project (AP), has secured an order for 100 traditional Bosnian carpets (kilims) from the online company Worldstock, to be completed in time for the Christmas season.

14.10.2005 Martin Ney, Senior Deputy to the High Representative, said after the meeting he held with the representatives of local NGOs from Mostar and the Mayor of Mostar Ljubo Beslic that an agreement was reached to establishe the Mostar Platform.

12.10.2005 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in BiH today officially started the activities of destruction of additional 26.960 pieces of small arms by the end of 2005. This represents the first contingent of an estimated 190.000 small arms that will, as of January 1, 2006 require disposal as a result of the landmark defense reforms this country has undertaken over the past period. With these achievements BiH is making important steps towards successful implementation of the defense reform and Euro-Atlantic integrations.

06.10.2005 Milovan Pecelj, Minister of Education and Culture in the Government of the Republic of Srpska, announced that, over the next couple of days, the Speaker of the Narodna Skupstina (the Parliament), Dusan Stojicic is expected to sign the Law on Changes and Amendments to the Law on University, which will provide for full implementation of the Bologna Convention.

05.10.2005 Raising public awareness is the biggest challenge concerning the full implementation of the Freedom of Access to Information Act (FOIA) in Zenica, a mid-sized city north of Sarajevo. The conclusion was drawn from a survey designed by OSCE Mission to BiH Democratization department, conducted in July, 2005 by NGO Nasa Djeca (“Our Children”) with the support of the local municipality.

03.10.2005 The City Council of Sarajevo decided, on its session of September 29, to make Natasa Kandic, the Executive Director of the Humanitarian Law Centre from Belgrade, an Honorary Citizen of Sarajevo.

03.10.2005 In the course of a day-long visit to Sarajevo, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, noted Bosnia and HerzegovinaÂ’s progress in many areas, particularly defence reform, while pointing out, however the need to tackle remaining obstacles for future progress and integration into European and trans-Atlantic institutions.