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SARAJEVO, August 2 (FENA) - The BiH Council of Ministers adopted the LGBTI Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2021-2024 at its session last week, with the aim of promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons in the country. It is the first Action Plan of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it was developed with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
The plan includes three strategic goals - to ensure the existence of efficient protection mechanisms against discrimination and hate crimes for LGBTI persons, then to ensure equal rights for LGBTI persons in all areas of public and private life, and the fight against prejudices and stereotypes towards LGBTI persons.
Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo, Bojana Urumova, expressed her satisfaction that they contributed to the creation of the Action Plan.
“It is of vital importance to protect the human rights of all members of society, including LGBTI persons, to promote tolerance and fight against discrimination. We believe that the Action Plan will help in achieving this goal and that it will contribute to the implementation of the earlier recommendations of the bodies of the Council of Europe, and the execution of the judgments of the European Court for Human Rights,” Urumova added.
The latest report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for membership highlighted the need to ensure a consistent strategic framework on human rights that, among other things, includes the adoption of a strategic framework for the protection of LGBTI person, based on relevant European standards, especially those derived from Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Ekaterina Dorodnova, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated that respect for human rights, dignity, principles of non-discrimination and privacy are fundamental values of the EU.
“We believe that the adoption of the Action Plan marks a new phase in our joint efforts to promote equality and help the voices of LGBTI people in Bosnia and Herzegovina to be heard more,” she added.
The Action Plan will also contribute to the implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers REC(2010)5 of the Council of Europe on measures to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and the latest EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025.
The Action Plan was created by a working group of 25 representatives of the competent administrative bodies of the entity, Brčko District, BiH institutions and civil society, coordinated by the Agency for Gender Equality/Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its creation was supported through the project "Promotion of diversity and equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina", which is part of the joint program of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022" and by the Department for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of the Council of Europe .
(FENA) A. B.
