Institute Calls for Coordinated Care for Youth in Sarajevo Canton

On Friday, December 20, 2019, the Sarajevo Canton Assembly held a thematic session dedicated to discussing the position and needs of young people in the Sarajevo Canton. Members of the Assembly were presented with the results of the Survey on the needs and problems of youth in Sarajevo Canton, Youth Strategy of Sarajevo Canton, and Action Plan 2019-2021. The Assembly members were addressed by Mr. Jasmin Bešić, Executive Director of the Institute for Youth Development KULT, who emphasized the need for all competent ministries and institutions to provide coordinated care for youth when it comes to programs and areas that concern young people.

“Sarajevo Canton complies with many obligations stipulated in the Youth Law of FBiH; however, the implementation of the first Youth Strategy has to be well-coordinated and focused on results, and not the activities. It is also very important to monitor the effectiveness of the implemented measures, so that under-performing measures and activities can be adjusted to better meet the actual needs of young people in the field”, said Mr. Bešić.

The Assembly was shown how much the Sarajevo Canton Government allocated for this purpose in 2019, along with the plans and budget projections for 2020. Aside from the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, no other ministry has persons in charge exclusively for youth issues, which led to a unanimous conclusion that the Government of Sarajevo Canton does not have adequate capacities for a better implementation of youth policies. On the other hand, Sarajevo Canton is the third canton in FBiH with an adopted Youth Strategy and one of the leading cantons when it comes to implementing the Youth Law of FBiH. 

According to the 2013 census, there are 83,805 young people in the Sarajevo Canton, comprising a little over 20% of the total population in this Canton. However, less than 1.5% of budget funds was allocated for programs targeting young people.