The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is taking another step toward offering a better life for young people. At the second thematic session of the Commission for Youth Issues of the FBiH Parliament’s House of Representatives, 41 conclusions were adopted and will now move through the parliamentary procedure for final approval.
Representatives of the government, cantons, and youth discussed key challenges and opportunities, aiming to ensure a coordinated institutional approach to improving all areas of youth life through the Youth Strategy 2025–2034.
The session brought together key stakeholders from multiple sectors for a dynamic and constructive discussion on education, employment, housing policy, youth participation in decision-making, investing in youth, and the health and safety of young people.
One conclusion tasks the Federation of BiH Government with submitting the Youth Strategy 2025–2034 to the Parliament, where it will undergo formal legislative procedure, including consideration by the House of Representatives.
The FBiH Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for disseminating information about scholarships and drafting the law on students’ standard. Recommendations also include developing service-learning programs in schools. Cantons are instructed to ensure equal access to education for all, including children and youth with disabilities, and to improve traffic safety and accessibility of public institutions.
Youth face challenges entering the labor market. The Federation of BiH Government and the FBiH Employment Bureau are tasked with developing a digital platform for all support programs, while student work will be regulated through new bylaws. One of the conclusions from the sessions was that “Student work must become an integral tool for workforce development.”
The conclusions include the intention to provide young people moving out for the first time with rent subsidies, housing support, and first-home buyer programs. The FBiH Government is tasked with increasing the housing support budget by at least 10% and developing sustainable public-private partnership models.
“70% of young people in the Federation of BiH still live with their parents. This shows the urgent need for housing support and programs aimed at helping youth live independently,” said Aziz Đipa, Head of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Department at the Institute for Youth Development KULT.
Social protection efforts focus on youth aged 15–30, including better support for foster families and stronger oversight in social welfare institutions.
Key goals include addiction prevention, mental health support, and access to health services. The FBiH Ministry of Health should accredit addiction prevention programs, prepare a report on the risks of energy drinks, and improve access to orthopedic aids, while cantons should provide psychological counseling in schools and universities.
Digital safety of young people is another priority. “The internet has to be regulated as the public space that it is, so we can protect data, prevent violence and hate speech, and set a minimum age for social media accounts,” said one session participant.
Investing in youth organizations and projects should become standard practice. The government is tasked with introducing a functional budget line for youth, digitizing applications, and ensuring transparency in fund allocation. Young people should be included in designing and evaluating policies and programs.
“On average, 71% of young people are unaware of public calls, and over 90% feel completely excluded from decision-making. We must change this,” the participants agreed.
The second thematic session showed that youth want to be included, informed, and active. The Youth Strategy 2025–2034 defines concrete steps across education, health, employment, social protection, activism, and safety. All levels of government must implement these measures together to create a system that puts young people at the center of the FBiH’s development.
