Reports on monitoring the work of 26 Assemblies and Governments at all levels in BiH for the first half 2015 presented by CCI. A much bigger engagement of the authorities is necessary to compensate for the inefficiency and delays by the end of the year. These activities are implemented as part of the project CSSP – Civil Society Sustainability Program, supported by USAID. More...

 At the end of July and during August 2015, semi-annual reports on monitoring the performance of 26 parliaments and governments at the state, entity and cantonal levels, for the period 01 January – 30 June 2015 were published. On that occasion the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina were informed about the work of their representatives since the beginning of 2015; the recommendations aimed at improving „two-way communication“between the authorities and non-governmental sector“were presented to the public. The main message to BH authorities underlined the need for a bigger engagement in the second half of 2015, in order to try to remedy the inefficiency and the delay in adopting the programs from the first half of the year. 

All CCI's press conferences drew a great deal of attention of both the public and the most renowned media houses – the latter passed on the key messages from the reports in their most watched informative programs, printed issues and on web portals. 

On the following links you can read summary of monitoring reports.

- BiH state level - Monitoring performance of the BiH Council of Ministers and the BiH Parliamentary Assembly 01.01 – 30.06.2015

- Federation of BiH - Monitoring performance of the FBiH Government and the FBiH Parliament 01.01 – 30.06.2015

- Republic of Srpska - Monitoring performance of the RS Government and RS National Assembly 01.01 – 30.06..2015

Network Brana (Dam), the initiative of 22 NGOs dedicated to radical transparency during spending of the funds allocated for the process of reconstruction after the floods, as well as the online platform www.brana.ba, supported by USAID, presented to the public. More… 

Network Brana (Dam) was presented for the first time in public on 15 July in Sarajevo, in BiH Parliament building. The speakers at this event, besides the representatives of Network Dam, included the director of USAID Mission in BiH, David Barth, and the head of cooperation at the European Union Delegation in BiH, Melvin Asin. The event was attended by 13 media representatives and 50 guests, among whom the representatives of the donor community, international organizations, government and civil society. 

After the kick-off, the first presentation of the network Brana to the public, as well as the related website, further promotion via social networks continued by distribution of the promotional material and organizing the first media van. The media van enabled a few selected journalists to see for themselves, on the ground, how the Network Brana operates, and verify how the flood renovation grants were spent in practice. Five editorial boards were present in the media van: RTV HIT Brčko, RTRS, BHT1, journal START and Dnevni Avaz. On this occasion the journalists visited Šamac, Domaljevac Šamac and Bijeljina where they talked both with the representatives of local authorities and the owners of flooded objects who received the renovation grants. 

The training “Designing and Maintenance of Database” was carried out in Doboj on 31 July 2015 for the members of Brana Network. The network members continued further collection and verification of the use of donations on the ground. So far, 1.017 donations have been entered in the database, for concrete projects.  Besides that, the data for 114 more donations of international donors were collected and systematized as well as for 143 donations of Government institutions. Local coordinators verified donated funds at 483 locations at which they were spent.  

BRANA Project has been implemented since April 2015 by CCI, with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID); it aims at contributing to the transparency of the process of renovation in the flood stricken areas, and hence to strengthening the overall transparency and responsibility in the work of public institutions in BiH and the private sector and donors. 

#jasammuzej# (I am the Museum), an advocacy and promotional campaign of sector network KULTURA 2020 for solving legal-financial status of the Land Museum. More...

This campaign is implemented as part of the Civil Society Sustainability Project (CSSP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina carried out by the Centres for Civic Initiatives (CCI) and the Center for Promotion of Civil Society (CPCD), supported by the United States Agency for International Development  (USAID).

The Campaign “I am the Museum”, aims at reminding both the BH and international public of the fact that the biggest and the most important museum institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been closed for almost three years now, and has a goal to influence the responsible persons that the problem be solved as soon as possible. 

More than 800 citizens from cultural, artistic, political, academic, educational, religious, sport and civil sector were ‘on watch’ on the premises of the Museum during August, showing their solidarity with the workers of this important BH institution. The campaign was significantly covered by the media sending a strong message to the public about the necessity of the soonest possible opening of the Land Museum in Sarajevo. Another message that was sent concerned a need to ensure public financing of this important institution according to the model of the surrounding countries. We believe that positive solutions in the institutions of culture would start a wave of positive changes both in the community and throughout the country. his campaign is implemented as part of the Civil Society Sustainability Program (CSSP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina carried out by the Centres for Civic Initiatives (CCI) and the Center for Promotion of Civil Society (CPCD), supported by the United States Agency for International Development  (USAID).

The Campaign “I am the Museum”, aims at reminding both the BH and international public of the fact that the biggest and the most important museum institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been closed for almost three years now, and has a goal to influence the responsible persons that the problem be solved as soon as possible. 

More than 800 citizens from cultural, artistic, political, academic, educational, religious, sport and civil sector were ‘on watch’ on the premises of the Museum during August, showing their solidarity with the workers of this important BH institution. The campaign was significantly covered by the media sending a strong message to the public about the necessity of the soonest possible opening of the Land Museum in Sarajevo. Another message that was sent concerned a need to ensure public financing of this important institution according to the model of the surrounding countries. We believe that positive solutions in the institutions of culture would start a wave of positive changes both in the community and throughout the country. 

Non-party monitoring of early elections in the Municipality of Fojnica was organized by the Coalition “Under a Magnifying Glass”.

In the second half of August all the preparatory activities for monitoring the early elections for the mayor of Fojnica Municipality, held on 06 September, were implemented by the Coalition. These activities implied animation of potential observers of the Election Day, adapting and printing the Manual for Observers, preparation and distribution of 6 different forms for reporting on the Election Day, preparation of the material and of visual signs for observers, accrediting the observers by CEC, designation of election posts for monitoring, and the training for Election Day observers. 

20 observers were deployed on the Election Day by the Coalition to report on the course of the election process at 18 regular polling stations and the work of one mobile team in Fojnica. 

These activities are implemented as part of the project “… Because we Care” and are supported by the Embassy of Norway in BiH and USAID.

Round Table "Public Foundations: an Opportunity for Development of Civil Society in BiH“ was held at the beginning of September in Sarajevo. More...

This event was an opportunity for the representatives of non-governmental organizations, independent experts and media representatives to discuss the necessity of initiating the reforms in the field of financing civil society organizations from the public budget, aimed at a more efficient use of the budget sources for the activity of non-governmental organizations in BiH.

"The Analysis of the Model of Investing Public Funds for the Support of Development of Civil Society through the Activity of Public and Private Foundations“ , designed in cooperation with the National Trust for Civil Society Development in Croatia, was presented to the public. This was an opportunity to once again underline the CCI's initiative for forming 3 public foundations in BiH to promote and transparently finance the work of non-governmental organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The event was attended by the representatives of non-governmental organizations from various parts of BiH, independent experts and media representatives. 

An initiative with the recommendations for improving the websites of local self-governances made by CCI. The initiative and the recommendations are part of the activities implemented within the project „Strengthening the Transparency of Local Authorities in BiH“, financially supported by SDC -Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Switzerland in BiH. More... 

A document on recommendations was finalized at the beginning of June and a final proposal of the web platform with minimum contents that every website of local self-governances should have was designed. At the press conference, held on 16 June in Sarajevo, an interactive web platform was presented to the public and the media, as well as the recommendations agreed upon by the Working Group. Both the platform and recommendations were posted on the profile : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009679984271 .

At the end of July the Initiative with the recommendations for improving the local self-governances' websites was sent to 140 addresses in BiH – to all local self-governances. Three presentations of the web platform were organized by CCI in July and August: in Zenica, Sarajevo and Bijeljina. The representatives of local self-governances of more than 40 municipalities/cities participated in presentations. A general assessment of all present representatives was that they all supported the recommendations from the Initiative and that this was the minimum contents that every website of a local self-governance should have, but that the leadership of all local self-governances as well as the Council/Assembly should decide about the adjusting and the reform of all existing websites.  

Flyers that contain the basic information about the campaign and the recommendations for improving the web contents of local self-governances in BiH were printed for the needs of presentations.  

The analyses “Election Law Protection” and “Election Deadlines” presented by the Coalition “Under a Magnifying Glass”. More… 

 This Coalition investigated and prepared a set of comparative analyses on the election process segments in OSCE member countries.  

Having formed a working group for designing comparative analyses on different segments of election process in 40 member countries of OSCE – the group was made of 7 investigators-associates – and  having promoted the first analysis at the end of May, the Coalition “Under a Magnifying Glass” promoted two new analyses on the subjects “Election Law Protection” and “Election Deadlines”.  The analyses were promoted at an expert round table which was held on 01 July on the premises of BH Parliamentary Assembly (BiH PA). After the presentation of key findings of the analyses, a half-hour discussion ensued. 35 participants attended the event, among whom the Parliament  members of both BH Parliamentary Assembly homes, members of the Central Election Committee, representatives of international and local organizations as well as the representatives of the media and the Coalition. 

The Coalition also prepared a new, fourth comparative analysis on the subject “Technical Aspects of the Election Day” as well as a consolidated overview of all 40 analyzed countries, which will be presented to the public at an expert round table in September and at the conference “ One Year After Elections” to be held in October. The conference proceedings of renowned authors in the field of election process are also in the process of preparation. 

These activities were implemented as part of the Project “… Because We Care!” supported by the Embassy of Norway in BiH and by USAID.