Bosnia and Herzegovina

Website of the SDC in Bosnia and Herzegovina: www.swiss-cooperation.admin.ch/bosniaandherzegovina/

During and after the war (1992 to 1995), Switzerland provided emergency aid and reconstruction assistance to the tune of 365 million CHF to Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 1999, the focus shifted to long-term support for market-economy and democratic reforms and to reconciliation among the ethnic groups. Participation in international efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina became a Swiss foreign policy priority owing, in no small measure, to the large number of Bosnian refugees in our country.

The SDC/SECO programme for 2009-2012 has three objectives, namely support for sustainable economic development, poverty reduction and support for the process of rapprochement with European institutions

The Swiss Government's bilateral commitment	2010 Mio. CHF	2011 Mio. CHF	2012* Mio. CHF

SDC
Cooperation with Eastern Europe and CIS	10.07	8.47	9.00
Humanitarian aid	0.01	0.09	0.13
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
Economic Cooperation and Development	2.69	8.31	2.37
Total SDC/SECO commitment	12.77	16.87	11.50

Other Federal Offices
FDFA Human Security Division and Directorate of International Law	2.06	1.67	0.42
Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS)	3.78	4.13	4.40
Federal Office for Migration (FOM)	0.55	1.08	..
State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER)	0.03	0.04	0.04
Total other Federal Offices	6.42	6.92	4.86

Total	19.19	23.79	16.36

* planned; total based on available data
Bilateral development cooperation excluding programme contributions to NGOs
.. = figures not available

Development Cooperation: Priorities

The programme focuses on three domains:

Social domain: support for improved access to social services and the fostering of respect for social rights. Specific activities are conducted in the areas of health-care reform, capacity building with respect to civil society, and providing return assistance to refugees and displaced persons.
Private sector development and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): fostering of sustainable economic development and job creation. Projects concern the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises, income promotion, investment promotion and micro-financing.
Good governance and public institutions: fostering of adequate public services together with the strengthening of civil society. Project activities concern the development of communities, support for independent media, rehabilitation of water the infrastructure, and contributions to the on-going discussions about the Constitution.

Switzerland also supports various multilateral actors such as the Office of the High Representative, the World Bank and the UNHCR. It also contributes to the harmonization of donor activities.

In addition, Bosnia and Herzegovina participates in Switzerland's regional programmes in the areas of research, culture and police reform, which enhance exchanges between Switzerland and the countries of Southeast Europe, as well between the countries themselves.

As from 2007, governance and gender equality will be introduced as cross-cutting themes, and the concerns of youth are a programme mainstream.

The SDC's main partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina are:

the authorities of the two entities, plus those of administrative districts and communities
central government Ministries
local, Swiss and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
private, local, Swiss, and international partners
international organizations

Background information Bosnia and Herzegovina

Facts and figures

	Surface area
	Population
	Annual population growth rate (since 1990)
	Life expectancy at birth women / men
	Adult illiteracy rate: women / men
	Gross Domestic Product GDP per capita
	Percentage of population with less than 2 USD per day

51'210

3.8

-0.2

77.9 / 72.7

3.6 / 0.6

4'524.6

km2

mill.

years

USD

Source: World Bank's World Development Indicators 2011

Background information provided by the BBC

Local SDC contact address:

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo)
Swiss Cooperation Office Bosnia and Herzegovina Pirusa 1 71000 Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina
Phone	+387 332 54030
Fax	+387 332 71500
Email	sarajevo@sdc.net
Website	www.swiss-cooperation.admin.ch/bosniaandherzegovina/

Additional Information and Documents

Here, you will find more publications, links, documents and articles about Swiss development cooperation and humanitarian aid in this country.