ReMI seeks to develop a culture of peace, dialogue, non-violence. The network hopes to aceive this by acting as a resource centre and enabling joint action between member oganisations, taking advantage of each others strengths and areas of specific focus.

Members of the network include:

• Ekološko društvo ‘Ekologika’, Derventa
• Humanitarna organizacija ‘Merhamet’, Doboj
• pax christi, Derventa
• Tolerancijom protiv različitosti ‘ToPeeR’, Doboj
• UGM ‘Šesto Čulo’, Doboj
• Udruženja građana za zdrav život i ekologiju svijesti, Šamac
• UG ‘Primanatura’, Doboj
• UG ‘Sunce’, Derventa
• Udruženje žena, Derventa

The network implement a variety of activites, such as organising public debates, exhibition of religious artifacts, and developing partnership between religious communities.

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Since 2007, Pax christi Aachen (Germany) with an office in Derventa, in cooperation with ForumZFD (civil peace service) and as part of its Western Balkans program, have implemented the ‘Development of structures for cooperation and dialogue’ project. The project aims to mitigate social and ethnic segregation in Derventa region, as well as to contribute to the creation of structures of civil society that serves the promotion of peace through cooperation, dialogue and reconciliation. The following areas are at the centre of their objectives:

1. Strengthening civil society through:
   1. Research resources and needs in order to activate the community
   2. Support for the upcoming initiatives and empowerment
   3. Networking
2. Dealing with the past through:
   1. Creating the conditions for open dialogue, exchange experiences, opinions, ideas
   2. Studying the past to create a better future
   3. Support the education and creation of self-help groups for war veterans
   4. Promotion of the concept KUVI (konstruktivna upotreba veteranska iskustva): Dialogues between youth and war veterans
   5. Collecting and publication of the brochure ‘Naša životna priča’ (My life story)
3. Education through:
   1. The development of own skills and improve knowledge on the subject
   2. Communications
   3. Conflict resolution
   4. Strengthening of personal identity
   5. Capacity building, teamwork and interculturality
   6. International youth-encounters
4. Interreligious dialogue through:
   1. Strengthening of peacekeeping resources contained in all religious beliefs
   2. Public roundtables with all religious representatives of Derventa and Doboj
   3. Visits of the Houses of God with young students of Derventa
   4. Publication and promotion of the brochure ‘Dani otvorenih vrata vjerskih zajednica u Derventi.’

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• Teaching children and adults peaceful conflict prevention and resolution techniques;
• Reducing the negative impact of mines, unexploded ordinances and small arms and light weapons;
• Developing and supporting co-existence initiatives throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina;
• Helping war traumatised children and their families;
• Educating children and adults about important social issues such as environmental protection, violence prevention and gender equality.

In the past, as now, Genesis Project has targeted mainly rural areas of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, trying to help people in numerous ways, from setting up libraries to enacting puppet show performances for the children. Recently, the majority of Genesis Project activities have been focused equally on the Republika Srpska and Federation Bosnia-Herzegovina territory. Genesis Project staff is comprised of local residents.

In 2011, Genesis Project has been funded by UNICEF Bosnia-Herzegovina, Office for the International Cooperation Monaco, World Vision International and Balkan Aid Relief Foundation.

In previous years funding has come from: UNICEF, European Commission Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNHCR, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), European Commission Brussels through the Dutch foundation ‘Mala Sirena’, USAID, ECHO, Open Society Fund-Soroš, International Rescue Committee (IRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), Balkan Aid Relief Foundation (BARF) and The Salvation Army.

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The mission of KULT is the development of an open society, starting from the local/municipal level, where all citizens would be equally involved in all decision-making processes pertaining to public life.

KULT has significant experience in developing and drafting legal regulations at various levels of government. KULT initiated the adoption of the ‘Law on Youth’ in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzagovina and Brčko District, after having created a draft Law on Youth with the assistance of other organisations and in cooperation with the Federal Commission for Youth in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly. The Law was ultimately adopted.

Association KULT is the founder of the Youth Educational Recreational Centre SPAJALICA, which is located in Ilidža, and the Youth Centre in Gradačac. Activities of these youth centres are closely related with the development of civil society in both entities of Bosnia-Herzegovina, through cooperation with authorities and other important stakeholders, including international organisations, relevant institutions and individuals.

What is particularly worth mentioning is KULT’s street campaign on the subject of partnership between the young people and municipal authorities in the form of ‘silent performance’, which was successfully organised on a number of occasions throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina. The performance has become a part of KULT’s regular programme, which is being upgraded and updated every year in line with current developments and circumstances.

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The Network has prepared a number of resources that provide information on differnt peace organisations in the region, including a ‘Peace Calendar,’ a Directory of donors and a monthly ‘Peace Newsletter’. Network has contributed to the European Social Watch, and currently coordinates activities of five networks in communication with state institutions and the international community.

Network for Building Peace is influencing and contributing to concrete actions related to the following areas of public policy, which are recognised as crucial for long-term peace building in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

• Education;
• Security;
• Regional development;
• Protection and promotion of human and minority rights;
• Dealing with the past and transitional justice;
• Gender equality;
• Culture of public dialogue and democracy;
• Strengthening civil society and building true peace;
• Building trust between Bosnia-Herzegovina peoples and nations;
• Constructive influence towards political structures in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and
• Improving coexistence in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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When hCa started mobilising young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and connecting them through networks, it was still impossible to travel freely throughout the country and to cross inter-entity lines. Phone lines were not fully operational as yet, and young people from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska did not have any opportunity to meet each other and socialise, which would invariably help them understand that they are actually not so different from each other.

In that period, hCa/YRC Tuzla mainly worked on programmes focused on young people, minorities, and regional cooperation. The main motivation for Miralem Tursinović who has been there from the beginning and is now Director of YRC – are ever-present despair, division and isolation in his country.

At present, one of YRC’s most signficant projects is ‘Youth Networks of Bosnia-Herzegovina’, which was initiated in 1997 in cooperation with hCa Banja Luka. The major idea behind this project is to connect youth initiatives (NGOs, informal groups and individuals) from across Bosnia-Herzegovina, provide support for their development and assist them with the implementation of jointly conceived projects and activities. Particular attention has been put on young people living in small communities and rural areas, in order to enable them to also be part of youth initiatives and exchange programmes.

Since the project’s inception, YRC organised a significant number of various activities, including: workshops, seminars and trainings as part of informal education, public debates, conferences, pre-election  campaigns for young people, actions of support to organisations and individuals from across the country,  inter-entity and regional exchanges, as well as regional and international meetings.

Since 1997 thousands of young people ‘passed’ through the Youth Network, many of whom now occupy important and responsible functions in public and political life. At the moment this Youth Network comprises around 120 members (youth organisations, informal youth groups, individuals).

Besides this project, YRC implemented a number of other youth programmes and initiatives, both in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in the region. YRC actively takes part in regional and international  initiatives and campaigns concerning minority rights and protection, gender equality, and demilitarisation.

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proMENTE work in training, evaluation and research, using participatory approaches. The aim of the association is to promote the positive development of the individual and society through the principles of psychology, sociology and educational science and to establish humanistic and democratic principles in society.

proMENTE have worked on projects such as inter-cultural education in Bosnia-Herzegovina, for example in their ‘Divided Education, Divided Citizens?‘ project.

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TransConflict Serbia currently focuses on four specific programme areas:

• Institution Building
• Economic Development
• Human Security
• Transformative Mediation.

Current TransConflict Projects

The Community for Mutual Trust

The Community for Mutual Trust (CfMT) is a project to recruit a network of civil society organisations to act as a focal point for both local community and security elements, in order to improve the level of communication and cooperation between actors. The aim is to improve community relations with the security infrastructure of the Ministries of Defence and Interior in southern Serbia.

Strengthening Inter-Municipal and Economic Co-operation in the Podrinje Region

This project, in conjunction with the Representational Office of Republika Srpska in Belgrade, is to promote and facilitate economic and inter-municipal co-operation between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. By strengthening the skills and knowledge of municipal officials and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) from 25 municipalities (13 in Serbia, 12 in Republika Srpska) throughout the Podrinje region, which is afflicted by high-levels of unemployment and poverty, TransConflict Serbia aims to stimulate regional co-operation, including economic trade and municipal ties. More info on this project>>>.

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The CNA strives to realise a society which sustains peace and cherishes the development of critical thought and a sense of responsibility for both society and community; encouraging a reassessment of one’s own values and an acceptance of  diversity. They engage in – and promote – different types of activism, but primarily utilise peace education, publishing and video productions in order to realise the aforementioned social values. The Centre wants to encourage and strengthen the promotion of peace as a basic social value, whilst rejecting war and violence as means to resolve conflicts.

Dealing with the past in the former Yugoslavia is the main focus of CNA’s work. The Centre views this as a multi-layered and complex process that also entails the deconstruction of ‘enemy images’; building trust between peoples in the former Yugoslavia; establishing a culture of remembrance; promoting and developing public policies aimed at dealing with the past; examining and deconstructing nationalism, militarism and patriarchy as ideological pillars of violence in every society.

Through peace education, documentary film production and publications, CNA strives to create new – and strengthen current – resources for peace work in the former Yugoslavia. CNA aims to create and support a value-based approach to peacebuilding, led by a commitment to human rights protection, freedom for all individuals and the values of dialogue, cooperation, social justice and solidarity amongst individuals and groups.

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Peace Camps

CIM runs an annual Peace Camp, a week-long retreat for individuals from different ethnic groups to discuss taboo topics relating to the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. At the same time, participants are trained in skills of non-violent conflict resolution. Because CIM believes that true progress requires sustained effort, they have developed a three-year training programme, whereby participants are encouraged to attend two Peace Camps. After this, CIM provides organisational support for participants as they implement training in non-violent communication and conflict resolution and facilitate dialogue for primary school children in their own communities. Participants for the two peace camps in the last two years were about 40 people including: Serbs, Croats, Jews and Bosniaks. Participants came from BiH, Switzerland, Germany, Palestine/Israel and the USA. CIM also arrange monthly lectures and international delegations who come to learn about the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and to foster international connections in order to build a mutually supportive network of peacebuilders operating across national boundaries.

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