In January this year, HRH Sarajevo has informed the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina about UPR mechanism and offered its cooperation for possible consultations and engagement in the creation of the National report. The Ministry for Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina has made in February, a broad list of issues regarding human rights in B&H which they intend to cover in their National report. The Ministry expressed its openness for suggestions regarding the list and stressed that the final edition of it will be done in consultations with non-governmental organizations in B&H.
The Human Rights House Sarajevo was asked by the Ministry to review the list and give its possible feedback regarding the priorities that should be noted in the National report. Apart from that, the Ministry asked for Human Rights House Sarajevo to also recommend certain NGOs that would be most helpful to the Ministry regarding the status of the concrete human rights issues in B&H.
In the beginning of March HRH Sarajevo sent an open call to NGOs sector to take active engagement in UPR process. Several NGOs have given their feedback (Transparency International B&H – TI B&H, Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in B&H, Women and Society Center, European Law Students’ Association – ELSA, Association Q, Center for Information and Legal help – CIPP, ICVA, Global Rights / Vasa prava, Office of the Regional Coordinator of Youth Groups of Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in B&H and Youth Group of Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Bona Fides, League for Private Property and Human Rights etc.).
All these NGOs established an informal coalition in behalf of the Human Rights House of Sarajevo on the meeting held in the beginning of April. The Coalition determined what human rights issues were to include in the stakeholder’s report, and also who or what NGOs concretely, will be responsible for submitting preparation reports regarding the defined issues.
Following was the first meeting of NGO sector with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina 
(B&H). The meeting was held in late April, the Ministry has presented the methodology which they plan to conduct regarding the UPR process in B&H and has listed a shorter list, which consists of over 20 human rights issues, as a proposal of human rights issues in B&H to focus on. The Ministry has asked all present NGOs to conduct their list of 10 human rights out of those 20, that they would like to see covered in the National report. This approach was the most adequate since the reports need to be short and concise.
The Vice Minister of Human Rights and Refugees in B&H, Saliha Djuderija commented on the UPR process: “This is not something that we see as our obligation, but more as a chance for our own development, a learning process we will and should go through together.”
Following that purpose, the informal coalition in behalf of HRH Sarajevo, has finalized already conducted list of human rights issues and has submitted it to the Ministry of Human Rights in B&H in mid-May.
In order to continue with promoting and strengthening the UPR process in B&H, Human Rights House Sarajevo offered its help to the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees in B&H regarding the continuation of animation of NGO sector in UPR process. So the Ministry have asked HRH Sarajevo, prior organizing its workshop on June 8th, to call the NGO sector in B&H for that purpose.
HRH Sarajevo made an open call for NGOs in B&H, to attend the workshop with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees. The workshop was attended by almost 50 representatives of governmental and non-governmental sector and media in B&H, it offered consultations with the government regarding the National report and opened the general discussion on UPR with the NGO sector.
The expert from Switzerland, Mirko Giullietti, who took active participation in conducting the National report of the state of Switzerland, presented the UPR experience of this country. Workshop participants thus, had a chance to raise questions on the UPR process and concrete UPR procedure, while HRH Sarajevo has informed the present representatives of NGOs about ways of engaging into the UPR process, apart from taking part in the creation of the National report.
Overall conclusion was to accept UPR as a chance to give a realistic image of the human rights situation in B&H in order to more effectively and adequatly influence the social and human rights policies.
“We tend to monitor, during these forthcoming four years, what B&H authorities are and will be doing in regards to implementation of the given and adopted UPR recommendations. We will also, maintain regular contacts with the media in B&H, in order to timely inform the public of B&H on the UPR process and its impact on the situation of human rights in B&H”, said Srdjan Dizdarevic, president of the Board of the HRH Sarajevo.
Next meeting of the informal NGO coalition for UPR is set for June 19th, and it will be held in the conference hall of Human Rights House of Sarajevo.
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