Thirty-one civil servants from institutions across Bosnia and Herzegovina completed specialised training on combating racism and racial discrimination, strengthening capacities to promote equality and build more inclusive public institutions.

The closing gathering, held on 13 May in Tarčin, marked the completion of the first cycle of the online course “Combating Racism and racial Discrimination”, launched in Bosnia and Herzegovina in March 2026. The course is based on the ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 7 and the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan and translated to local languages. Participants who successfully completed the course received certificates during the event.

Civil servants were coming from various professional backgrounds: Institution of Ombudsperson, Regulatory Agency for Communications, Ministries of Interiors, academy and school for the education of the law enforcement, Press Council, Agencies for Civil Servants, etc.

In addition to reflecting to the course, participants exchanged views on ways to strengthen responses to racism and contribute to more inclusive and resilient society in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On final notes, participant Olja Papaz from the Agency for Civil Servants from Bosnia and Herzegovina stated: “This course was developed brilliantly in a professional and technical sense. It provided me with a lot of information and opportunities to gain knowledge, as well as to raise awareness of phenomena in everyday life, in my environment. I hope that this initiative will be continued, in order to create a better society.”

This activity was organised within the action “Towards an equal, inclusive and tolerant Bosnia and Herzegovina” as part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, as well as within the project “Combating Discrimination, Hatred and Fostering Inclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Phase II”, financed through a voluntary contribution under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2026–2029.