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Today, a meeting of the Mine Action Donor Committee was held in Sarajevo, where representatives of key donors once again expressed their commitment to the demining process in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), affirming their intention to continue providing ongoing support for mine action efforts.

Dubravka Bošnjak, the Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressed gratitude for the support and presence of the donors at the meeting, which took place after a year break.

She emphasized that even 28 years after the war, BiH unfortunately remains uncleared of mines, necessitating an acceleration of the process. Therefore, a priority lies in revising the Demining Strategy with realistic and achievable goals, as well as initiating the procedure for enacting a new Demining Law to enhance the organizational and managerial structure in this field. She highlighted that over the past 10 years, the average annual rate of demining plan realization has been only around 35%, which is insufficient for fulfilling previously undertaken obligations.

"Demining is a process that no country, including BiH, can conclude without the assistance of foreign donors and international institutions," Minister Bošnjak stated, expressing appreciation for the support of all donors and international institutions involved in this process.

Acknowledging the donors, she highlighted that Bosnia and Herzegovina met the deadline by 1 September 2023, for clearing the country of cluster munitions, a feat praised by all present members of the Donor Committee. She particularly emphasized the significance of the "Majevica 2022-2024" Project, valued at nearly 10 million euro, as an outstanding example of inter-entity and inter-municipal cooperation. The Minister underscored the need for greater allocation of funds by Bosnia and Herzegovina for mine action activities.

The Acting Resident Representative of UNDP in BiH, Sylvain Merlen, provided support to the demining process and activities carried out by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Demining Commission of BiH, and BHMAC. He expressed satisfaction with the Donor Committee meeting, welcoming the adoption of the revised demining strategy and highlighting the connection between development and demining, which UNDP supports.

Ognjen Zekić, Chairman of the Commission for Demining in BiH, and Enis Horozović, Director of BHMAC, briefed donor representatives on past results, plans, and projects, emphasizing the importance of establishing continuity in regular reporting to the Donor Committee on mine action activities in BiH.

In conclusion, Minister Bošnjak expressed confidence that the practice of holding meetings of the Donor Committee will continue in the future. The next Mine Action Donor Committee is planned to be held in 2024.

She emphasized that demining remains a priority for the Ministry of Civil Affairs and that the Ministry will remain dedicated to all future activities contributing to expediting the demining process.

Today's meeting was attended by all key donors in the field of demining, including representatives from the embassies of the United States, Germany, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, among others, as well as representatives from the EU Delegation, EUFOR, NATO, OSCE, and the Armed Forces of BiH.