CIAO DATE: 04/04

ECMI Civil Society Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ensuring Effective Implementation of Annex 8 through the Recommendations and Proposed Activities of Experts and Civil Society Representatives

Introduction

The ECMI project in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) began its project on the role of Annex 8 legislation and implementation in autumn 2001 to provide a forum for experts to discuss an issue that had been largely neglected since the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP, or the Dayton Peace Agreement) in 1995. Annex 8 of the GFAP established a Commission to Preserve National Monuments in the wake of the destruction that devastated the cultural heritage of BiH during the war from 1992-1995. Through conversations with experts in BiH and from throughout the region, ECMI recognized the potential that this Annex could have on peace-building and reconciliation in BiH. The timing of this effort was fortuitous, as the Office of the High Representative of BiH became increasingly involved in addressing the issue in the last months of 2001.

From December 2001 through July 2002, the ECMI Annex 8 project has consisted of three main elements. First, ECMI sponsored a series of three workshops on the topic, providing a forum for experts to come together to discuss the issue and to suggest recommendations for improvements in the implementation and monitoring of the Annex 8 legislation. Second, ECMI prepared background papers on the issue, bringing together information from a variety of sources to provide a solid, common basis of understanding of this complex topic. Third, ECMI has become an important point of contact for this issue, collecting information and networking individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and organizations.

At the first two workshops held in December 2001 (in Sarajevo) and April 2002 (in Banja Luka), the participants were given the space to express their general opinions, ideas, concerns, and suggestions. The June workshop (in Mostar) provided a forum for action, as the participants were encouraged to build on the ideas expressed in the first two sessions in order to develop concrete action plans and ideas for the future. This report provides a summary of the recommendations developed in the Mostar meeting. It also serves as the final report of this pilot project, though ECMI is confident that the project will continue based on the recommendations made in Mostar, and on the interest and support from the local BiH authorities, international organizations, and foundations.

It is important to emphasize that as this project progressed and evolved, it became clear that effective implementation of Annex 8 cannot rest on legal and procedural implementation alone. Instead, for sustainable and lasting implementation, a broader respect and understanding of the diverse cultural heritage of BiH, must be cultivated. Both children and adults in communities throughout the country must be encouraged to rediscover the region's cultural heritage, and NGOs, museums, art colonies and other institutions can play a role in this rediscovery process. Therefore, many of the recommendations presented by the group include broad educational and awareness efforts, to build a framework of tolerance and respect for diversity that can ultimately be the only guarantor of cultural preservation in BiH.

Full text (PDF format, 29 pages, 197KB)