For the first time an LGBTI inclusive public policy on state level is adopted

Vijeće-ministara-BIH-620x330Anti-discrimination Action Plan adopted by BiH Council of Ministers

The BiH Council of Ministers, the state government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopted on April 26th 2016 its first Anti-Discrimination Action Plan and an Anti-Discrimination Report.

Even the Anti-discrimination law from 2009 does oblige the BiH Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees to produce annual reports; this Anti-discrimination report is the first of its kind. The Anti-Discrimination Report presents official data gathered from institutions. Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is being presented, focusing on data which is coming from the BiH Human Rights Ombudsman Institution, the BiH Constitutional Court and the Gender Centres of the two federal units – the Republika Srpska and the Federation BiH.

The Anti-discrimination Action Plan presents 32 measures to be taken by institutions. Its is important to point out that this action plan is the first public policy document in Bosnia and Herzegovina on state level which does include LGBTI related activities. 6 of 32 activities are related to LGBTI rights.

Those measures are:

  • to initiate changes of health protection laws in order to provide access to sex reassignment surgeries for transexual people,
  • to initiate changes of the Birth Register Books Law of the Brcko District,
  • to amend the BiH Gender Equality Law and BiH Anti-Discrimination Law in order to clearly include sexual orientation and gender identity,
  • to develop an multi-annual LGBTI Equality Action Plan,
  • to introduce trainings for judges, prosecutors, police officers and civil servants on discrimination of LGBTI people, and
  • to initiate changes of criminal laws in BiH in order to include hate crime regulation, covering sexual orientation and gender identity.

Activities will be implemented during 2016, with the involvement of ministries and institutions on state, entity and cantonal level.

Sarajevo Open Centre is very proud of the Anti-discrimination Action Plan. We will continue working with the Human Rights Department at the BiH Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, providing support for all six activities.

Both documents will be now presented to the BiH parliament.