Outcome BIH_D_1.1

By 2025, people contribute to, and benefit from more accountable and transparent governance systems that deliver quality public services, and ensure rule of law

Progress towards more accountable and transparent governance systems was advanced through strengthened institutional capacity for gender-responsive planning, budgeting, and policymaking across state, entity, cantonal, and local levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These efforts supported the integration of EU commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment into governance processes. As a result, gender considerations were institutionalized in 15 strategic planning and budget documents adopted across all levels of governance . These documents encompassed budget circulars, annual budgets, medium-term budget frameworks, and instructions guiding institutions that receive budget funds . They were adopted at the state level (Bosnia and Herzegovina) , the entity level (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) , the cantonal level (Sarajevo Canton) , and the local level , including the municipalities of Centar Sarajevo, Lukavac, Srbac, Tešanj, and Trebinje . In parallel, 14 line ministries and agencies applied gender-responsive budgeting across 27 budget programmes . This contributed to more transparent and accountable allocation of public resources. Across all levels of governance, more than 70 officials and councillors strengthened their knowledge and skills. This enhanced their ability to apply gender-responsive approaches in planning, budgeting, and decision-making processes. These results reflect combined investments in capacity-building, mentoring, technical assistance, and advocacy . They demonstrate how strengthened institutions and multi-level engagement contribute to more accountable, transparent, and gender-responsive governance systems . The achievements of 2025 build on earlier interventions. They confirm the relevance of the office’s theory of change , which links institutional capacity for gender-responsive planning, budgeting, and policymaking to governance that delivers quality public services and upholds the rule of law .

By 2025, people contribute to, and benefit from more accountable and transparent governance systems that deliver quality public services, and ensure rule of law

Throughout the year, important progress was made towards achieving this outcome. Government institutions made progress in implementing gender-responsive policy making, budgeting and integration of EU gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments. Women politicians have made progress in being more empowered and participating fully in the country’s political life. This is evidenced by the results of the 2024 local elections, which show that women’s representation in local governments progressed. Women in municipal councils increased from 19.64% to 22.7%, while women mayors increased from 3.6% to 5.6%. These results are a result of multiple interventions in the areas of implementation of gender responsive programming and budgeting, national and international normative commitments and women’s political participation and leadership, while utilizing the coordination mandate and promoting accountability for the implementation of gender equality commitments. UN Women contributed to these changes through intensive advocacy and capacity-building work in the area of gender-responsive governance, particularly targeting women’s political participation, in BiH. This included capacity-building trainings for women candidates ahead of the local elections, developing networks of women politicians, strategic guidance and gender analyses, and advocating with key institutions to effectively contribute to these changes. When it comes to women's political participation, the European Delegation in BiH and the key government institutions in BiH, including gender institutional mechanisms and electoral management bodies partnered with UN Women to achieve these results. When it comes to gender-responsive budgeting, this included regional programs and exchanges, strategic guidance and gender analyses, local trainings, and advocating with key ministries and institutions to effectively contribute to these changes. This outcome represents the third condition for substantive equity identified in the office’s theory of change. The theory of change understands that, if relevant institutions have the necessary capacities which ensure gender-responsive analysis, planning, policy making, budgeting and integration of EU gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments across sectors, then governance will be more accountable and transparent, especially in a gender-transformative way. The results achieved under this outcome (increased women’s political participation in local government) contribute towards the necessary changes in social norms and relevant political actors outlined in the theory of change. We expect these changes to contribute to more accountable and transparent governance, thus the theory of change is still relevant.

By 2025, people contribute to, and benefit from more accountable and transparent governance systems that deliver quality public services, and ensure rule of law

The outcome was not achieved in 2021 and more accountable and transparent governance systems were not fully established at the time of reporting. However, throughout the year progress was made in regard to achieving this Outcome as a result of multiple interventions on women’s political participation and leadership, gender responsive policy making and budgeting, implementation of national and international normative commitments, and the country’s path to EU accession. To that end, UN Women strengthened capacities and increased knowledge on programme budgeting, GRB, policy making and EU gender equality knowledge of 279 government officials; provided technical support to 4 gender equality initiatives developed by the BiH Parliamentary Gender Equality Commission, including guidelines to achieve gender responsible parliaments and conduct periodical self-assessment of parliamentary bodies; produced 2 reports on the status of women, men, girls and boys in the country relevant to the obligations set by the European Union (EU) Gender Action Plan III and CEDAW Concluding Observations on the Sixth Periodic Report (CEDAW/C/BiH/CO/6); analyzed budgetary and policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic; supported BiH Agency for Gender Equality in improving capacities to advocate for national and international normative commitments in BiH by developing the CEDAW Action Plan to implement CEDAW Concluding Observations (CEDAW/C/BiH/CO/6) at the level of BiH Institutions; and identified normative priorities and milestones for the period 2022-2025 to inform normative engagement for gender equality and support collaboration with key institutional mechanisms. UN Women was also able to partner with UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, and WHO to foster dialogue and support the governments at national and sub-national levels in BIH to establish the ecosystem for systemic financing of the SDGs in the country, enabling informed and targeted investment of public funds and mobilization of additional financing for sustainable development, particularly from the private sector. Based on the progress made to date, the original strategy and theory of change for this outcome is largely still applicable. If as expected this strategy is successful, then the work under this Outcome in the next reporting period will yield substantial results and ensure that people more significantly contribute to, and benefit from accountable and transparent governance systems that deliver quality public services and ensure rule of law. Within a few years, the strategy could have a real impact on the lives, representation, and participation of women in BiH that are currently excluded from major decision-making processes, including in terms of policy making and budgeting, implementation of normative commitments, and the country’s path to EU accession. Stronger partnership with the government stakeholders in the future could bring about the more significant change under this specific Outcome. However, the intensified political tensions resulting in a constitutional crisis and a continued political gridlock, as well as detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are significantly impacting and constraining UN Women efforts and interventions in this regard.

By 2025, people contribute to, and benefit from more accountable and transparent governance systems that deliver quality public services, and ensure rule of law

Throughout the year progress was made in regard to achieving this outcome as a result of multiple interventions in the area of gender responsive programming and budgeting, implementation of national and international normative commitments, and the country’s path to EU accession, while utilizing coordination mandate and promoting accountability for the implementation of gender equality commitments. Government institutions made progress in implementing gender-responsive policy making, budgeting and integration of EU gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments, notable from continuous annual budget allocations to gender equality in BiH (1.45% at the level of BiH institutions; 5.79% in FBiH; and 6.39% in RS); increased development and use of gender statistics, notable from development of key statistical resources (Women and Men in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2021 and Moving towards the Gender Equality Index Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022); and contribution to more meaningful and systematic approach to implementation of international and national normative commitments on gender equality, notable from development of a framework monitoring tool to implement CEDAW, UNSCR 1325, BiH Gender Action Plan. UN Women contributed to these changes through intensive advocacy and advisory work in the area of gender responsive governance in BiH. This included regional programs and exchanges, strategic guidance and gender analyses, local and regional trainings, and advocating with key ministries and institutions to effectively contribute to these changes. UNDP and the key government institutions in BiH, including gender institutional mechanisms, ministries of finance and supreme audit institutions, partnered with UN Women to achieve these results.

By 2025, people contribute to, and benefit from more accountable and transparent governance systems that deliver quality public services, and ensure rule of law

Throughout the year, important progress was made towards achieving this outcome . Government institutions made progress in implementing gender-responsive policy making, budgeting and integration of EU gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments . This is evidenced by improved gender responsive budget circulars (at the level of BiH, Federation BiH, Canton Sarajevo); the establishment of gender responsive SDG Financing Framework as a comprehensive blueprint for integrated sustainable development; and increased demand for gender responsive accountability of institutions by supreme audit institutions. These results are a result of multiple interventions in the area of gender responsive programming and budgeting, implementation of national and international normative commitments, women’s political participation and leadership, and the country’s path to EU accession, while utilizing the coordination mandate and promoting accountability for the implementation of gender equality commitments. UN Women contributed to these changes through intensive advocacy and advisory work in the area of gender responsive governance in BiH. This included regional programs and exchanges, strategic guidance and gender analyses, local and regional trainings, and advocating with key ministries and institutions to effectively contribute to these changes. UNDP and the key government institutions in BiH, including gender institutional mechanisms, ministries of finance, supreme audit institutions and local governments partnered with UN Women to achieve these results. This outcome represents the third condition for substantive equity identified in the office’s theory of change. The theory of change understands that, if relevant institutions have the necessary capacities which ensure gender-responsive analysis, planning, policy making, budgeting and integration of EU gender equality and women’s empowerment commitments across sectors, then governance will be more accountable and transparent, especially in a gender-transformative way. The results achieved under this outcome (improved gender responsive budget circulars, the establishment of gender responsive SDG Financing Framework, and increased demand for gender-responsiveness by supreme audit institutions) contribute towards the necessary changes in relevant institutions outlined in the theory of change. We expect these changes to contribute to more accountable and transparent governance, thus the theory of change is still relevant.