USAID BiH is launching a new human rights activity in BiH - USAID/INSPIRE - which will be funded with $8.8 million. The activity was announced during an online conference attended by representatives of BiH ministries, USAID’s Mission Director to BiH Nancy Eslick, Chief of Party of USAID/INSPIRE Jasmin Bešić, mayors from various local communities in BiH and some of the beneficiaries.
“Discrimination and lack of inclusion of the most vulnerable groups – Roma, persons with disabilities and their families, women, children and the LBGTQI communities is widespread. Trafficking in persons remains one of the most important challenges for the BiH government. BiH is a country of origin, transit, and destination for trafficking of adults and children”, said USAID’s Mission Director to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nancy Eslick.
Throughout this Activity, USAID will work on empowering citizens and government institutions to protect human rights, and provide services and employment opportunities for the most vulnerable groups in BiH. The main purpose of the Activity is to ensure that all levels of government recognize CSOs and citizens as indispensable and reputable partners in developing public policies. The Activity will provide technical support in efforts to build the capacities of organizations and BiH institutions to better serve marginalized citizens.
“In this upcoming period, we will need all the support we can get from USAID and all our partners so we can implement the ambitious goals we set in the Action Plan for Equality of LGBT Persons, which should be adopted in the first quarter of 2021,” said the Minister of Human Rights and Refugees Miloš Lučić, adding that this Action Plan is the first document of its kind developed by BiH institutions.
The attendees were also addressed by the Anti-Trafficking Advisor at the Ministry of Security, Sanin Prašović, who stated that human trafficking is a harmful phenomenon that often takes the form of organized crime, and is a gross violation of human rights guaranteed by international law and the Constitution of BiH. Mr. Prašović thanked USAID for their continuous support is combatting human trafficking in BiH.
The main components of the INSPIRE Human Rights Activity are: awarding grants to local organizations dedicated to fighting human trafficking, promoting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, helping local communities in creating a sustainable model for supporting formal employment of vulnerable women, members of the LGBTQI community, and building the capacities of USAID’s partners, institutions and government representatives to better protect the rights of underrepresented citizens.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has started a new activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The activity is called INSPIRE, or in Bosnian INSPIRACIJA (bs. inspiration). USAID’s inspiration for this activity was the obvious progress in community development and positive changes in marginalized populations achieved through USAID’s Marginalized Populations Support Activity (PPMG) which has been implemented since 2015”, said Chief of Party of USAID/INSPIRE Jasmin Bešić.
USAID/INSPIRE builds on the achievements of the Marginalized Populations Support Activity (USAID/PPMG), which has significantly contributed to improving the position of marginalized groups over the past five years.
