Deadline: 10-Nov-2025
The United Nations agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina — UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA — have jointly launched the Gender Equality Accelerator Program, a new initiative designed to advance gender equality through coordinated local action.
The programme focuses on three core pillars: eliminating violence against women and girls, promoting women’s economic empowerment, and strengthening women’s leadership through gender-responsive governance.
As part of this initiative, a public call has been announced for local government units (LGUs) across Bosnia and Herzegovina to apply for expert and technical support. The support will assist selected local authorities in preparing strategic and implementation documents that align with national legal frameworks and uphold the principles of gender equality.
The primary goal of the call is to enhance the capacity of local governments for inclusive and sustainable development planning. This includes integrating gender perspectives into their local policies and aligning these efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals — particularly SDG 5 on Gender Equality and SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities. By doing so, the programme aims to ensure that local development processes are equitable, responsive, and inclusive of the needs and voices of all citizens.
The call is open to up to three local governments in the Republika Srpska that either lack a local development strategy or whose current strategic documents are nearing expiration. These municipalities will have the opportunity to create new strategies that meet the latest legal and policy standards. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, up to five local governments will be selected to strengthen their three-year and annual planning processes through the creation of detailed implementation documents.
Through this initiative, the United Nations and its partners are reaffirming their commitment to empowering local institutions as key drivers of gender equality and sustainable development. The Gender Equality Accelerator Program offers an important platform for municipalities to lead change, ensuring that women’s rights and leadership remain central to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s development agenda.
For more information, visit UNDP.
