Bosnian Students Discuss Youth Participation in Security Policy

The OSCE Mission in BiH organised a two-day meeting of more than 20 students from the Department for Security and Peace Studies, University of Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka. During the meeting they discussed current security challenges and ways to promote youth participation in the development of a comprehensive security policy in BiH.

Students who participated in the meeting attended last year's Summer School „Youth and security,“ organised by the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Jonathan Moore, said that the meeting provided an excellent opportunity for young people looking to build a career in security in the future, to expand their knowledge and skills.

It provides a platform for their active participation in the development and implementation of security policy. The recommendations they produced will be forwarded to the BiH Council of Ministers’ Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Monitoring and Implementation of Security Policy.

Damjan Jugovic, a student at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo and member of the OSCE’s Youth Advisory Group, said: “This is a chance for us to get more acquainted with the work of different security and intelligence agencies in BiH and support the co-operation between students from different universities.”

„After I had the opportunity to meet with colleagues from Mostar and Banja Luka, I concluded that we all have the same opinion. We all want change and create a better future. I'm sure that practical knowledge gained in the Summer School can increase our chances for employment“, said a student of the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, Jovana Bilinac.

The press release states that the main objective of the OSCE Summer School, „Youth and Security“, is to promote the development of democratic institutions through education and training of young professionals in the field of security.

The school provides them with a forum for discussion of a wide range of issues in the fields of security and politics, and increases their participation in political life and decision-making processes.

The organisation of the alumni meeting was supported by the Hungarian Embassy in BiH.