A recent rise in tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina has sparked an “extraordinary crisis” as the country continues to emerge from the shadows of the Balkan wars 30 years ago, the UN Security Council heard on Tuesday.
Both positive and “worrying” developments have recently unfolded in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a top UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday at an emergency meeting requested by Russia.
Zeljko Komsic, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressed the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, railing against the impact of larger countries’ allegedly selective and exploitative immigration policies, a government defined by ethnic divisions, and the intentional undermining of his nation’s stability by its “western and eastern neighbours.”
The pointe shoes were a testament to unfulfilled hopes. They belonged to a young ballet dancer from Bosnia and Herzegovina whose life was forever changed by the brutal conflict that broke out in the heart of Europe at the end of the 20th century and were on display at UN Headquarters in New York to educate visitors about the horrors of war and genocide.
Genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals continues to present a “serious challenge” to reconciliation efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, said this week.
Leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina must abandon divisive policies and focus on building an inclusive future for all, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Friday in the capital, Sarajevo, concluding an official visit to the country.
Thirty years after the siege of Sarajevo, the UN team in Bosnia and Herzegovina reiterated the importance on Wednesday of pursuing justice and reparation for victims, survivors and their family members.
Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in neighbouring Serbia, must condemn and refrain from any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.
Financial support will be critical if developing countries are to meet global climate goals, the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, said in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
A UN court on Tuesday upheld the life sentence imposed on former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladić for his role in the Balkan wars in the 1990s.
