Dedicated to peace, unity and human connection, the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in partnership with the United Nations in BiH, the OSCE Mission to BiH, and the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo, has launched the initiative ‘We Can Do Better’, aimed at building trust and strengthening ties between communities.
Launched in 2022, the initiative has brought together individuals, civil society organisations and local authorities from 27 towns and municipalities: Bosanski Petrovac, Čelić, Doboj, Glamoč, Goražde, Gornji Vakuf – Uskoplje, Gradiška, Jablanica, Jajce, Kalesija, Lopare, Maglaj, Novi Travnik, Prnjavor, Prozor-Rama, Sapna, Teočak, Teslić, Tešanj, Travnik, Ugljevik, Vareš, Vukosavlje, Zvornik and Žepče. A total of 27 local initiatives have been supported, involving over 2,300 participants from 42 communities.
To provide some context – many of these communities were severely affected by the war in the early 1990s, which significantly disrupted interethnic relations. Some people were forced to flee their homes, and even after the peace was restored and returns enabled, many never again crossed the entity line that now administratively divides Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, a growing number of civil society groups and activists are designing initiatives to reconnect people, rebuild trust and facilitate peaceful coexistence and cooperation.
“Our goal is to build an environment that supports a stable and peaceful society, and we believe this can be achieved by strengthening the coherence of civil society, empowering local communities, developing advocacy policies and creating space for positive narratives about peacebuilding and trust in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the heart of this project are community-led initiatives that, through cooperation between individuals and organisations, lay the foundation for sustainable change to benefit all people in BiH,” the EU in BiH explains.
Supported activities have ranged from construction projects – such as the fire station in Čelić, the cultural centre in Sapna, and the expansion of the kindergarten in Lopare – to the renovation and equipping of youth centres in Maglaj and Vareš. The initiative also backed numerous workshops, educational programmes, arts and folklore festivals, concerts, camps, study visits, equipment purchases and the refurbishment of shared spaces used for dialogue and collaboration. Many of these efforts have been implemented thanks to ‘We Can Do Better’.
For example, at the end of July 2025 around 1,100 people enjoyed the Spirit Weekend Festival held at the Old Fortress in Maglaj. The event opened with the WeBalkans Sport Photo Contest exhibition, attended by Adebayo Babajide, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH. Over two evenings, the festival featured screenings of the films Blum by Jasmila Žbanić and That’s It for Today, followed by live music performances.
“When we started with the idea of the Festival, it was to breathe new life into the old town and fortress, to offer people the experience of open-air cinema. Now it is all of that and conversations about the future of the region and confronting the past — not only the recent, war-related past, but also the more distant one, which is addressed in the film Blum. Our goal is to provide tangible input for the development of the entire Western Balkans region, because we genuinely believe we can do better. This is the fourth edition of the Festival, and we are truly honoured to be part of the We Can Do Better initiative. Hosting the WeBalkans Sport Photo Contest exhibition was a special honour and recognition for us”, said Adi Softić, the Festival organiser.
Ivana Miočević, a traffic engineer from Vareš who took part in activities run by the association Moja prva nota (My First Note) said that, with the support of the ‘We Can Do Better’, they organised a music camp, concerts, theatre performances, and workshops on project writing and reporting to donors…
“I think it meant a lot to all of us to meet people from different areas, to see what they do and how they do it, to learn from their experiences – but above all, it is important that we meet and work together, and stop living in the past, burdened by events we were not even part of”, says Ivana.
The importance of encounters and cooperation is also emphasised by Jovo Đurić, commander of the Territorial Fire and Rescue Unit from Lopare.
“Since our founding more than 20 years ago, we’ve provided fire-fighting and rescue services across entity lines. In 2022, during the major flooding in Čelić, we were the first to respond. Through the We Can Do Better initiative, we organised training sessions for people from Čelić, Sapna, Teočak, Ugljevik, Lopare – and even the Brčko District – sharing knowledge because we must work together and help one another regardless of religion, ethnicity, entity or skin colour”, says Đurić, announcing upcoming training focused on tackling fires involving electric vehicles and solar panels, which are increasingly common on rooftops across BiH.
But, this project also brought other experiences as well – Duška Mitrović from Lopare has, in cooperation with the Municipality of Lopare, succeeded in obtaining geographical indication protection for her product – cheese ‘Zarac’.
“For centuries, this cheese has been made in the Majevica area in the same way – we’ve only added packaging. It’s important that we preserve the recipe and its origins – geographical protection will help its placement on the European market while preserving the identity of our region, wherever in the world it may be”, Mitrović explains.
Some of the upcoming activities include the Summer School of Theatre – organised by Studio Theatre from Zenica for youth aged 15 to 25 from Bugojno, Goražde, Gornji Vakuf – Uskoplje, Jajce, Kalesija, Prnjavor, Teslić and Tešanj.
The ‘We Can Do Better’ initiative is funded by the European Union’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI).
