The 2025 Human Development Report, A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, arrives at a defining moment. Global human development is slowing. Excluding the pandemic years, this year’s rise in the Human Development Index is the weakest since records began. Inequalities between very high and low development countries are growing again, reversing decades of steady convergence.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has entered the group of very high human development countries, with an HDI value of 0.804. This reflects important progress in education, health, and income. However, the country’s Planetary Pressures-Adjusted HDI drops to 0.680, pointing to environmental costs that cannot be ignored. At the same time, deep structural gender inequalities continue to limit overall progress. 

Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina are underrepresented in the workforce and in decision-making. They make up just 39 per cent of the labour force and earn on average only 53 per cent of what men do. Just over one-fifth of parliamentary seats are held by women. As a result, the country loses nearly 16 per cent of its human development potential due to gender inequality. The Gender Inequality Index remains high at 0.157. These are not only gaps in opportunity but barriers to shared prosperity.

The 2025 HDR focuses on a key issue that has the potential to accelerate development progress, but which is also the subject of anxiety for many: artificial intelligence. If the issue is complex, the report makes one point unmistakably clear: artificial intelligence will not determine our future - our choices will. The benefits of technology will depend on whether it is used to empower people or to divide them further. Human agency matters more than ever in a future shaped by artificial intelligence. And AI is not a distant trend - it is already reshaping how many citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina work and learn. We need to expand access to this technology and make sure people use it in a smart way – the one that complements and develops human creativity, innovation, and knowledge, not one that replaces or diminishes them.  

This is why UNDP, in close collaboration with national and local partners, has been investing across our Country Programme for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a series of digital initiatives aimed at improving everyday lives. For example, the eCitizen platform, as part of our local governance support, enables residents to communicate directly with local authorities, file service complaints, and receive real-time alerts. The eNewborn (ePorodilja) system streamlines social support for new parents, while tools like the Digital Pulse help small businesses assess and improve their digital readiness. At the same time, as part of our work to support the country in undertaking a green transition, platforms like YourCO2 (TvojCO2.ba) engage citizens in climate action through tree planting linked to individual carbon footprints. These are not just digital upgrades; they are building blocks of a more inclusive, transparent, and resilient society.

But technology alone cannot close the gap. To become future-ready, Bosnia and Herzegovina must invest in people - especially women and youth. That means rethinking care systems, expanding social protection, and putting equity at the heart of digital change. This also means applying feminist economic thinking to push for fair pay, inclusive policies, and a shift in norms that hold women back in the workplace.