Adnan Delić, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Policy, and Renaud Meyer, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed a Protocol on the provision of support to 38 soup kitchens in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The support includes equipment for food preparation and storage, as well as minor works that will enable soup kitchens to operate more safely and improve quality of service for the beneficiaries daily. BAM 400,000 has been secured for this purpose from European Union funding under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), through the project "Gender and Social Assistance Programme" of the Joint Programme Gender Equality Accelerator (GEA), while the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has approved an additional BAM 400,000 for soup kitchens in FBiH.

The need for this support was confirmed by UNDP’s first comprehensive mapping of soup kitchens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, conducted in late 2022 and early 2023. The research covered 54 soup kitchens and other organisations that, at the time, provided food to more than 18,000 people and distributed over 445,000 hot meals each month. Half did not have sufficient equipment, with refrigerators, freezers and cooking equipment among the most frequently reported needs.

“Soup kitchens are an important tool to support households facing difficult circumstances. The right to food is a basic and fundamental human right, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is in a position to ensure this right is fulfilled for all. Research has shown how stretched the capacities of soup kitchens are and how much basic equipment they lack. Through this support, we are turning research findings into tangible improvements for 38 soup kitchens, enabling them to provide those in need with improved and more dignified public service,” said Renaud Meyer.

“Through this Protocol, we are further strengthening the existing support provided to soup kitchens across the Federation of BiH. Together with UNDP, we will provide priority equipment and carry out minor infrastructure works to improve conditions for preparing and distributing meals. Our goal is to ensure that support is well targeted, aligned with actual needs and used where it is needed most,” said Adnan Delić, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Policy.

Investment priorities were identified through an assessment of the needs of 38 soup kitchens, completed in May this year. The Ministry and UNDP will coordinate support from the two funding sources to avoid duplication and direct resources to where they are needed most.

This activity is implemented as part of the Joint Programme Gender Equality Accelerator by United Nations agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF, with financial support from the European Union and the Governments of Denmark and Sweden, in cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Centre for Equity and Equality between Women and Men of Republika Srpska and the Gender Centre of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The signing of the Protocol also provided an opportunity to review cooperation between UNDP and the Ministry, particularly on the digitalisation of the social protection system. Joint efforts have included UNDP support for the development of e-Porodilja, which enables mothers of newborn children to apply online for financial assistance; e-Award, a system for managing payments and transfers under social programmes that was established with financial support from the European Union; and e-Pozivi, through which the Ministry has fully digitalised its public call processes.

The two sides also considered opportunities for continued cooperation on the digitalisation of social protection services, support to centres for social work and other areas of common interest, as well as joint efforts to strengthen food security for the most vulnerable while reducing food loss.