The Gender Equality Accelerator Programme is a new joint initiative of four United Nations agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP and UNFPA, aimed at accelerating progress towards gender equality through three key pillars: elimination of violence against women and girls, women’s economic empowerment, and women’s leadership and gender-responsive governance.

Within this programme, a public call is announced for Local Governments (LGs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina interested in receiving expert and technical support in the preparation of strategic and implementation documents, in accordance with the applicable legal framework and gender equality principles.

Objective of the Call

The objective of this call is to strengthen the capacities of LGs for inclusive and sustainable development planning, integrating the gender perspective and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Who Can Apply?

The call is open to:

Up to three (3) LGs in the Republika Srpska that do not have a local development strategy or whose existing strategic documents are soon to expire, and that wish to develop new ones in accordance with the legal framework.

Up to five (5) LGs in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina that wish to improve their three-year and annual work planning processes through the development of implementation documents.

Benefits of Participation

Selected LGs will receive, with the support of the Programme: expert assistance in developing or improving strategic and implementation documents; capacity-building for gender-responsive planning and reporting and the opportunity to contribute to more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable local development.

Application Procedure

Interested LGs should submit the following documents:

1. Completed application form, and

2. Letter of Intent (up to two pages), signed by the Mayor, expressing interest and readiness to participate.

Applications must be submitted exclusively via email to: registry.ba@undp.org with the subject line: “Application for the Gender Equality Accelerator Programme – [Name of LGU]”

Application deadline:November 14, 2025, by 15:00 hrs.

Additional Information

For any additional questions, you may contact us via email registry.ba@undp.org, indicating that the inquiry refers to the public call “Expression of Interest for the Development of Strategic and Implementation Documents.”

All additional questions may be submitted no later than Monday, November 10, 2025.

The public call is implemented under the Gender Equality Accelerator (GEA), financially supported by the European Union (EU), Sweden, and Denmark, and implemented by UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as part of the United Nations’ cooperation with institutions in BiH aimed at achieving gender equality and contributing to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).