On the occasion of the World Environment Day, the Training Centers of the FBiH and RS Environmental Protection Funds were officially opened today in Sarajevo and Banja Luka.

The centers were established with the support of UNDP, which donated valuable equipment, including laptops, projectors, scanners and printers, within the project "Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency" (CBIT), financed by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The aim of this support is to help the Environmental Protection Funds in capacity building, organization of trainings for institutions, companies and other stakeholders in the field of environment and energy efficiency.

Speaking at the opening of the Training Center in Sarajevo, the Resident Representative of UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina Steliana Nedera thanked the Environmental Protection Funds for cooperation and stated: "This is just one of examples of our long-standing partnership in the area of environmental protection, sustainable waste management and energy efficiency. We hope that these centers will become a place for the exchange of knowledge and meeting point. Only together we can achieve better results, shape a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future for everyone.”

The Director of the FBiH Fund of Environmental Protection Esad Humo stressed that this year’s World Environment Day is dedicated to the fight against plastic pollution, and stated: “Plastic pollution have no borders, and cooperation across the country is essential for tackling this issue. That was exactly the idea behind the initiative to establish these centers, to help strengthen cooperation, share knowledge and develop a network of those who can multiply it. Therefore, I would like to thank UNDP for this significant support.”

The Assistant Director for Project Management and International Cooperation at the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency of RS, Zoran Lukač also expressed gratitude for the support during today’s opening of the Training Center in Banja Luka, together with the Head of the UNDP’s Office in Banja Luka, Goran Vukmir.

These activities are part of the Climate Action Week in Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized by UNDP every year around the World Environment Day, in cooperation with domestic and international partners, with the aim to emphasize that climate change is becoming an urgency and requires action from all of us.