With the endorsement of the new 2026-2030 Country Programme for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, our Executive Board has charted a clear pathway, guiding our team’s work for the next five years. Building on our past achievements and integrating lessons learned, this new Country Programme (CP) is the result of a participatory analysis of the development challenges experienced by the country, as well as inclusive consultations across Bosnia and Herzegovina with partners at all levels of Government – state, entities, cantons and local – civil society, academia, business community, and other development partners. Three clear objectives define UNDP’s future work: supporting the green economic transition, strengthening human capital, and improving social cohesion and the efficiency and accountability of institutions.

Responding to the complexity of the challenges that hamper development progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNDP will deliver integrated and innovative solutions. The timeframe of the new Country Programme coincides with the last five years of the Agenda 2030, thereby giving UNDP an opportunity to accelerate Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. If the country has successfully adopted a national SDG Framework together with a Financing Framework and made progress on some of the Goals, much remains to be done to reach all SDGs while ensuring no one is left behind.

Over the next five years, UNDP will further leverage its engagement with local authorities and communities, to complement work at entity and state levels. Another key feature will be the expansion of our youth engagement, to ensure that, in addition to benefiting from the country’s progress, they get to meaningfully contribute to the success of our joint work.

Our programme will foster digital solutions to accelerate development, while gender equality and inclusion considerations will ensure no one is left behind. A key innovative advancement is the transition from traditional projectized activities to a portfolio approach - an integrated and flexible way of working that connects relevant initiatives towards achieving ambitious development goals. This shift allows a better and more efficient way to tackle complex development challenges, fostering learning, and accelerating overarching progress across a multitude of sectors. 

To translate the Country Programme from intent to impact, amidst an increasingly challenging global environment, UNDP will leverage the support of its many partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond. We will rely on our strong cooperation with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who will provide us with guidance and support, to ensure our work is relevant and successful in attaining set goals.

As we contribute to the success of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, to which our Country Programme is fully aligned, joining efforts with other UN Agencies will be instrumental in devising and implementing integrated development solutions.

Our new Country Programme offers both the vision of a more resilient and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the solutions to ensure its development goals are attained. With the support of our partners, the UNDP team is committed to making it happen.

Renaud Meyer

Resident Representative