Forums of citizens represent the voice of local communities – that is, the citizens themselves. Through these forums, people identify problems, set priorities, and propose conceptual solutions. The forums communicate with local authorities through local community councils. However, forums have not yet been established in all local communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Damjan Dundžić from the Ilićka local community in Brčko believes forums are a powerful tool for expressing citizens’ needs:

“Many citizen initiatives have made it into the District budget. I believe we achieved that through persistent work and honest communication with councilors – without favoring any political party. There was some initial mistrust, but people quickly realized that forums make sense, especially during budget planning. It takes time – at least a few years – for people to see their initiatives actually being implemented and to build trust,” says Dundžić. 

He adds that it’s important for forums to clearly define priorities and ensure transparent voting.

Hasan Hrnjić from the Gorica local community in Zenica has succeeded in involving even the quietest neighbors in the forum process:

“I have wonderful neighbors – very smart, but quiet and shy. They’re hesitant to speak up because louder individuals often interrupt or silence them. So, in cooperation with the local project coordinators, I came up with a way for them to submit their suggestions in writing. I read them out at the forum, and they’re almost always accepted – they’re usually thoughtful and useful. I’ve used the same method to involve women, and now women make up around 60% of our forum participants,” says Hrnjić.

In the city of Gračanica, citizen forums have been included in the City Statute. Haris Hrvić, coordinator for local self-government, explains:

“When Gračanica became a city, we amended the Statute to include citizen forums. They’ve proven to be a good mechanism, so we instructed all local communities to update their own statutes and to hold at least one citizen forum per year. Citizens are invited to compile lists of priorities and submit them to the City, which includes some of them in the budget. At first, only a few people would show up, full of doubt – but over time, they saw they were truly being heard.” 

Hrvić adds that around 40% of local council members in Gračanica are women.

In the municipality of Vlasenica, according to Jelena Radulović, forums are still not active in all 14 existing local communities:

“The idea of citizen forums is slowly gaining ground here. Citizens need time to realize that change is possible – but there are already results. Many people are taking part in volunteer activities, especially in communities like Grabovica, Bakići, Cikote, and Mišari. They clean up green areas and repair roads, and eventually, municipal services join them. A large number of citizens are engaged, and based on forum meeting records, almost all suggestions submitted by citizens are supported, depending on available resources,” says Radulović.

In local communities that are part of the "Strengthening the role of local communities in BiH", which is jointly funded by the Government of Switzerland and Sweden, and implemented by UNDP in BiH, around 300 forums have been held so far, with over 7,000 participants – including more than 2,000 women. Through these forums, citizens have proposed around 220 different projects.