Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina receives Silver Gender Equality Seal

First in the world

June 18, 2026

The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the first security sector institutions in the world to be certified under the leading global gender equality initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), receiving the Silver Gender Equality Seal. The initiative is implemented through UNDP’s LEAD project, in close cooperation with the Gender Equality Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the key institutional partner. It directly contributes to the implementation of the Law on Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Gender Action Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina (GAP BiH), by strengthening institutional capacities, accountability and practices for advancing gender equality in the security sector.

This prestigious international recognition crowns more than 18 months of intensive institutional work, reforms and transformative changes aimed at advancing gender equality in the security sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the ceremony marking the presentation of the Silver Seal, Deputy Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivica Bošnjak said that this achievement confirms Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ability to lead positive change and serve as an example of good practice beyond its borders.

“In the security sector, gender equality is not only a matter of equal opportunities. It is a matter of the quality of policies, the effectiveness of institutions and our ability to respond to the needs of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This result confirms our commitment to consistently embedding gender equality standards, as an integral part of European values and principles of good governance, into the work of security sector institutions”.

ivica Bošnjak

The Silver Gender Equality Seal is awarded under UNDP’s global initiative for certifying good practices and performance in achieving gender equality in public institutions, the private sector and organizations around the world.

UNDP Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Renaud Meyer said that the awarding of the Silver Gender Equality Seal represents an important step forward in strengthening gender-responsive, inclusive and effective institutions in the security sector.

“The Silver Gender Equality Seal confirms that institutional change can be measured, demonstrated and embedded in everyday work. The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina has shown that gender equality in the security sector is an integral part of effective administration, more accountable institutions and better services for all citizens. As the first security sector institution in the world to receive UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal, the Ministry of Security sets an important example for other institutions”.

Renaud Meyer

Assistant Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Chair of the Coordination Board for the Implementation of the Law on Gender Equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina Ermin Pešto said that the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the security agencies achieved 91 percent compliance with demanding international standards, while also fulfilling all seven mandatory recommendations under the certification programme. With this result, the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the agencies under its authority have positioned themselves among the leaders of institutional change in this area.

Director of the Gender Equality Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Samra Filipović-Hadžiabdić said that this achievement is evidence of deep institutional transformation and commitment to the principles of equal opportunities.

“Changes like these do not happen overnight, nor are they the result of a single document. This is a process that enables Bosnia and Herzegovina’s international obligations to become real practice in institutions. The ultimate goal is for gender equality to become an integral part of organizational culture and a standard of work for all institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina".

Samra Filipović-Hadžiabdić

The LEAD project is implemented with the financial support of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Sweden, the French Republic, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Norway, as well as with the general support of the European Union, through the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund for the implementation of the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition and explosives in the Western Balkans by 2030.

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