Bosnia and Herzegovina

Last Updated: 02 November 2011

Mine Ban Policy

Commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty

Mine Ban Treaty status

State Party

National implementation measures 

Amended criminal code in December 2004 to apply penal sanctions for treaty violations

Transparency reporting

2010

Policy

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)[1] signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 8 September 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. On 29 December 2004, parliament approved a law amending the criminal code to apply penal sanctions for violations of the treaty.[2]

BiH submitted its annual Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report, covering calendar year 2010. It used voluntary Form J to provide additional information on casualties, mine clearance, and victim assistance. BiH submitted eleven previous Article 7 reports.[3]

BiH attended the Tenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in November–December 2010, where it made a statement on its progress since being granted a mine clearance deadline extension and a statement on victim assistance. BiH also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2011, making statements on victim assistance, as well as providing an update on mine clearance.

BiH is party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. BiH is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. It submitted an annual report as required by Article 13 in 2009.  BiH is also party to Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.

Production, transfer, illegal stores, and use

BiH has stated that production of antipersonnel mines ceased by 1995.[4] It has reported on the conversion of production facilities.[5] BiH is not known to have exported antipersonnel mines.

In past years, authorities on numerous occasions found illegal stores of mines, but none have been explicitly reported since 2006.[6]  In addition, nearly 40,000 mines were collected from the population under Operation Harvest until 2006.[7]

After BiH joined the treaty, the Monitor noted several cases of mine use in criminal activities, but no such incidents have been reported since 2003.[8]

Stockpile destruction and retention

BiH declared completion of its antipersonnel mine stockpile destruction program in November 1999, with a total of 460,727 mines destroyed.[9] This number has been amended annually since 2003, increasing each year to a total of 513,844 mines in BiH’s Article 7 report covering calendar year 2010.[10] No explanation has been given by BiH for these changes. Presumably, they result from newly discovered stocks, mines turned in by the population, or illegal mines seized from criminal elements.[11]

In September 2006, BiH reported that it had discovered more than 15,000 MRUD (Claymore-type) directional fragmentation mines during inspections of weapon storage sites.[12] It said that although the mines were not specifically prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty, BiH had made a decision to destroy the mines for humanitarian reasons as well as to show its commitment to the aims of the treaty.[13] BiH reported that, as of April 2007, about 5,000 mines had been destroyed, with the intention to complete destruction in May 2007, but it has not provided information on completion.[14]

Mines retained for research and training

At the end of 2010, BiH retained 1,962 antipersonnel mines for training purposes, as well as 23 MRUD.[15] BiH’s Article 7 reports submitted in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 have indicated that all of the retained antipersonnel mines are fuzeless.[16]

The total number of mines retained at the end of 2010 indicates a decrease of 268 mines and two MRUD from the number reported at the end of 2009.[17] BiH had reported increases in the number of mines retained in 2006, 2007, and 2008.[18] The number of MRUD reported as retained has decreased each year since 2006.[19] BiH has not given any explanation for the increases, decreases, or overall inconsistencies in its reporting on the number of retained mines over the last several years.

Of the 1,962 antipersonnel mines (other than MRUD) reported as retained at the end of 2010, 877 are held by demining agencies, 557 by the BiH Mine Detection Dog Center (MDDC), 330 by the BiH Mine Action Center (BHMAC), 125 by the BiH Armed Forces, three by the RS Civil Protection Agency, and 70  by the FBiH Civil Protection Agency.[20]

BiH has stated that its retained mines are used for training mine detection dogs.[21] While providing more information about its retained mines, BiH has still provided few details on the intended purposes and actual uses of these mines, and has failed to use expanded Form D on retained mines with its annual transparency reports, as agreed by States Parties in 2004.

 



[1] BiH is an independent state, but under international administration. The 1995 Dayton peace accord set up two separate entities: a Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), and the Bosnian Serb Republic (Republika Srpska, RS), each with its own president, government, parliament, police, and other bodies. Overarching these entities is a central government and rotating presidency. In addition, the district of Brčko is a self-governing administrative unit, established as a neutral area placed under joint Bosniak, Croat, and Serb authority.

[2] “Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Official Gazette, No. 61/04. Article 193a forbids the development, production, storage, transportation, offer for sale or purchase of antipersonnel mines. The penalty for such offenses is between one and 10 years’ imprisonment.

[3] Previous reports were submitted 10 May 2010 (for calendar year 2009) in 2009 (for calendar year 2008), 2008 (for calendar year 2007), April 2007, 30 May 2006, 6 May 2005, 17 May 2004, 1 April 2003, 20 May 2002, 1 September 2001, and 1 February 2000.

[4] Interview with members of the Demining Commission, Sarajevo, 30 January 2003. BiH inherited the mine production facilities of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Bugojno, Goražde, Konjic, and Vogošc.

[5] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 193; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form E, April 2007.

[6] The Dayton peace accord allows international military forces to search for and collect illegally held weapons, including mines. For more details, see Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 183.

[7] Operation Harvest began as a Stabilisation Force (SFOR) initiative in 1998 to collect unregistered weapons from private holdings under amnesty conditions. From 1998 to late 2006, about 38,500 landmines were collected.  The European Force (EUFOR), which took over from SFOR in December 2004, has not conducted any Operation Harvest arms collection activities since 2006, but retains the right to do so. For more details, see Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 183.

[9] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form G, 1 February 2000. Destruction was carried out at various locations by the two entity armies with SFOR assistance. The stockpile consisted of 19 types of mines.

[10] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form G, (undated, covers calendar year 2010). The number was amended in previous years to 460,925 for year 2003, to 461,634 for year 2004, to 462,351 for year 2005, to 463,198 for year 2006, 463,489 for year 2007, and to 463,921 for year 2008, and 464,267 for year 2009. See Form G of Article 7 reports submitted each year.

[11] In 2003, SFOR found very large additional quantities of antipersonnel mines among old munitions, after the entity armies requested assistance with downsizing military storage sites and dealing with old munitions in storage. An SFOR publication reported that several hundred thousand antipersonnel mines were awaiting destruction at these sites. By March 2004, 2,574 antipersonnel mines, 31,920 antivehicle mines, and 302,832 detonators had been destroyed. The Monitor has been unable to obtain updated information on further destruction or new discoveries at storage sites of antipersonnel mines. The BiH government has not formally reported the existence of these newly discovered stocks of antipersonnel mines, has not provided details on numbers and types of mines, and has not made known the timetable for destruction of the mines. See Landmine Monitor Report 2006, p. 202.

[12] See Landmine Monitor Report 2007, p. 184, for more details.

[13] BiH stated that the mines are “designed to be used with an electrical initiation system,” and therefore are not considered antipersonnel mines under the Mine Ban Treaty. However, it also noted that “since they are not adapted to ensure command-detonation, MRUD mines can be technically considered as anti-personnel mines.” Statement by Amira Arifovic-Harms, Counselor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 20 September 2006. Use of Claymore-type mines in command-detonated mode is permitted under the Mine Ban Treaty, but use in victim-activated mode (with a tripwire) is prohibited.

[14] In April 2007, BiH indicated that of the 15,269 MRUD mines, 14,701 mines would be destroyed by mid-May 2007, 396 were transferred to EUFOR for training, 20 were donated to Germany, and two were destroyed immediately. BiH intended to retain about 150 mines for training. The 14,701 mines were transported to a workshop in Doboj, and by mid-April 2007, about 5,000 had been destroyed. Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, April 2007.

[15] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2010), Form D. The 1,962 antipersonnel mines include 212 PMA-1, 675 PMA-2, 583 PMA-3, 324 PMR-2A, three PMR-2, five PMR-3, 152 PROM-1, and eight PMR-Capljinka.

[16] See Form B of Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 reports submitted in 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008.  In its Article 7 report submitted in April 2007, BiH did not state that any of the retained mines were fuzeless, while its report submitted on 30 May 2006 stated that 876 retained mines were fuzeless and 1,299 were active. BiH has not explained these changes.

[17] The number of some types of mines has increased, while the number of other types has decreased. BiH did not provide an explanation for these changes. There was a decrease of 61 ROB, two PMA-1, and four PMR-2A mines, and an increase of seven PMA-2, 14 PMA-3, eight PROM-1, and three PMR-2 mines compared to the totals reported retained at the end of 2008. No PMR-2 mines were reported to be retained in 2008.

[18] The number of antipersonnel mines retained by BiH increased each year from 1,550 mines at the end of 2006, to 1,619 mines at the end of 2007, to 2,274 mines at the end of 2008.  See Form D of the Article 7 reports submitted in 2007, 2008, and 2009.  See also Landmine Monitor Report 2009, p. 206, for comparative detail.

[19] BiH has reported a decrease in the number of MRUD retained, from 158 at the end of 2006, to 157 at the end of 2007, to 116 at the end of 2008, to 16 at the end of 2009 14 at the end of 2010. See Form D of the Article 7 reports submitted in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

[20] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2010), Form D. A comparison of the Article 7 reports for years 2009 and 2010 indicates that antipersonnel mines, other than MRUD, held by demining operators decreased by 69 in 2010 (mines held by the Canadian International Demining Corps decreased by 38 PMA-1 mines, 12 PMA-3 mines, 28 PMR-2A mines, increased 23 PMA-2 mines and six PROM-1 mines; mines held by Norwegian People’s Aid increased by three PMA-1 mines, 18 PMA-2 mines, 17 PMA-3 mines, 21 PMR-2A mines, and decreased 10 PMR RP mines; mines held by FBiH Civil Protection Agency decreased by 10 PMA-2 and 10 PMA-3 mines and one PROM-1 mine, and increased 28 PMR-2A mines (from zero); mines held by BHMAC decreased by one PMA-1 mine, ECO-DEM held 35 antipersonnel mines (increase from zero); and the number of mines held by MDDC, RS Civil Protection Agency, and the BiH Armed Forces, Stop Mines, UXB-Balkans, Demira, Provita and BH Demining  remained unchanged. No PMR-RP mines were reported to be retained by any organization in 2010.

[21] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Annex “Review on Number of Retained Mines in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” 30 May 2006.


Last Updated: 23 August 2014

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Convention on Cluster Munitions status

State Party

National implementation legislation

Declared existing legislation under national implementation measures

Stockpile destruction

Completed initial stockpile destruction in 2011, while additional stocks discovered in 2012 and 2013 have been destroyed

Participation in Convention on Cluster Munitions meetings

Attended Fourth Meeting of State Parties in Lusaka, Zambia, in September 2013, intersessional meetings in Geneva in April 2014, and regional workshop on implementation in Croatia in April 2014

Key developments

Provided updated transparency report on 13 June 2014, stated that necessary legislation is in place to ensure implementation

Policy

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008, ratified on 7 September 2010, and the convention entered into force for the country on 1 March 2011.

BiH has declared its ratification law under national implementation measures for the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[1] In September 2013, a government representative informed States Parties that “all the necessary legislation is in place.”[2] Previously, officials indicated that BiH was considering national legislation to enforce the ban convention.[3]

BiH submitted its initial Article 7 report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 20 August 2011 and provided annual updated reports in 2012, 2013, and on 13 June 2014.[4]

BiH actively participated throughout the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions, making strong contributions based on its experience as a country affected by cluster munitions and declaring a national moratorium on cluster munition use prior to the conclusion of the process.[5]

BiH has continued to actively engage in the work of the Convention on Cluster Munitions since 2008. It has participated in the every Meeting of States Parties of the convention, including the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in Lusaka, Zambia in September 2013 where it made statements on clearance and victim assistance. BiH has attended all of the convention’s intersessional meetings in Geneva, including in April 2014. BiH participated in a regional workshop on implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions held in Zadar, Croatia in April 2014.[6] BiH served as the convention’s coordinator on victim assistance in 2012 and 2013 together with Afghanistan.

BiH has voted in favor of recent UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions condemning the Syrian government’s use of cluster munitions, including Resolution 68/182 on 18 December 2013, which expressed “outrage” at Syria’s “continued widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights…including those involving the use of…cluster munitions.”[7]

Interpretive issues

In July 2011, the director of the department of conventional weapons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the ministry’s views on a number of issues important for the interpretation and implementation of the convention. On the prohibition on assistance with prohibited acts during joint military operations or “interoperability,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “under the same Article 21, para 3, we may engage in joint military operations with non-states Parties that might engage in activities prohibited by the Convention, however our personnel or nationals should not provide assistance with activities prohibited by the Convention.”[8]

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the “transit of cluster munitions across, or foreign stockpiling of cluster munitions on, the national territory of States Parties is prohibited by the Convention.”[9] The ministry, however, noted that it does not have “access to or information on weapon types” stockpiled in European Union Force (EUFOR) military bases “on our territory.”[10] In May 2013, a Ministry of Defense official said the ministry has not inquired about the status of any foreign cluster munitions stored on EUFOR military bases in BiH.[11]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also stated that it considers “investment in the production of cluster munitions to be prohibited.”[12]

BiH is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, production, and transfer

Yugoslav forces and non-state armed groups used available stocks of cluster munitions during the 1992–1995 war. The various entity armies inherited cluster munitions during the break-up of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In its initial Article 7 report, BiH declared, “There are no production facilities for CM [Cluster Munitions] in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”[13]

BiH has acknowledged that it produced cluster munitions for a period of 11 years and stated in 2007 that production had ceased.[14] BiH produced KB-1 and KB-2 submunitions for the Orkan multi-barrel rocket system, artillery projectiles, and mortar bombs.[15] The production capacity included the ability to manufacture KB-series submunitions and integrate them into carrier munitions such as artillery projectiles and rockets.[16] According to Jane’s Information Group, the Ministry of Defense has produced the 262mm M-87 Orkan rocket, with each rocket containing 288 KB-1 dual-purpose submunitions.[17] Jane’s also lists BiH Armed Forces as possessing KPT-150 dispensers (which deploy submunitions) for aircraft.[18]

Stockpile destruction

BiH once possessed a stockpile of 445 cluster munitions and 148,059 submunitions.[19] This includes four M-93 120mm mortar projectiles containing 92 submunitions that were discovered after the 2011 completion of stockpile destruction.[20]

Cluster munitions formerly stockpiled by BiH[21]

Quantity and type of munitions

Quantity and type of submunitions

56 M-93 120mm mortar bombs

1,288 KB-2 (23 per container)

56 M-87 Orkan 262mm rockets

16,128 KB-1 (288 per container)

321 BL-755 bombs

47,187 Mk-1 (147 per container)

12 M-87 Orkan 262mm rockets

75,163 KB-1

Individual submunitions

4,815 KB-1 and 3,478 KB-2

445

148,059

Under Article 3 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, BiH is required to destroy all stockpiled cluster munitions under its jurisdiction and control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2019.

In September 2012, BiH announced that “We have fulfilled all obligations relating to Article 3” of the Convention on Cluster Munitions “by destroying all known and reported stocks of cluster munitions in 2011.”[22]

Almost all of the BiH stockpile of cluster munitions was destroyed in 2011, a total of 441 cluster munitions and 147,967 submunitions. From August to December 2011, three types of stockpiled cluster munitions and their submunitions were destroyed: 52 M-93 120mm mortar bombs, 56 M-87 262mm rockets, and 321 BL-755 bombs.[23] From 20 May to 30 June 2011, BiH destroyed 12 M-87 Orkan 262mm rockets and 74,721 KB-1 submunitions.[24] BiH reported destroying the stocks of 16,128 KB1 submunitions from the 56 M-87 Orkan 262mm rockets in 2012.[25]

In April 2012, BiH informed States Parties that four M-93 120mm mortar bombs containing 92 submunitions discovered after the 2011 stockpile destruction would be “destroyed accordingly.”[26] In April 2014, the Ministry of Defense informed Landmine Survivors Initiatives that the four bombs and their submunitions were destroyed by open detonation by the Ministry of Defense, thus completing any remaining stockpile destruction obligations.[27] However, BiH did not declare destruction of the munitions in its 2014 Article 7 report, which covers activities in calendar year 2013.[28]

In its November 2013 Article 7 report and again in the report provided June 2014, BiH declared the discovery of 341 KB-1 submunitions in Pretis, Vogosca and four KB-2 submunitions in Krupa, Hadzici.[29] In April 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations stated the munitions are under its jurisdiction and would be destroyed.[30]

In June 2014, local media reported the discovery of a cache of 114 KB-2 submunitions behind a family home near Sarajevo.[31]

Retention

BiH initially declared that it would not retain any cluster munitions for research or training purposes as permitted by Article 3 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[32] In its June 2014 Article 7 report, BiH listed 20 KB-1 submunitions as retained by Norwegian People’s Aid for mine detection dog training purposes.[33] According to NPA, it is retaining 30, not 20, KB1 submunitions, which have been made fuze-less, for training of mine detection dogs.[34]

 



[1] The 2011 report cites Parliamentary Decision 514/10 of 28 May 2010 and the BiH Presidential Decision of 17 June 2010 approving ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form A, 20 August 2011. Subsequent Article 7 reports have indicated no change to the national implementation measures declared in 2011.

[2] Statement by Ivica Dronjic, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of BiH to the UN in Geneva, Convention on Cluster Munitions Third Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 12 September 2013.

[3] CMC meeting with Tarik Serak, Director of Department, BiH Mine Action Center, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 18 April 2013; and interview with Anesa Kundurovic, Director of Conventional Weapons Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sarajevo, 6 April 2012.

[4] Annual periods have been covered by the Article 7 reports submitted by BiH on 20 August 2011 (for calendar year 2010), 4 May 2012 (for calendar year 2011), November 2013 (for calendar year 2012), and 13 June 2014 (for calendar year 2013).

[5] For details on BiH’s cluster munition policy and practice through early 2009, see Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), pp. 44–45.

[6] This workshop was organized by the Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre (RACVIAC) Centre for Security Cooperation in Southeast Europe and the government of Germany, the government of Croatia Office for Demining, and the Croatian Mine Action Centre (CROMAC) in Zadar, Croatia.

[7]Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic,” UNGA Resolution A/RES/68/182, 18 December 2013. BiH voted in favor of a similar resolution on 15 May 2013.

[8] Email from Anesa Kundurovic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 July 2011. Anesa Kundurovic noted that the views expressed to the Monitor “represent the position of MFA and may or may not differ from the interpretation of other relevant institutions, including but not limiting [sic] to the Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces, etc.”

[9] In addition, the ministry noted, “in accordance with Article 3, paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Convention transfer is allowed only in exceptional cases” such as “for the purpose of destruction or for example, for the purpose of development of cluster munition countermeasures.” Email from Anesa Kundurovic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 July 2011.

[10] Email from Anesa Kundurovic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 July 2011.

[11] Email to Landmine Survivors Initiatives from the BiH Ministry of Defense, 17 May 2013.

[12] Email from Anesa Kundurovic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 July 2011.

[13] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form E, 20 August 2011.

[14] Statement of BiH, Oslo Conference on Cluster Munitions, 22 February 2007. Notes by the CMC/Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

[15] Statement of BiH, Convention on Cluster Munitions First Meeting of States Parties, Vientiane, 11 November 2010. Notes by the CMC.

[16] Statement of BiH, Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions, 21 February 2008. Notes by the CMC.

[17] Leland S. Ness and Anthony G. Williams, eds., Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2007–2008 (Surrey, UK: Jane’s Information Group Limited, 2007), p. 720.

[18] Robert Hewson, ed., Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, Issue 44 (Surrey, UK: Jane’s Information Group Limited, 2004), p. 836.

[19] In its initial Article 7 report provided in August 2011, BiH listed a stockpile of 441 cluster munitions and 147,967 submunitions, of which 429 cluster munitions of three types containing 64,511 submunitions were “in possession of Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and intended for destruction.” In addition, BiH declared 12 M-87 Orkan 262mm rockets with 78,641 submunitions for this weapon system, and another 4,815 KB-1 and KB-2 submunitions. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 20 August 2011. In its 2012 annual report, BiH declared an additional stockpile of four cluster munitions and 92 submunitions. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 4 May 2012.

[20] Statement of BiH, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 18 April 2012. BiH reported the cluster munitions in its second Article 7 report. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 4 May 2012.

[21] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form B, 20 August 2011 and 4 May 2012. While it is not entirely clear from the 2011 report, the 12 Orkan rockets and a large quantity of KB-1 submunitions were in the possession of the Ministry of Trade and Economic Relations of BiH and represent disassembled items and submunitions that could be loaded into more rockets.

[22] Statement of BiH, Convention on Cluster Munitions Third Meeting of States Parties, Oslo, 11 September 2012.

[23] Statement of BiH, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 18 April 2012; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 18 April 2012.

[24] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 20 August 2011.

[25] Ibid., November 2013.

[26] Statement of BiH, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 18 April 2012. In May 2013, the Ministry of Defense informed the CMC that the destruction was approved, but the cluster munitions had not been destroyed yet. Email to Landmine Survivors Initiatives from the BiH Ministry of Defense, 17 May 2013.

[27] Letter to Landmine Survivors Initiatives from the Ministry of Defense, 3 April 2014.

[28] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, dated April 2014 but submitted 13 June 2014.

[29] Ibid.; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form B, dated April 2013 but submitted in November 2013.

[30] Letter to Landmine Survivors Initiatives from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, 9 April 2014.

[32] It declared that the “Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are not planning to keep in possession the cluster munitions that will be intended for the purpose of training and education.” Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form C, 20 August 2011 and 4 May 2012.

[33] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form C, November 2013.

[34] Email from Norwegian People’s Aid, 17 June 2014.


Last Updated: 09 October 2014

Mine Action

Contamination and Impact

Overall Mine Action Performance: POOR[1]

Performance Indicator

Score

Problem understood

4

Target date for completion of clearance

4

Targeted clearance

5

Efficient clearance

3

National funding of program

7

Timely clearance

6

Land release system

4

National mine action standards

8

Reporting on progress

4

Improving performance

2

MINE ACTION PERFORMANCE SCORE

4.7

Mines

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is heavily contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) primarily as a result of the 1992–1995 conflict related to the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. Most of the minefields are in the zone of separation between BiH’s two political entities—the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS)—which is 1,100km long and up to 4km wide. In southern and central BiH, mines were often used randomly, with few records kept. Some of the affected territory is mountainous or heavily forested, but the fertile agricultural belt in Brčko district is one of the most heavily contaminated areas.[2]

The BiH Mine Action Centre (BHMAC) reported total contamination of 1,219km2 at the end of 2013, a reduction of some 3.5% on 2012, in 9,416 suspected hazardous areas (SHAs). A general assessment completed in 2012 identified 540,000 people in 1,417 communities as affected by mines, of which 136 communities (152,000 people) were at high risk.[3] BHMAC’s next general assessment is planned for 2015.[4]

BiH was severely affected by the Balkan flood disaster in May 2014. On 23 May, BHMAC met with the directors of the mine action centers of Serbia and Croatia to coordinate their response to the threat of mines washed into areas previously considered safe. The centers pledged to share information, emphasize risk education (MRE) in the flood-affected zones, engage in emergency marking once the floods recede, and raise awareness of the impact of the lack of funds for mine action.[5]

Within Bosnia, 70% of the flood-affected area is in the mine-affected communities of Doboj, Maglaj, Olovo, Una-Sana Canton, Brčko, and Posavina area.[6] The UN reported that some 800km2 of SHA was affected by the floods; the United States (US) Department of State reported the figure of 320km2.[7] Bosnian authorities reported that the floods had moved mines, cluster munitions, and unexploded ordnance (UXO), and had damaged minefield fencing and signs. At an ammunition depot in Orasje, some 250 tons of ammunition were reported as being under water on 25 May 2014. There was a mine explosion in Brčko on 21 May 2014; no casualties were reported.[8] Landmine Survivors Initiatives reported that more than 3,000 mine survivors were living in the flood-affected region.[9]

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) mine action personnel worked with local crisis coordination centers to provide landmine survey and mapping support to the emergency response in Brčko, Orasje, and Samac, to conduct MRE, and to place 52 emergency mine signs in Domaljecac-Samac. In May 2014, NPA also responded to emergency explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) tasks in Brčko and Samac, destroying five items of UXO and one antipersonnel mine.[10]

On 26 May, the US Department of State deployed its Quick Reaction Force (QRF) of civilian EOD experts to Bosnia to “work with local officials of both the Serbian and BiH Mine Action Centers to survey landmine-contaminated areas affected by the recent widespread floods.”[11] The European Union (EU), including its peacekeeping force in BiH (EUFOR), deployed experts “to assess the impact of floods and landslides on the location of mines.”[12] Belgian First Aid, the Belgian Military Academy, and Vrije University Brussels’ Department of Electronics and Informatics deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle and operating team to BiH to assist survey efforts.[13]

UNDP disseminated maps of the flooded mined areas through its Bosnia website.[14] The ICRC and National Society reported it was working with BHMAC to provide MRE.[15]

Cluster munition remnants

Aircraft of the former Yugoslav republic dropped BL-755 cluster bombs in the early stages of the 1992−1995 war, and there are indications that cluster bombs were subsequently used by NATO forces in Republika Srpska.[16]

The first phase of a general survey completed by NPA in 2011 identified 140 areas hit by air strikes and artillery, with an estimated total of 3,774 submunitions; additional contamination was located around a former ammunition factory at Pretis that was hit by a NATO air strike, scattering submunitions in the surrounding area. The survey identified 669 SHA polygons covering a total of 12.18km2, of which 3.23km2 is believed to be high risk. Some 5km2 is contaminated by artillery-delivered submunitions, 3.9km2 by BL-755, and 3.1km2 by KB-1 submunition remnants.[17] SHAs were found in 39 municipalities, but 43% of the total SHA was located in the municipalities of Bužim, Cazin, Gornji, Tešanj, Travnik, Vakuf, and Vareš, with a total population of more than 226,660 inhabitants. Total cluster munition casualties recorded in BiH between 1992 and 2010 amounted to 42 people killed and a further 181 injured. Agricultural land and forest make up more than 82% of the total SHA, with land needed for housing and reconstruction accounting for another 15%.[18]

Other explosive remnants of war

Demining operations in BiH continue to clear scattered UXO. In addition, BiH has an area of more than 1km2 in the vicinity of Zunovica, Hadzici where a Yugoslav National Army barracks and ammunition storage area was bombed in 1995. As of May 2013, the type of contamination had not been identified.[19]

Mine Action Program

The Demining Commission, under the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communication, supervises the state-wide BHMAC and represents BiH in its relations with the international community on mine-related issues. The Demining Commission’s three members, representing BiH’s three majority ethnic groups (Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats), propose the appointment of BHMAC senior staff for approval by the Council of Ministers, report to the council on mine action, approve accreditation of demining organizations, and facilitate cooperation between the FBiH and RS.

However, the principle of organizing BiH state-level bodies along ethnic lines has come under increasing scrutiny following the 2009 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the Sejdić and Finci case that the rights of two Bosnians of Roma and Jewish descent had been violated by being denied the opportunity to run for high-level elected office because they were not of the major ethnic groups.[20] A Demining Commissioner stated that efforts to establish a new Demining Law (see below) may either abolish the Demining Commission or add another member for “Others.”[21]

BHMAC, established by a 2002 Decree of the Council of Ministers, is responsible for regulating mine action and implementing BiH’s demining plan, including accreditation of all mine action organizations.[22] BHMAC operates from its headquarters in Sarajevo and through two entity mine action offices—formerly autonomous entity mine action centers—and eight regional offices (Sarajevo, Pale, Travnik, Mostar, Banja Luka, Tuzla, Brčko, and Bihać). The two entity offices coordinate the activities of regional offices in planning, survey, and quality control/assurance. Quality assurance inspectors are based in the regional offices.[23]

Since 2008, efforts have been made to adopt new mine action legislation in BiH with a view to creating a stable platform for mine action funding by the government and local authorities.[24] However, a draft law prepared by the Ministry of Civil Affairs with support from BHMAC and UNDP, first submitted to parliament in February 2010, failed to gain parliamentary approval in 2012. The law is said to face resistance from Bosnian Serb nationalist parties concerned about concentrating functions at the state level and from Bosnian Croat nationalists concerned about losing the ethnic quota on the Demining Commission,[25] as well as from demining personnel dissatisfied with the current BHMAC director.[26]

As of April 2014, the law had still not passed and according to a BHMAC official was unlikely to be reintroduced to parliament before the elections in October 2014.[27] A demining commissioner suggested the earliest a law could be passed would be in 2015.[28] This lack of a new legal framework has contributed to BiH’s repeated failure to meet its funding targets under its own mine action strategy. Moreover, in 2013 and through early 2014, BiH mine action governance received increasingly critical media attention. Newspapers called attention to the almost 12 years the BHMAC director has been in office.[29] There are currently no term limits on the position, one of the issues that the draft demining law has sought to address.[30]

In 2012, eight local companies and NGOs filed a criminal complaint with the State Prosecutor against the BHMAC director, alleging irregularities in tendering demining contracts and sale of official vehicles. Reports about the investigation reemerged in the BiH media in early 2014. The director was arrested by police in April 2014 which, along with the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), searched BHMAC premises and the director’s house.[31] According to a spokesperson of the State Prosecutor’s office: “The suspect is under investigation for activities related to demining and over suspicions that he abused his official position and made illegal profits.”[32] A BHMAC statement said, “The process of demining in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a large humanitarian undertaking, because it depends on donors and their grants and, due to that, we have to be completely transparent to the public…We hope that after this, negative media reports about BHMAC will end so that the process of humanitarian demining can be completed.”[33] A local demining NGO official said he thought it was “one of the most dangerous times for mine action in Bosnia” as the negative press is drawing attention from “the good things” mine action is doing.[34] “It’s not good for BHMAC to be in the papers in that way,” a BHMAC official said, “But in terms of operations, we are still going.”[35] A Demining Commissioner said, “Of course this is very bad for demining in Bosnia” and that it “is now up to us” to “remove the doubts” of donors by providing “explanations” and “increasing the pace and performance of obligations with capacities that we have. We cannot stand and wait, but we have to work and act, and each should be responsible for their actions.”[36] The director of BHMAC was conditionally released from custody on 9 May 2014.[37]

The BiH Mine Action Strategy for 2009–2019 sets the target of becoming free of mines by 2019 and identifies seven strategic goals, including the elimination of the mine threat. BHMAC conducted the first of three planned revisions of the strategy in 2012 and 2013 (the other two are due in 2015 and 2017, respectively).[38] The revision asserted lack of funding as “one of the major reasons” for BiH’s slow progress to completion of its clearance goals.[39] In 2014, BHMAC was elaborating new standing operating procedures for land release, including technical survey (TS), that were expected to accelerate cancellation of SHAs.[40]

National demining operators operational in 2013 included governmental actors (BiH Armed Forces, FBiH Civil Protection Agency, RS Civil Protection, and Brčko District Civil Protection Agency); local NGOs (UG Demira, Svijet bez mina, DOK-ING deminiranje, “Pazi mine Vitez,” Pro Vita, STOP Mines, Udruženje za eliminaciju mina, and UEM); and commercial companies (Amphibia, Detektor, N&N IVSA, and POINT). There are three international demining operators in BiH: two NGOs (INTERSOS and NPA) and one commercial company (UXB Balkans).

Since 2010, NPA has increasingly focused on building the capacity of the BiH Armed Forces’ Demining Battalion. NPA’s own strategic plan foresees withdrawal from BiH mine action in March 2015. However, given the slow progress of clearance in BiH, it is considering extending its mine action program, depending on donor support.[41] Handicap International (HI) ended its mine action activities in BiH at the end of 2012 and had closed down its office by March 2013.[42] HI withdrew from BiH as part of an effort to focus on countries with lower human development indices.[43]

In 2013, INTERSOS conducted mine clearance and MRE in Sarajevo and Mostar, with funding from Italian Cooperation and the city of Ilijas. INTERSOS also implemented MRE in Pale Praca Municipality, reaching 500 beneficiaries.  INTERSOS reported that it had “completed its mission in Bosnia” at the end of 2013, stating that “since many other local NGOs and international companies are active in the country, the presence of an international emergency NGO such as INTERSOS is no longer necessary.”[44]

Land Release

BiH released a total of 44.3km2 of mined area in 2013, 57% of the amount achieved in 2012 and less than a third of the amount planned. Of the total, nearly three-quarters (33km2) was cancelled by non-technical survey (NTS). A further 9km2 was released by technical survey (TS), more than in 2012, while full clearance accounted for almost 1.9km2, also an increase on the previous year,[45] but only one-fifth of what had been planned. This is not an impressive return on more than US$20 million of funding. Moreover, at current rates of output, it may take several decades to clear BiH of mine contamination.

Mine clearance in 2009–2013 (km2)

Year

Mined area cleared

 2013

1.89

2012

1.30

2011

3.13

2010

2.35

2009

1.94

Total

10.61

Survey in 2013

BHMAC conducted general/non-technical and technical survey over a total area of almost 125km2 in 2013, about 64% of the target (195km2), releasing 42km2, most through non-technical survey (78%).[46] BHMAC reported that 14 organizations carried out 163 technical survey tasks over a total area of 11.83km2, releasing 9.17km2.[47] A total of 52 persons were employed in 22 survey teams in 2013.[48] In 2014, NPA noted that releasing large areas of land through non-technical survey is “becoming more and more difficult” and that applying other methods including targeted technical survey will make possible more efficient land release.[49]

Release of mined areas in 2013

Total area released (km²)

Area canceled by NTS (km2)

Area released by TS (km2)

Area cleared (km2)

Antipersonnel mines destroyed

Antivehicle mines destroyed

UXO destroyed

44.32

33.26

9.17

1.89

1,700

100

941

 

Mine clearance in 2013

Twenty-eight organizations were accredited with BHMAC for demining at the end of 2013 with a total staff of 1,529, of whom 1,115 were deminers.[50] However, only 18 organizations participated in clearance operations in 2013. More than half of them engaged in small tasks, clearing less than 100,000m2 during the year.

Overall, operators cleared a total of 1.89km2, well below the 2009–2019 mine action strategy target of 9.27km2.[51]

BHMAC attributed the shortfall to “lack of funding.”[52] It said it had planned mine action expenditure of BAM80.00 million (US$54 million), but actual spending had amounted to less than half that figure, reaching only BAM35.50 million ($24 million), of which BAM16.7 million ($11.36 million, or 81%) came from national sources and the balance from international donors.[53] Analysis shows that BiH provides a larger proportion of its national GDP to mine action than many other mine-affected countries.[54] Nevertheless, analysis by NPA shows that in the first five years of the 2009–2019 strategy, international donors contributed almost 95% of the planned funding commitments. In fact, the main shortfall has been in national funding: 35% short of the targets set out in the 10-year mine action strategy.

Mine clearance in 2013[55]

Operator

Area cleared (m2)

Antipersonnel mines destroyed

Antivehicle mines destroyed

NPA

126,870

209

3

UEM

290,765

182

5

INTERSOS

54,313

98

37

Pro Vita

32,256

130

3

“Pazi Mine”

50,922

39

1

UG Demira

217,851

87

15

DOK-ING

115,455

120

2

Svijet bez mina

21,029

0

0

STOP Mines

270,074

195

21

Amphibia

10,964

5

0

N&N IVSA

327,949

155

6

UXB Balkans

3,291

45

0

Point Ltd. Brcko

38,087

18

1

Detektor

45,640

41

0

FBiH Civil Protection Agency

139,612

133

0

RS Civil Protection

81,063

44

1

District Brcko Civil Protection Agency

0

0

0

BiH Armed Forces

65,352

199

5

Total

1,891,493

1,700

100

Quality management

In 2013, quality assurance inspectors issued 22 decisions to shut down work, four decisions ordering demining to be repeated, and one decision revoking demining authorization.[56] Tests of 342 detectors found 59 (17%) not working, an extremely high figure. Inspectors also tested 108 mine detection dog teams, passing 89 and failing three. They also evaluated six machines and the equipment and assets of 27 accredited operators.[57]

Article 5 Compliance

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the 10-year extension request granted by States Parties in 2008), BiH is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2019.

There is broad agreement in the BiH mine action community that BiH is highly unlikely to complete clearance by 2019.[58] Government and NGO officials raised concerns that political problems at state level were preventing the development of an enabling mine action policy framework.[59] In 2013, as in all the years since it received the extension to its initial Article 5 deadline, BiH fell far short of its land release targets. As a result, five years into its extension period, BiH had achieved only 55% of the land release planned for this period and less than a quarter of planned clearance. It is facing decades of work to fulfil its Article 5 obligations. A representative of the Demining Commission admitted “doubt” that BiH could meet the “deadline by which we were required to clean BiH of mines.”[60]

The BiH government has stated that completion of clearance and land release will “largely depend” on availability of funding.[61] Operators are using less than half of available human resources; lack of consistent funding throughout the years “has a particularly bad effect on commercial and non-governmental” demining organizations.[62] BHMAC has expressed concern that timing donor awards to tenders in the autumn means that demining activities are interrupted by the winter, reducing the efficiency of clearance; ideally, tenders should be awarded in late winter to take advantage of the spring season.[63] According to BHMAC, closer donor monitoring of tasks they fund—put in place in response to concerns about mismanagement—also slows down task allocation.[64]

BHMAC hopes further funds will be made available by municipalities.[65] However, the BiH government acknowledges that a “financial boost” in the next five years is “improbable.” Thus BHMAC believes improved technologies and amendments to the standard operating procedures for mine action, to be adopted by the end of 2014, will help to accelerate TS and land release.[66] However, as expressed by one NGO representative, BiH “still has a really big chunk” of land that requires full clearance. It is uncertain whether improvements to survey methods will speed clearance of the core areas of contamination.[67]

Clearance of cluster munition contaminated areas in 2013

NPA, the only operator accredited in BiH for clearance and survey of cluster munitions, released a total of 2.35km2 in 2013, 90% of this through non-technical and technical survey.[68]

Release of SHAs/CHAs containing cluster munition remnants in 2013

No. of areas released

Area cancelled by non-technical survey (m2)

Area released by technical survey (m2)

Area cleared (m2)

No. of U-SUBs destroyed

No. of APMs destroyed

No. of antivehicle mines destroyed

No. of UXO destroyed

13

1,311,064

797,088

243,399

214

0

0

16

Note: U-SUBS = unexploded submunitions

In 2014, NPA expected to release about 3.1km2 of cluster munition-affected land, of which about 2.1km2 was to be through non-technical survey and the rest through technical survey and clearance.[69]

During 2013, BiH adopted chapter XVI of the BiH Mine Action Standard, regarding clearance and technical survey of areas contaminated by cluster munitions. It also drafted a Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) for general survey of cluster munition-contaminated areas.[70]

Compliance with Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions

Under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, BiH is required to destroy all cluster munition remnants in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2021. The government has not assigned responsibility for clearing cluster munitions—this would require an updated Demining Law—but NPA is supporting BHMAC in deciding how to address the problem.[71]

NPA has begun training the BiH Army’s Demining Battalion in cluster munition clearance and hopes the government Civil Protection units will get involved soon.[72]

The limited extent of submunition contamination and the rate of progress made in survey and clearance suggests BiH should be able to fulfill its Article 4 obligations within the initial 10-year deadline. BHMAC hopes it can complete clearance of all known cluster munition contamination by 2015.[73]

Support for Mine Action

National and international donors provided more than US$24.7 million of mine action funding in 2013, an increase on 2012 (US$22.05 million), which BHMAC said explained the slight increase in land cleared.[74] BHMAC stated that it expected a similar level of funding for 2014.[75]

Recommendations

·         Act quickly to restore public and donor confidence in BiH demining by establishing a solid policy framework for mine action through passing a new Demining Law and increasing national funding.

·         Secure ongoing commitment of funding from international donors, encouraging them to commit to long-term grants that enable efficient planning of clearance.

·         Develop new SOPs for technical survey and land release.

 



[1] See “Mine Action Program Performance” for more information on performance indicators.

[4] Ibid.

[5] BHMAC, “Press Release 23.05.2014,” 23 May 2014.

[6] UN Office of the Resident Coordinator, BiH, “Bosnia and Herzegovina – Flood Situation Report No. 3,” 20 May 2014.

[8] UN Office of the Resident Coordinator, BiH, “Bosnia and Herzegovina – Flood Situation Report No. 3,” 20 May 2014; ACAPS, “Floods in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia,” 23 May 2014; UN Office of the Resident Coordinator, BiH, “Bosnia and Herzegovina – Flood Situation Report No. 5,” 25 May 2014; BHMAC, “Press Release 19.05.2014 at 12.00,” 19 May 2014; and BHMAC, “Warning – Floods and Landslides Might Cause Shifting of Minefields,” 16 May 2014.

[9] Email from Amir Mujanovic, Executive Director, Landmine Survivors Initiatives, 26 May 2014.

[13] BHMAC, “Press Release 22.05.2014,” 22 May 2014.

[16] NPA, “Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Sarajevo, undated but 2010, provided by email from Darvin Lisica, Programme Manager, NPA, 3 June 2010.

[17] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form F, 20 August 2011, pp. 20–21.

[19] Interview with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 1 March 2012.

[20] European Court of Human Rights, Sejdić and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Judgment, 22 December 2009. See also “The Sejdic-Finci question,” The Economist, 9 October 2013.

[21] Email from Mustafa Pasalic, Demining Commissioner, BiH, 5 May 2014.

[22] Bosnia and Herzegovina Official Gazette, Sarajevo, 17 March 2002.

[23] BHMAC, “Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Annual Report 2011,” adopted by the Demining Commission, May 2012, p. 22; and email from Tarik Serak, BHMAC, 6 May 2014.

[24]Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Strategy 2009–2019,” adopted by the State Ministry Council during its 45th Session, Sarajevo, 24 April 2009.

[25] Interviews with official of donor government, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014; and with Radosav Zivkovic, STOP Mines, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014.

[26] Darko Momic, “Uklanjanje mina ne sme tretirati konfuzan zakon,” Republika Srpska Press, 22 November 2012.

[27] Interviews with Tarik Serak, Chief of Mine Action Management department, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 18 April 2014; and with official of a donor government, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014.

[28] Email from Mustafa Pasalic, Demining Commissioner, BiH, 5 May 2014.

[29] Almir Terzic, “Koliko su čelna mjesta u institucijama BiH privatizirana: Decenije u direktorskim foteljama,” Oslobodjenje, 22 October 2013; and A. De Noni, “Déminage en Bosnie-Herzégovine : une situation toujours explosive,” Le Courrier des Balkans, 3 May 2014.

[30] Ministry of Civil Affairs, “Zakon o Protivminskom Djelovanju u Bosni i Hercegovini,” September 2012.

[31] S. Mijatovic. “Reketiranje i Deminiranje: Istraga u Centru za uklanjanje mina,” Slobodna Bosna, 29 March 2014; A. Ducic. “Gavran prijavljen za reket i namještanje tendera,” Dnevni Avaz, 9 April 2014; Danica Popovic, “Pretresen BH MAC, sumnja se na criminal,” Nezavisne Novine; Fena, “Po nalogu Tužilaštva BiH uhapšen Dušan Gavran, direktor BH MAC-a,” Buka; Dzenana Halimovic, “Skandal sa Centrom za deminiranje u BiH: Od mita do reketa,” Radio Free Europe; and A. De Noni, “Déminage en Bosnie-Herzégovine : une situation toujours explosive.”

[32] English translation in: Elvira Jukic. “Bosnia De-Mining Boss Grilled Over Corruption Claims,” Balkan Insight, 25 April 2014; and original document: State Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Upućen Prijedlog za Određivanje Mjere Pritvora za Osumnjičenog Dušana Gavrana (1958),” 25 April 2014.

[33] Elvira M. Jukic, “Bosnia De-Mining Boss Grilled Over Corruption Claims,” Balkan Insight, 25 April 2014.

[34] Interview with Radosav Zivkovic, STOP Mines, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014.

[35] Interview with Tarik Serak, Sarajevo, 18 April 2014.

[36] Email from Mustafa Pasalic, Demining Commissioner, BiH, 5 May 2014.

[37] FENA, “Dušan Gavran pušten iz pritvora,” Nezavisne Novine, 12 May 2014.

[38] Statement of BiH, Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2013, p. 2.

[39] Ibid., pp. 2–3.

[40] Interview with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 18 April 2014.

[41] Interview with Amela Balic, Operations Manager, NPA, Vogosca, 17 April 2014; and email, 18 April 2014.

[42] HI United Kingdom (UK), “Bosnia and Herzegovina,” 2013; and email from Tom Shelton, Communication Officer, HI UK, 15 May 2014.

[43] Email from Emmanuel Sauvage, former Programme Coordinator, HI, 20 May 2014.

[44] INTERSOS, “Bosnia: On Going Intervention,” 2013; and email from Guido Pietrosanti, INTERSOS, Regional Coordinator for the Balkans, 20 May 2014.

[45] BHMAC, “Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Annual Report 2013,” April 2014, pp. 10 and 22–23.

[46] Ibid., pp. 8 and 10.

[47] Ibid., pp. 10–12; and email from Tarik Serak, BHMAC, 6 May 2014.

[48] Email from Tarik Serak, BHMAC, 6 May 2014.

[49] Interview with Amela Balic, NPA, Vogosca, 17 April 2014.

[51] Ibid., p. 24.

[52] Ibid., p. 3.

[53] Ibid., p. 23. Average exchange rate for 2013: BAM1.4727=US$1, Oanda.com.

[54] NPA, “Humanitarian Disarmament Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” PowerPoint presentation, 17 April 2014.

[56] Ibid., p. 17.

[57] Ibid., pp. 17–18.

[58] Interviews with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 18 April 2014; with Radosav Zivkovic, STOP Mines, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014; with Amela Balic, NPA, Vogosca, 17 April 2014; and with official of donor government, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014.

[59] Interviews with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 18 April 2014; and with Radosav Zivkovic, STOP Mines, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014.

[60] Email from Mustafa Pasalic, Demining Commissioner, BiH, 5 May 2014.

[61] Statement of BiH, Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 December 2013, p. 2.

[62] Ibid.

[63] Interview with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 18 April 2014.

[64] Interview with official of a donor government, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014.

[65] Interview with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 18 April 2014.

[66] Ibid.

[67] Interview with Radosav Zivkovic, STOP Mines, Sarajevo, 17 April 2014.

[68] Email from Amela Balic, NPA, 18 April 2014.

[69] Ibid.

[70] BHMAC, “Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Annual Report 2013,” April 2014, p. 18.

[71] Telephone interview with Darvin Lisica, NPA, 1 August 2011; interviews with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Sarajevo, 18 January 2011; and with Amela Balic, NPA, Vogosca, 17 April 2014.

[72] Interview with Amela Balic, NPA, Vogosca, 17 April 2014.

[73] Ibid.; and with Tarik Serak, BHMAC, Geneva, 17 April 2013.

[74] Email from Tarik Serak, BHMAC, 6 May 2014.

[75] Ibid.


Last Updated: 19 October 2014

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Action points based on findings

·         More progress needs to be made to improve the quality and sustainability of services for survivors and other persons with disabilities including by upgrading community-based rehabilitation (CBR) centers.

·         Discrimination based on the cause of disability persisted and needs to be addressed, as certain categories of civilians with disabilities were not receiving adequate assistance on an equal basis with others.

·         The national casualty database should be regularly updated as planned and shared with appropriate actors and government authorities so that the data is used to improve victim assistance coordination and access to services for survivors and other people with disabilities.

Victim assistance commitments

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is responsible for significant numbers of landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other explosive remnants of war (ERW) who are in need. BiH has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty and Convention on Conventional Weapons Protocol V, and has victim assistance obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Casualties

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2013

8,319 mine/ERW casualties (1,833 killed; 6,039 survivors; 447 unknown)

Casualties in 2013

13 (2012: 12)

2013 casualties by outcome

3 killed; 10 injured (2012: 3 killed; 9 injured)

2013 casualties by device type

4 antipersonnel landmine; 6 ERW; 3 unknown device type

Details and trends

In 2013, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center (BHMAC) reported 13 mine/ERW casualties in BiH: six boys, six men, and one woman. Boys made up half of all civilian casualties.[1] Twelve casualties recorded in 2013 were civilians and one was a deminer. The 2012 casualty total of 12[2] had been significantly less than the 22 mine/ERW casualties recorded in 2011 but was similar to the 14 recorded for 2010.[3]

For the period 1992–2013, BHMAC recorded a total of 8,319 mine/ERW casualties: 1,833 killed, 6,039 survivors, and 447 unknown. From 1997 to the end of 2013, BHMAC recorded 115 casualties among humanitarian deminers.[4]

Cluster munition casualties

BiH reported having identified 230 cluster munition casualties according to preliminary data, out of which 44 civilians were killed and 181 were injured; one deminer was killed and four were injured. The data is not disaggregated by age or sex.[5] At least 86 casualties during cluster munitions strikes were identified in BiH in 1995.[6]

Victim Assistance

There were at least 6,039 mine/ERW survivors in BiH.

Victim assistance since 1999[7]

From 1999–2004, most victim assistance targeting mine/ERW survivors was provided by international NGOs without adequate coordination, often resulting in unsystematic service provision. Until 2003, no overall coordination mechanism existed. As post-conflict funding for NGO efforts began to wane after 2004, so did the international support for victim assistance. In 2009, a centralized database on survivors was developed from data provided by national and international NGOs, but the final database was found to be incomplete and inconsistent.

Medical assistance has been adequate since 2004, despite an overall dependence on international aid as a result of the conflict. Improvements have mainly been made in emergency response services, again due to international donor contributions. During the period, the quality of physical rehabilitation services remained variable, but overall satisfactory, despite incomplete rehabilitation teams, a lack of personnel trained to international standards, and a complex bureaucracy.

Government capacity to finance rehabilitation services has improved since 1999. State-run social centers and a network of CBR centers in 64 municipalities that have been created since 1998 provided psychosocial support as well as physical rehabilitation. These continued to endure a lack of capacity and community awareness. NGOs also provided this type of support.

Persistent gaps in economic reintegration remained during the entire period, partly due to high unemployment in general and unemployment of persons with disabilities at around 85%. Almost all of the economic reintegration activities were carried out by NGOs. However, the two entity governments—the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska—introduced specific funds for persons with disabilities in 2007 and in 2011. Disability legislation existed but was not sufficiently enforced. Services for disabled military persons and pensioners were better than those for civilians.

Services provided by NGOs decreased from 2009 through the end of 2013, mainly linked with the ongoing decline in international funding.

In 2014, catastrophic flooding affected a significant number of landmine survivors (about half of all known survivors according to early reports) and their families, some of whom lost their homes and other resources. The flooding disrupted victim assistance and other mine action activities, including emergency marking in many of the flooded areas. There was no specific assistance to mine/ERW survivors or other persons with disabilities during the response as the help provided to the affected population was not selective. In media statements, BHMAC urged special attention to the needs of mine/ERW survivors.[8]

Assessing victim assistance needs

The national database maintained by BHMAC includes results of a survivor needs assessment compiled in 2009. Data was available for use by victim assistance service providers on request. However, data lacked detailed information and was not usable for planning or analysis.[9]

Victim assistance coordination[10]

Government coordinating body/focal point

Mine Ban Treaty: BHMAC, as chair of the Landmine Victim Assistance (LMVA) Working Group

Convention on Cluster Munitions: not noted in reporting

Coordinating mechanism

LMVA Working Group, including service providers, relevant ministries, NGOs, and international organizations

Plan

Victim Assistance Sub-Strategy 2009–2019

Coordination through the Landmine Victim Assistance (LMVA) Working Group, hosted by BHMAC, primarily consisted of information sharing by victim assistance actors. The main tasks of the LMVA Working Group were to promote the needs of survivors and the coordination, monitoring, and approval of the implementation of those victim assistance projects that received international donor funding. The group was also involved in the approval of statements for international meetings.[11] In 2013, there were three coordination meetings of the LMVA Working Group, as well as several individual meetings, with the aim of improving implementation of assistance to mine/ERW survivors.[12]

In 2013, as recommended by external actors, the Victim Assistance Sub-Strategy 2009–2019 was revised as the Victim Assistance Sub-Strategy 2014–2019, in consultation with survivors’ representative organizations.[13]

There is no body with a mandate to monitor the implementation of the sub-strategy, and NGOs were not actively monitoring it. BHMAC itself does not have a monitoring mechanism to follow the implementation of the sub-strategy and all information related to implementation of the sub-strategy was obtained from voluntary reporting of NGO activities. BHMAC is not authorized to monitor the government activities in regard to the implementation of relevant legislation. However, other actors in the government sector regularly report on the progress of the implementation of legislation.[14]

BiH made a detailed statement on victim assistance at the Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in December 2013. BiH provided information on victim assistance in its Mine Ban Treaty and Convention and Cluster Munitions Article 7 reporting for calendar year 2013.[15]

Participation and inclusion in victim assistance

Mine/ERW survivors and their representative organizations were included in the LMVA Working Group and survivors were included in the implementation of services through NGOs.[16]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[17]

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

Changes in quality/coverage of service in 2013

Ministry of Health, Federation of BiH

Government

Public health services; CBR

Ongoing

 

Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Republika Srpska

Government

Public Health Services; CBR

Fund for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, Republika Srpska

Government

Employment and training

Fund for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, Federation of BiH

Government

Employment and training

Amputee Association (Udruženje Amputiraca, UDAS)

National NGO

Social and economic inclusion, information services, and legal advice

Center for Development and Support (Centar za razvoj i podrsku, CRP)

National NGO

Socioeconomic reintegration

Eco Sport Group (Eko sport grupa)

National NGO

Water sports, psychological/physical rehabilitation, social integration

Landmine Survivors Initiatives (LSI)

National NGO

Peer support, referrals, social and economic inclusion activities, survivors and disability rights campaigns, raising profile of the national Council for Persons With Disabilities

Posavina With No Mines (Posavina Bez Mina)

National NGO

Economic inclusion

STOP Mines, Pale

National NGO

Economic inclusion

Hope 87

International NGO

Social inclusion; education and training

Started new e-learning project

Miracles Center for Prosthesis and Care, Mostar

International NGO

Prosthetics and rehabilitation

Ongoing

Medical care and rehabilitation

CBR centers continued to provide services to mine/ERW survivors but required renovation, upgrades, and an expansion of the services offered.[18]

Economic and social inclusion

Despite an overall decrease in the availability of economic inclusion activities, a number of projects were implemented in 2013. Economic inclusion projects were implemented by the Center for Development and Support and LSI.[19] The Center for Development and Support and LSI jointly implemented a “best practice model” for the employment of persons with disabilities project in Tuzla Canton.[20] In addition to assisting ongoing peer support beneficiaries, the LSI peer support program also reached 59 previously unassisted survivors for the first time in 2013, 40 of whom had not yet been registered in the national casualty data base. Part of LSI’s 2013 project was small business training focused on female mine/ERW survivors and women with disabilities.

The NGO Hope 87 launched a new e-learning program for mine/ERW survivors in October 2013.[21] In 2013, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland (ASB) began calls for tenders for livestock for mine/ERW survivors through a €1 million project on the socioeconomic empowerment of survivors funded through the European Union’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). In discussion with BHMAC, available information was analyzed on potential beneficiaries in 20 municipalities to be included in the project.[22]

Laws and policies

The National Council for Persons with Disabilities includes 10 representatives of persons with disabilities and 10 representatives of state and entity ministries. NGOs lobbied for improvement and implementation of the legal framework for persons with disabilities. Legislation was reportedly relatively well-regulated but was not actually implemented in practice. No representative organizations of mine/ERW survivors were on the council, though there were representative of disabled veterans organizations and civilian war victims’ organizations.[23] LSI was primarily responsible for building the capacities of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities; activities were finalized in 2013.[24]

The Federation of BiH has a strategy for people with disabilities (2010–2014) and Republika Srpska has a strategy for persons with disabilities (2010–2015). However, the implementation of the entities’ strategies remained weak.[25] BiH’s initial report on the rights of persons with disabilities under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) 2012 noted that “the area of social welfare in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not resolved well, it does not even provide minimum security to citizens and does not define a social minimum for persons with disability either.”[26] Some limited steps were taken in 2013 to harmonize the social protection systems of the Cantons of the Federation of BiH and introduce a social minimum for financial benefits. The implementation of the social protection legislative framework remains weak in both the Federation and Republika Srpska.[27]

Entitlement to rights and benefits for the disabled is still based on status, not on needs. There remained clear discrimination between different categories of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities resulting from military service during the 1992–1995 conflict were given a privileged status above civilian war victims and persons who were born with disabilities..[28]

BiH has reported that “Bosnia and Herzegovina with its entities implements standard procedures related to care on persons with disabilities. In these government programs, cluster munitions victims are equal with other disabled people and they receive help that is regulated by legal acts of governmental institutions for this field. Discrimination in this matter does not exist.”[29]

Legislation at all levels prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. However, in practice there was discrimination against persons with disabilities in all the areas of employment, education, access to healthcare, transportation, and the provision of other state services.[30] In its initial reporting to the CRPD, BiH reported that “The most important mechanism in protection from discrimination is the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination.”[31] However, the European Commission (EC) reported that the anti-discrimination law is in place but does not include disability as a category for discrimination. The law allows for a broad range of exceptions and only limited steps have been taken to ensure its implementation.[32]

Persons with disabilities faced poor recognition of their rights and needs for accessibility. Physical accessibility is still a major problem in BiH and is not included in the priorities for addressing the challenges faced by persons with disabilities. There are no action plans to address the removal of physical barriers.[33]

BiH has legislation to ensure physical access to persons with disabilities. In the Federation of BiH, the law mandated that all public buildings must be retrofitted to provide access and new buildings must also be accessible. In practice, however, buildings were rarely accessible to persons with disabilities, including several government buildings. Republika Srpska had comparable laws for public accessibility, but few older public buildings were accessible. Human rights NGOs reported that many new public buildings continued to be built without access for persons with disabilities.[34]

BiH ratified the CRPD on 12 March 2010.

 



[1] Email from Dejan Babalj, Victim Assistance Officer, BHMAC, 12 February 2014.

[2] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Esher Sadagic, Senior Associate, Victim Assistance, BHMAC, 27 May 2013.

[3] BHMAC, “Annual Report 2011” (“Izvještaj o protivminskom djelovanju u Bosni i Hercegovini za 2011. Godinu”), Sarajevo, 2012, p. 6.

[4] Email from Esher Sadagic, BHMAC, 30 July 2014. According to BHMAC, survivors who had died of other causes since the mine/ERW incident were not included in the final data. Interview with Zoran Grujić, BHMAC, in Geneva, 24 June 2010.

[5] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form H.

[6] Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels: Handicap International [HI], May 2007), p. 60. Some 60 more casualties were reported during an aerial strike in which cluster munitions were used along with other weapons.

[7] See previous country reports and country profiles on the Monitor website; and Voices from the Ground: Landmine and Explosive Remnants of War Survivors Speak Out on Victim Assistance, (Brussels: HI, September 2009), pp. 40–41.

[8] Email from Esher Sadagic, BHMAC, 14 July 2014; and Landmine Survivors Initiatives (LSI), “Massive floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

[9] Statement of BiH, Mine Ban Treaty Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 3 December 2013; statement of BiH, Convention on Cluster Munitions Working Group on Victim Assistance, Geneva, 16 April 2012; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2011), Form H.

[10] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2011), Form H.

[11] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Esher Sadagic, BHMAC, 27 May 2013.

[12] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form J; and BHMAC, “Annual Report 2013” (“Izvještaj o protivminskom djelovanju u Bosni i Hercegovini za 2013. Godinu”), Sarajevo, 2014, p. 16.

[13] Statement of BiH, Mine Ban Treaty Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 3 December 2013.

[14] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Esher Sadagic, BHMAC, 27 May 2013.

[15] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form J; and Convention and Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form H.

[16] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Esher Sadagic, BHMAC, 27 May 2013.

[17] BHMAC, “Annual Report 2013” (“Izvještaj o protivminskom djelovanju u Bosni i Hercegovini za 2013. Godinu”), Sarajevo, 2013, p. 16–17; International Trust Fund: Enhancing Human Security (ITF), “Annual Report 2013,” Ljubljana, 2014, pp. 39–41; and see Eco Sport Group; UDAS, “Projects,”; Hope 87, Bosnia and Herzegovina: “‘The Power of Knowledge’ - Launch of a new e-learning platform for mine victims,” 28 October 2013; and Moc zanaja, “Courses,” (Power of knowledge).

[18] Statement of BiH, Mine Ban Treaty Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 3 December 2013.

[19] Ibid.; and BHMAC, “Annual Report 2013” (“Izvještaj o protivminskom djelovanju u Bosni i Hercegovini za 2013. Godinu”), Sarajevo, 2014, p. 16.

[20] LSI, “Current Projects,” 14 October 2009.

[21] Hope 87, Bosnia and Herzegovina: “‘The Power of Knowledge’ - Launch of a new e-learning platform for mine victims,” 28 October 2013; and Moc zanaja, “Courses,” (Power of knowledge).

[22] ASB South Eastern Europe, “Tender Opportunities,”; EU and the Mine Ban Treaty Implementation Support Unit, “The European Union’s support to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention,” p. 15; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report (for calendar year 2013), Form J.

[23] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Esher Sadagic, BHMAC, 27 May 2013; and statement of BiH, Mine Ban Treaty Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 3 December 2013.

[24] Statement of BiH, Mine Ban Treaty Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 3 December 2013.

[25] European Commission (EC), “Bosnia and Herzegovina 2012 Progress Report: Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2012–2013,” Brussels, 10 October 2012, pp. 18–19.

[26] BiH, “Initial Report on the Implementation of the UN Convention” (“Inicijalni izvještaj o primjeni UN Konvencije”), May 2012, p. 13, cited in UNDP, “What Does It Take to Absorb the Convention on Cluster Munitions? The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Sarajevo, April 2012, p. 33.

[27] EC, “Bosnia and Herzegovina 2013 Progress Report,” (extract from the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council “Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2013-2014,” COM(2013)700 final), p. 18.

[28] United States (US) Department of State, “2013 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Washington, DC, 27 February 2014.

[29] Convention and Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form H.

[30] US Department of State, “2013 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Washington, DC, 27 February 2014.

[31] BiH, “CRPD-C-BH-1,” October 2012. The law is found in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina, No. 59/09.

[32] EC, “Bosnia and Herzegovina 2012 Progress Report: Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2012–2013,” Brussels, 10 October 2012, p. 19.

[33] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Esher Sadagic, BHMAC, 27 May 2013.

[34] US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Washington, DC, 16 April 2013.


Last Updated: 22 November 2013

Support for Mine Action

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), both national and international contributions were less in 2012 than in 2011. In 2012, the government contributed BAM16.8 million (US$11 million), a reduction of approximately 20% compared to 2011.[1] In its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline Extension Request in 2008, BiH committed to providing BAM20 million ($13 million) per year, and raising another BAM40 million ($26 million) from other local sources.[2] It has not met these targets by a large margin and, in 2012, fell even further behind.

The national funding raised in 2012, totaling BAM16.8 million ($11 million), came from 14 local sources, including the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), the Ministry of Defense, the Bosnian Serb Republic (República Srpska, RS), the Brčko district, state utility companies, the state railway, and seven municipalities. The FBiH budget allocates funds to the BiH Mine Action Center (BHMAC) and the army, while cantons contribute to local Civil Protection Agency demining operations. In the Brčko district and the RS, funding also goes through the local Civil Protection Agency.[3]

National contributions: 2012[4]

National Local Sources

Amount (BAM)

Amount ($)

Council of Ministers (BHMAC)

5,839,734

3,839,625

Council of Ministers (Ministry of Defense)

3,272,850

2,151,899

Council of Ministers (Ministry of Justice)

33,735

22,181

Brčko district

1,008,793

663,281

FBiH

4,108,565

2,701,381

RS

2,046,000

1,345,245

Ministry of Health and Social Protection

36,070

23,716

Illitza Municipality

179,727

118,171

Public Enterprise Elektroprivreda BiH (electric utility of BiH)

20,719

13,623

BH Elektropruenos

59,641

39,214

BH Telecom

20,100

13,216

BH Railways

202,789

133,334

Limestone mine “Vijenac” Lukavac

31,999

21,039

ZP “Elektro Doboj”

16,848

11,078

Total

16,877,570

11,097,002

Summary of national contributions: 2008–2012[5]

Year

National contribution (BAM)

National contribution ($)

2012

16,877,750

11,097,002

2011

20,616,370

14,685,070

2010

26,514,824

17,957,890

2009

21,718,346

15,441,412

2008

20,100,000

15,043,784

Total

105,827,290

74,225,158

In 2012, international contributions toward mine action in BiH totaled $9.1 million, a decrease of 27% from 2011. The largest contributions were from Norway (NOK17 million/$2.9 million), the United States (US) ($2.3 million), and Germany (€1.3 million/$1.69 million).[6]

International contributions: 2012[7]

Donor

Sector

Amount (national currency)

Amount ($)

Norway

Clearance, victim assistance

NOK17,030,985

2,927,242

US

Clearance

$2,300,000

2,300,000

Germany

Clearance

€1,315,916

1,692,136

Japan

Clearance

¥66,793,855

836,806

Switzerland

Clearance

CHF530,000

565,213

Canada

Clearance, victim assistance

C$492,746

492,992

Italy

Clearance

€200,000

257,180

Luxembourg

Clearance

€85,342

109,741

Total

 

 

9,181,310

Since 2008, international assistance to BiH has steadily declined by 63% (some $15.4 million), regardless of the fact that BiH is far off-track from meeting its Article 5 obligations by 2019 and will be unable to meet its obligations without international support. While national contributions have been steadier, despite the 25% decline in the US dollar value of its contribution in 2012, the combined annual expenses nevertheless fall far below the targets set in BiH’s Article 5 Extension Request that assesses annual funding needs from national and international sources combined as approximately BAM80 million ($52 million) per year.[8]

A decrease in all victim assistance services provided by NGOs continued in 2012, mainly linked with the ongoing decline in international funding; however, there were continued improvements in the quality and availability of state services.[9]

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[10]

Year

National contribution (BAM)

National contribution ($)

International contribution ($)

Total contribution ($)

2012

16,877,750

11,097,002

9,181,310

20,278,312

2011

20,616,370

14,685,070

12,637,440

27,322,510

2010

26,514,824

17,957,890

11,845,607

29,803,497

2009

21,718,346

15,441,412

18,513,072

33,954,484

2008

20,100,000

15,043,784

24,550,453

39,594,237

Total

105,827,290

74,225,158

76,727,882

150,953,040

 

 



[1] Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Center (BHMAC), “Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Annual Report 2012,” 25 March 2012, p. 24.

[2] Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 27 June 2008, p. 16.

[3] BHMAC, “Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Annual Report 2011,” 25 March 2012.

[4] Average exchange rate for 2012: BAM1.5209=US$1. Oanda, www.oanda.com.

[6] ITF Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2012, Slovenia, 2013, p. 36; Canada, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April 2013; Germany, Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Protocol II, Form B, 22 March 2013; Italy Financial Tracking System, Reliefweb, fts.unocha.org/pageloader.aspx?page=search-reporting_display&CQ=cq240413220104Nk8VOBnyzx; Japan, CCW, Amended Protocol II, 28 March 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire by Ingunn Vatne, Senior Advisor, Department for Human Rights, Democracy and Humanitarian Assistance, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 April 2013; response to Monitor questionnaire by Claudia Moser, Section for Multilateral Peace Policy, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland, 22 March 2013; and email from Megan Burke, Survivor Network Project, 23 May 2013.

[7] Average exchange rate for 2012: C$0.9995=US$1; €1=US$1.2859; ¥79.82=US$1; NOK5.8181=US$1; CHF0.9377=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2013.

[8] Mine Ban Treaty, Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 27 June 2008, p. 16.