Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC)

with Bosnia and Herzegovina 1996-2013

Managing Director Brigitte Öppinger-Walchshofer Austrian Development Agency, the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation

ADC with Bosnia and Herzegovina Austria has supported Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1992 - with humanitarian aid

during the war, in reconstruction since the peace agreement of 1995 and meanwhile in

convergence with the European Union.

Since 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a priority country of Austrian

Development Cooperation.

In 1996, a Coordination Office for Technical Cooperation was established in Sarajevo.

Reconstruction Programme 1996-2004

Country Programme 2005-2007

Phasing out: Country Strategy 2011-2013

30 June 2011: closure of the Coordination Office for Technical Cooperation

As of 2013: new era of cooperation (alternative funding instruments)

Donor coordination and partner dialogueADC maintains a close dialogue with the

Bosnian and Herzegovinian government, civil society and other donors

in order to

align its programme with the national development strategy, harmonise its interventions in the selected priority areas, avoid duplications and harness potential synergies and complementarities in international development assistance.

Reconstruction Programme 1996-2004

In 1996, an extensive reconstruction programme was launched in the

following sectors:

Higher education Refugee return Water and wastewater SME promotion Human rights and democracy, public administration reform

Country Programme 2005-2007

As of 2004, Austrian Development Cooperation supports

Bosnia and Herzegovina in convergence with the European

Union by promoting the following:

Education Economic development & employment Governance as a cross-sectoral issue: fostering a common

national identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Education sectorAs good education and ongoing learning are

essential for young graduates to succeed on

national and international labour markets.

We have helped modernise our partners’

education sectors.

ADC supported the implementation of the Bologna Process by developing new and innovative curricula, returning emigrated professors as visiting professors, introducing the case study methodology in teaching and establishing a national contact point for the EU FP programmes, etc.

Economic development & employmentOur prime aim here is to improve the investment climate and promote small and medium-sized enterprises to generate new jobs and income.

Modern administration promotes economic developmentEfficient land registration is essential for successful economic activity. Together with other partners, ADC therefore promoted the modernisation of Bosnian-Herzegovinian land registration by

procuring hardware and software, developing computer-assisted databases, training court personnel and rehabilitating the land registry.

Governance

The effective and purposeful European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina

can only be achieved with strong state institutions. This is why we promoted

institutional capacity development in governance, including rule of law,

democratisation, conflict management, civil society and human rights.

ADC supported the following:

BiH State Court in prosecuting war crimes through finance for

international judges Directorate for Economic Planning in national planning Ministry of Finance and Treasury in planning administrative and control

systems for the efficient use  of public resources

Other funding instruments

ADC provided additional funding for the following:

Demining through the Demining Programme of the Austrian Ministry for

European and International Affairs Regional cooperation NGO cooperation Business partnerships

More than EUR 1.2 million in additional funding was made available per year

through these programmes.

Disbursements 1995 to 2010

Bilateral assistance by ADC:

about EUR 66 million

Official development assistance (ODA*):

about EUR 465 million

* i.e. contributions by all ministries, federal states and municipalities

Phasing out

As of mid-2011: withdrawal of Austrian Development Cooperation

from Bosnia and Herzegovina after 15 years of successful bilateral

cooperation due to good progress in EU convergence and extensive

EU support for the country via numerous Pre-Accession Assistance

instruments

30 June 2011: closure of Coordination Office

Phasing out: Country Strategy 2011-2013The main aim is the well-prepared

and successful phasing out of bilateral

Austrian Development

Cooperation programmes. The priorities are:

Education (higher education and

vocational training) Economic development and employment Governance Gender as a cross-cutting issue

Ongoing programmes will be carefully brought to a successful

conclusion and handed over to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013.

New era in bilateral cooperation

In the new era of bilateral cooperation, Austrian Development Cooperation

will encourage and help Bosnian and Herzegovinian partners to make greater

use of its alternative instruments, such as

Business partnerships NGO cooperation

These instruments will be complemented by non-ADC facilities, such as

EU twinnings Assistance from the Austrian Development Bank (Oesterreichische

Entwicklungsbank)

Beyond June 2011After the closure of the Coordination Office at the end of June 2011, a consultant for

technical cooperation at the Austrian Embassy in Sarajevo will support and monitor

project and programme implementation.

Thank you for your attention!