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High level OSCE meeting on prevention of gender based violence Željka Šulc

SARAJEVO, 12 December 2023 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) hosted a meeting to assess progress made in the implementation of six overarching commitments established to combat gender-based violence (GBV) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

In August 20203, following several highly publicized cases of domestic violence (DV), including femicide, the Mission intensified its support to institutions mandated to combat GBV. As an initial step, the Mission convened relevant stakeholders to identify and dissect systematic shortcomings, develop potential remedial mechanisms, and ensure effective co-ordination. These measures were captured in the commitments, which were reviewed today.

In light of their efforts to move this process forward and for their attendance today, the Mission would like to thank the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) of BiH; the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH; the Federation of BiH (FBiH) Minister of Interior (MoI), the Republika Srpska (RS) Ministry of Interior, the Cantonal Ministers of Interior and Ministers of Justice (MoJ); the Police and Judicial Commission of Brcko District (BD) of BiH; and senior police and governmental representatives from all levels of government.

The Mission commends the chairs of relevant FBiH parliamentary committees for their attendance and their readiness to hold the FBiH Government accountable for improving institutional responses to GBV. Legislative bodies have responsibility to ensure that institutions coordinate and standardize their responses to GBV. The Mission stands ready to co-operate with them and all other elected bodies in BiH similarly dedicating themselves to combatting GBV. 

The Mission will convene the next review meeting in spring 2024.

Commitment 1 – Legislative amendments:

Commitment 1 focuses on ensuring adequate legislative frameworks, an essential precondition for effective responses to GBV, across all jurisdictions.

To that end, the Mission commends the FBiH MoJ for establishing a Working Group(s) tasked to review and prepare amendments to the FBiH Law on Protection against DV and the FBiH Criminal Code (CC) that align with international standards, including the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention. The Mission calls upon the FBiH MoJ finalize the draft in an inclusive and transparent manner to allow for the adoption of relevant amendments by the FBiH Parliament as soon as possible. The Mission will further support the FBiH Government and Parliament in adopting the FBiH Strategy for the Prevention and Protection against DV (2023-2027) and securing the budgetary resources necessary for implementation.

The Mission commends the RS National Assembly for passing the draft RS Law on Protection from DV and Violence against Women in the first reading in November 2023 and encourages its swift and final adoption. The Mission appreciates the effective cooperation that informed the process of drafting of this law.

The Mission stands ready to support the BD of BiH Government in aligning the Law for Protection against DV and harmonizing the BD CC with international standards.

Commitment 2 – Sustainable solutions to capacity building of relevant institutions:

To respond to GBV and DV and as a necessary preventative mechanism, institutions, including law enforcement, must take effective action, as reflected in commitments 2, 3 and 4.

The Mission commends the FBiH MoI for revising, in co-operation with the Mission and other international partners, the curricula of the FBiH Police Academy, which should introduce new modules on DV, juvenile justice and GBV by the end of 2023. To ensure their implementation, as well as the highest standards of teaching, the Mission will co-operate with the FBiH MoI in developing the capacities of expert FBiH Police Academy trainers. 

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina calls on the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and relevant ministries to undertake activities within their jurisdiction as soon as possible and no later than the end of 2023 and enable the entry into force of the new Curriculum.

Commitment 3 – Continuous trainings for police:

The Mission thanks the FBiH and Cantonal MoIs for excellent co-operation in developing a model for the institutionalization of mandatory and specialised trainings on GBV for in-service police officers. The Mission calls upon the FBiH and Cantonal MoIs as well as relevant authorities in the BD of BiH to finalize and adopt policies and mechanisms; the Mission remains ready to support these processes.  

Commitment 4 – Development of guidelines for action for police officers:

The Mission commends the FBiH and Cantonal MoIs for efforts, together with the Mission, to develop flowcharts for police actions in response to reports of DV and GBV. The Mission will continously support to the FBiH and Cantonal MoIs to institutionalize and begin utilizing them.

Commitment 5 – Control of firearms in DV cases:

Reducing the potential threat of DV, including to life, requires reducing access to firearms, as reflected in Commitment 5.

The Mission commends the BiH Council of Ministers for establishing a Working Group comprised of representatives from all administrative levels in BiH for the harmonization of regulations on firearms and ammunition in BiH. The Mission reminds the FBiH and Cantonal MoIs of similar commitments made to harmonize and strengthen Cantonal legislation and regulations on issuing, possessing and controlling firearms in relation to reported DV cases. The Mission calls on the FBiH and Cantonal authorities to initiate procedures for the mandatory temporary seizure of firearms from potential perpetrators/households following a report of DV. Where already in place, such procedures to should implemented effectively and consistently.

Commitment 6 – Improvement of the justice sector response:

Per commitment 6, combatting impunity for DV and GBV requires effective and prompt responses by the judiciary.

The Mission commends the HJPC of BiH for providing, in close co-ordination with the Mission, training to improve the justice sector response to DV and GBV, including the proper application of the relevant legal provisions and enhancing police-prosecutorial cooperation. Analysis of existing practices carried out by the HJPC of BiH should enable the identification of additional training needs. Moving forward, the HJPC BiH and judicial institutions across BiH must prioritize the swift and effective processing of DV and GBV cases.

La commission des Affaires économiques et monétaires du Parlement a approuvé un projet d’avis sur la réforme des règles budgétaires de l’UE. Le texte a été soutenu par les sociaux-démocrates, les libéraux et les conservateurs, mais rejeté par les Verts et La Gauche.

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L'Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INStaD) a lancé il y a quelques semaines, la collecte des données du troisième Recensement Général des Entreprises (RGE3). Cette opération qui couvre tout le territoire national, va bientôt atteindre les marchés de Dantokpa, Missebo et Gboganou. Afin de réussir cette phase délicate, l'Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INStaD), bras opérationnel du RGE3, a tenu le vendredi 8 décembre 2023 une séance de sensibilisation avec les responsables des secteurs d'activités desdits marchés. C'était dans les locaux de la Société Gestion des Marchés Autonomes (SOGEMA).

Le chef Service des Statistiques Conjoncturelles à l'INStaD, Monsieur Symphorien BANON, a expliqué que la séance de sensibilisation participe de la démarche inclusive adoptée par l'Institut pour conduite l'opération : « Ce sont les responsables des différents secteurs qui ont été rencontrés. Nous les avons sensibilisés de sorte qui ‘ils puissent à leur tour passer le message à leurs membres et obtenir leur adhésion ». Il a également souligné que le Recensement est totalement gratuit et n'engendre pas de paiement supplémentaires d'impôts.

Présent à cette séance de sensibilisation, Arnaud AGBODJETE, Directeur Général par intérim de la Société de Gestion des Marchés Autonomes (SOGEMA), a salué la démarche participative de l'INStaD et a donné l'assurance que la structure qu'il préside appuiera les agents de terrain et l'Institut afin la collecte dans les marchés de Dantokpa, Missebo et Gbogbanou soit une réussite totale.

Très satisfaits par la séance et convaincus de l'intérêt du RGE3, les responsables des secteurs des marchés concernés ont exprimé leur disponibilité à accompagner l'opération. « A notre niveau, on a bel et bien compris le message. C'est pour cela qu'on s'est dit qu'il faut rassembler les responsables de chaque zone pour que le message puisse passer. Ces responsables iront relayer le message afin que tout le monde soit recensé », a rassuré Anastasie CHODATON, représentante des usagers des marchés sous la tutelle de la SOGEMA.

A la suite de cette séance de sensibilisation qui a abouti sur l'adhésion des responsables des secteurs et zones, les agents de collecte descendront dans lesdits marchés dans les tous prochains jours.

La Rédaction

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Jeffrey D. Sachs speaks at the ReWired Summit at COP28. Credit: X

By Joyce Chimbi
DUBAI, Dec 12 2023 (IPS)

The United State’s contribution to the Loss and Damage Fund equals nine minutes of Pentagon spending, says Jeffrey D. Sachs, a world-renowned economist, bestselling author, innovative educator, and global leader in sustainable development.

While the Loss and Damage Fund promise was made at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, this was the first major milestone announced at COP28 in Dubai. So far, pledged contributions by various countries to the World Bank-hosted Loss and Damage Fund have reached USD 700 million. While this is a major step in the right direction, there are concerns that the fund is too small and that powerful nations are not doing enough to halt the pace and rate of climate change.

“The COP process is still a formalism, not a breakthrough.  Yes, there is a new losses and damages fund, but it is tiny—USD 700 million pledged—compared to the hundreds of billions of dollars of climate-related losses each year,” Sachs says.

Estimates are that by 2030, the total estimate of loss and damage for developing countries could be between USD 290 billion and USD 580 billion; another says it is USD 400 billion per year and rising.

Africa is on the frontlines of the devastating effects of climate change, despite accounting for the smallest share of global greenhouse gas emissions—3.8 percent.

“The US pledged a measly USD 17.5 million, which equals nine minutes of Pentagon spending. All other financing remains tiny compared to the real needs.  The US and Europe are engaged in war, not in climate financing.  The wars in Ukraine and Gaza are the only things of interest to US foreign policy,” Sachs told IPS. “John Kerry is powerless in reality.  He is there to give speeches.  He has no authority to deliver any real policies.”

He says it is crucial to stop the wars; once that is done, real diplomacy could start.

“On to COP29, in a rapidly warming world of great danger.  The first priority is to stop the wars, and that requires the world community to tell the US to stop the warmongering and to force Israel to stop the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Gaza.  By stopping the wars, we could begin real climate diplomacy among the major fossil-fuel-producing countries.  The top three fossil-fuel-producing countries are China, the US, and Russia.  The three need to cooperate.  That depends on a fundamental change in US foreign policy.”

The Loss and Damage Fund refers to the economic, social, and cultural losses and damages caused by anthropogenic climate change to natural and human systems. It is a vehicle to deliver climate justice to communities disproportionately affected by climate change. The climate injustice lies in the fact that, despite a low carbon footprint, developing countries are facing the full force of climatic changes, slowly wiping out their biodiversity and destroying lives, livelihoods, and cultural heritage.

Climate change is the most serious threat facing culture today. Globally, World Heritage properties are bearing the brunt of climate change, from increasing ocean acidification, desertification, droughts, floods, and fires related to rising temperatures. Climate change is slowly eradicating the African coast and its cultural heritage; 20 percent of Africa’s heritage sites are in danger.

Communities uprooted by climate-induced disasters are losing their ways of life, including the preservation of traditions for future generations. This is the cultural cost of climate change for many vulnerable communities, particularly indigenous people, who are currently suffering greatly from severe and drastic changes in weather patterns.

Vulnerable developing nations face greater risk from climate change and lack the funds to recover from climate events that have become increasingly frequent and more severe. While some losses from climate-induced disasters are impossible to recover from, such as loss of life, the fund is expected to help build better infrastructure after a severe climatic event.

While there is wide applause for the loss and damage fund, there is also criticism that the fund’s contributions at COP28 thus far cover less than 0.2 percent of climate-induced losses in developing countries. Additionally, powerful nations are reluctant to address critical issues such as phasing out fossil fuels that could significantly slow down climate change, giving Africa and other vulnerable nations in the global South much-needed relief.

“The United States political class is not serious. China is more interested.  Only an end to the wars, followed by serious negotiations among the major fossil-fuel producers, will work. The top 10 fossil fuel producers are: China, US, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Iran, and Iraq. These 10 countries need to make serious, cooperative, and coordinated plans to phase out their production. They have not yet begun to hold such talks. In the meantime, funding for Africa is also seriously neglected,” Sachs says.

To reaffirm the 1.5°C-aligned energy transition, COP28 set out to firm up a number of ambitious goals, such as tripling global renewable energy generation capacity by 2030, doubling annual energy efficiency improvements by 2030, and an orderly decline in fossil fuel use demand by 2030, starting with no new coal plants.

The Summit further sought commitment from the oil and gas industry to align their strategies and investment portfolios with 1.5°C, with a focus on a 75 percent reduction in methane emissions by 2030. And financing mechanisms for a major scaling-up of clean energy investment in emerging and developing economies.

However, on Monday, December 11, 2023, the draft text of the agreement excluded the words “phase-out” or “phase-down” of fossil fuels, instead only promising to reduce oil and gas, and several countries, including Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, and Japan, said they would not sign what would essentially be “death certificates for many small island states.”

The first-ever global stocktake, released in October 2023 ahead of the Dubai Summit, revealed that the world is not on track to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. It is the first time that a UN climate summit has surveyed progress towards achieving the goals agreed in 2015, following the landmark Paris COP.

The stocktake report is akin to an inventory, as it looked at everything related to where the world stands on climate action and support. It provides a critical turning point. At COP28, UN member states will negotiate their response to the stocktake’s findings, looking at the state of planet Earth, and chart the best course for the survival of both planet and humankind.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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