“The OSCE Mission to BiH is deeply concerned that political pressure on media outlets and agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the increase”, the OSCE warns in its report “BiH Media and Media Regulators Under Pressure”.

At a ceremony in Tuzla, Association Vesta and the Tuzla Youth Foundation gave out letters of gratitude and one-time 100 KM prizes to high school and university students whose essays on the topic “The youth and gender equality in BIH” were selected as the ten best.

From January 8–21, 20 women leaders from Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Bosnia, and Rwanda traveled to Cambridge, MA, and Washington, DC to learn from one another’s experiences working to moderate violent extremism and to advocate to US policymakers. The visiting leaders included government representatives, civil society leaders, journalists, and academics, with expertise ranging from Pakistani national defense strategies to Rwandan post-conflict reconciliation.

Through its EIDHR (European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights) program, the European Union provided 1.2 million EUR for 13 new projects supporting development of democracy and human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The awarded NGOs presented their projects in the premises of the Delegation of the EU in BiH, on January 27th 2009 . NGO «Vesta» from Tuzla will work on a project of gender sensibilization of the budget as part of the reform changes on the European integration path and the basis for strengthening women’s rights in BiH.

Association VESTA from Tuzla, in partnership with Udružene žene from Banja Luka, is embarking on the realization of the project “Gender sensitization of budgets as part of the reform changes towards European integration and the basis for improving the recognition of women’s rights in BIH,” aiming to contribute to strengthening of the civil society’s role in the promotion of human rights and democratic reforms in BIH, in accordance with the regulations of the process of European integration.

Marking the International Children’s Day, November 20th (Friday), as part of the three-day campaign “One day is not enough,” Association Vesta from Tuzla, with the help of the European Commission Delegation, organized an exhibition of children’s art on the topic “Children’s rights, my message to the grown-ups” in the “Sjenjak” primary school in Tuzla.

“Only one day is not enough” is the slogan of the EU funded campaign, implemented by the Association VESTA Tuzla, on the occasion of 19 November, the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and 20 November, International Children’s Rights Day.