Photo: © Christian Kruppa
Zagreb, November 11, 2022
The Youth Initiative for Human Rights participated in the Civil Society & Think Tank Forum within the Berlin Process.
The Civil Society & Think Tank Forum is a conference supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and organized by the Aspen Institute and the Southeast Europe Association. This conference enables civil society representatives from the Western Balkans to present policy recommendations to decision-makers from the region and other European countries.
At the panel "Dealing with the Past and Reconciliation Efforts in the Western Balkans", Branka Vierda, program director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Croatia, informed the broader international public about the implementation of transitional justice mechanisms in Croatia. She pointed out the necessity of Croatia’s greater engagement around imposing regional reconciliation as one of the priority policies of the European Union. Finally, she highlighted the perspectives that the European Union bodies can apply for the purpose of better regional cooperation in the area of the Western Balkans.
Nataša Kandić (Humanitarian Law Fund), Kushtrim Koliqi (NGO Integra) and Jasmin Hasić (Humanity in Action BiH) also took part in the panel.
The participation of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights at the Civil Society Forum within the framework of the Berlin Process is a continuation of our international advocacy work in this area.
In 2021, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights participated in civil society conferences within the Balkan Process framework. At the "Civil Society and Think Tank Forum I: Road to Berlin", representatives of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights regional network moderated the working group "Addressing Legacies of the Past and Regional Confidence Building".
The result of the working group’s efforts was recommendations developed by experts in the field of dealing with the past in the Western Balkans from the region, Europe, and the USA, which are directed towards NGOs and think tanks of the Western Balkans, governments of the countries of the Western Balkans, and bodies and members of the European Union.
Branka Vierda presented these recommendations at the "Civil Society and Think Tank Forum II" in July 2021 as part of the "Reconciliation, Social Dialogue and Regional Confidence Building" panel.
You can read the entire report of last year's advocacy work here.
We use opportunities to advocate the implementation of transitional justice mechanisms and contribute to regional cooperation and reconciliation.