Youth must have their place in the FBiH budget

(Patria) - The Youth Forum of Krug 99 held a session today on the topic "The Value of Youth in the Budget: Illusion or Oversight?" which was dedicated to the real position of youth in the socio-economic policies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with an emphasis on budget priorities.

Opening speakers, Member of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament and President of the Commission for Youth Affairs Adisa Kokić – Hinović, Member of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament and Deputy President of the Commission for Youth Affairs Marijana Hrvić – Šikuljak, and Secretary General of the Youth Council of FBiH Irma Rešidović, emphasized the importance of joint action by institutions and youth in the fight for a better position of this population.

They recalled that the proposed FBiH budget for 2026 initially omitted the so-called youth transfer, a budget item intended for support programs for youth and youth organizations. Although the transfer was later reinstated, as they stated, the temporary removal of youth from the budget raised the question of their actual position in the system.

The opening speakers stressed that youth in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina must have a clearly defined place in budget policies, but also that their strength lies in joint action – from the non-governmental sector, through parliamentary commissions, to the young people themselves who, through their engagement, show that they can bring about change.

President of the Commission for Youth Affairs of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament Adisa Kokić – Hinović has held this position for a year and, according to her, it is a working body that monitors legal acts of the FBiH Government related to youth, children, and family, and provides guidelines and recommendations for the creation of youth policies.

- During the preparation of the budget for 2026, the item "transfer for youth", the only budget line that directly related to youth and had existed for more than ten years, was omitted. Some say it was a mistake, some say it was done intentionally and somehow merged, as they say, with the items for sports and culture. We could not allow youth to be erased as a separate budget category - emphasized Kokić – Hinović, adding that they managed to reinstate this transfer through amendments.

Deputy President of the Commission Marijana Hrvić - Šikuljak pointed out that youth make up about a quarter of the population of BiH, while the unemployment rate among them remains high.

- Our goal from the beginning of the mandate was to bring youth back into the focus of the Parliament. The Commission directed its activities towards work, employment, education, social care, housing, and security. Through thematic sessions, we adopted more than 60 conclusions and recommendations, half of which were sent to federal institutions and half to cantons - said Hrvić – Šikuljak.

Secretary General of the Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Irma Rešidović stated that the reinstatement and increase of the transfer for youth to a record one million KM is the result of joint work by institutions and youth.

- Youth have shown that they actively follow budget processes and that they can influence decisions concerning their position. Our further focus will be on transparent application for funds and improvement of programs and policies for youth - Rešidović stated.