With the start of the new year, UG NEŠTO VIŠE begins the implementation of a new project, “Women Building Bridges of Peace and Sustainability,” aimed at strengthening women’s role in peacebuilding, security, and sustainable development in rural communities.
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the localization of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and peacebuilding in rural communities of Mostar, Gacko, Nevesinje, Jablanica, and Rogatica by increasing the participation, visibility, and empowerment of rural women and women with disabilities in economic, social, and civic life.
The project will work directly with 30 women from these communities, who will act as local agents of change. Through four two-day WPS-informed training events, participants will:
- strengthen their understanding of rights, WPS commitments, and local decision-making structures;
- acquire practical skills in using specific equipment and materials relevant for small-scale income-generating activities;
- build advocacy, project-writing, and leadership capacities; and
- engage in guided dialogue sessions focused on trust-building, overcoming stereotypes, and jointly identifying local priorities for peace, security, and development.
Based on this process, participants will develop a set of WPS-related priority proposals for each municipality (Mostar, Gacko, Nevesinje, Jablanica, and Rogatica). The project will then facilitate one advocacy and dialogue meeting in each municipality, where women will present their proposals to community councils, municipal representatives, and, where possible, gender equality mechanisms, directly contributing to WPS localization and women’s participation in local decision-making.
To support economic empowerment and sustainability, the project will procure equipment and materials used during the trainings, which will remain as shared community assets managed by local partners. After the project, all equipment will remain with the local NGOs from which the participants come, and it will be freely accessible to every project participant. Women from any municipality will be able to visit the community where the equipment is located and use it without charge, based on prior scheduling and agreement on availability with the hosting organization. This arrangement ensures fairness, encourages continued collaboration, and supports ongoing inter-community visits and cooperation long after the project ends.
Additionally, the project will produce four short video stories featuring women from different municipalities, documenting their learning journeys and engagement with WPS and peacebuilding. These stories will be disseminated through social and local media, promoting positive narratives about rural women, inter-ethnic cooperation, and women’s role in peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Supported by: The International Organization for Migration
