U.S. Embassy Sarajevo’s BiH Hero of the Month is Professor Samir Lemeš, Chair of the Steering Board of “Eko-Forum Zenica” and Vice-Dean for Scientific Research at the University of Zenica Polytechnic Faculty. Along with over 25 years of academic experience and dozens of publications covering subjects ranging from 3D modeling techniques to environmental justice, Professor …

During the week of May 27th, the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program sponsored a one-week training course entitled Security Documents Identification and Verification (SDIV) to Border Police officers from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia. This course, located in Sarajevo and delivered by regional instructors from Serbia and Croatia, focuses on the forensic examination …

Our #MyHometownMyBiH video competition asked high school students to submit videos about the special things in their hometowns, from nature, to food, to culture.  We asked and they answered, with beautiful videos from every corner of Bosnia and Herzegovina!  Check out their amazing work below and please join us in congratulating Sejo Ivkovic (Jablanica), Adel …

U.S. Embassy Sarajevo and its offices – INL, ICITAP, and OPDAT – launched a public anti-corruption campaign in five cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Working with community police officers and local prosecutors — and taking advantage of the six-month “anniversary” of Embassy Sarajevo’s “Anti-Corruption Week” in December — INL sought to engage the local public …

One important element of successfully combating crime and corruption is asset forfeiture – the process law enforcement agencies use to seize property suspected of being connected to criminal activity, or things belonging to someone convicted of a crime. The U.S. Department of Justice was proud to partner with the FBiH Seized Property Management Agency to …

The Music Meeting program, organized by ESF Interethnic assistance grantee Jazz Fest of Sarajevo, is an educational program that brings together 50 young musicians and music students from throughout BiH, along with 30 peers from surrounding countries in the region. The innovative arts program leverages music as a tool to promote tolerance, coexistence and reconciliation.  …

The second annual Embassy-sponsored Zajedno Postižemo Vise (Together We Achieve More) Hackathon competition took place December 2-4 in Banja Luka, with 60 participants from across the country. Supported by an ESF Civic Education grant and implemented in partnership with Banja Luka’s IT Cluster, the program brought together students and young entrepreneurs from across BiH, to …

Congratulations to the winners of our “Stvaram promjenu, #suzbijamkorupciju” video competition!  We received over 100 great entries about how to fight corruption, and it was tough for the judges to decide which were the best. Thank you to everyone who participated, and keep up the great work! First Place (two entries tied): Amina Hodzić, Gimnazija Dobrinje, Sarajevo Žarko Plaić, High medical school “Gemit-Apeiron,” Banja Luka Second Place: Adel Nikšić and Amer Šehić, Srednja zubotehnička škola, Sarajevo Third …

The fifth Moot Court Competition, co-sponsored by OPDAT and BiH Prosecutor’s Office, with support from the Court of BiH was held November 9-11, 2016 at Jahorina Mountain, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  OPDAT has been supporting this program, led largely by a BiH Prosecutor and his Legal Assistant, for the past four years.  The program reached over …

The Office of Public Affairs of the United States Embassy Sarajevo is organizing a video contest as part of events marking anti-corruption week.  We invite all BiH high school students, residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to submit a video on the topic: “What can I do to fight corruption in my daily life, my school …

On October 13, at the event held in Banja Luka where 16 agricultural producers showcased their cheese, honey, fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, natural cosmetics and similar agro products, Ambassador Maureen Cormack spoke about the vital importance of agriculture in BiH and globally. This event was organized as part of the USAID/Sweden FARMA II, …

The Law Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina presented the findings of its research project “Strengthening the role of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” which received support from an Embassy’s ESF-Women’s Empowerment grant.  The policy paper focused on the participation of women in public life and the political decision-making process.  The working group’s research revealed unequal …

At their third and final workshop in Sarajevo, 30 university students from all over the country learned  the basics of political journalism and practiced reporting on elections through traditional and new media.  They also developed an action plan for recruiting new members  to share the knowledge they gained at the workshop so that they can …

Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Elizabeth Blumenthal spoke at the opening of the Embassy-supported literary festival, which gathers authors from the region to present their work and discuss important issues in literature.  Jointly organized by the Kosaca Cultural Center, United World College and the Pavarotti Center, the festival paid tribute to American novelist Harper Lee with …

The U.S. Department of Justice partnered with Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centers of the FBiH and the RS to hold a two-day Judicial Ethics Workshop from the 21st and 22nd of September.  American judges joined their counterparts from BiH, along with the Disciplinary Prosecutor of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and the Director of FBiH Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Center, …

On the International Day of Peace, the people of Banja Luka came out to celebrate peace and art for the opening of the Embassy-sponsored “Think Freedom” project. Bosnian-American artist, Edina Seleskovic, partnered with the Museum of Contemporary Art and high school students in Banja Luka to install a flock of 1,000 metal birds, carrying messages …

Maryland Air National Guard got together with their counterparts from different battalions within AFBiH for a medical exchange at Kasarna Kozara in Banja Luka to prepare them for their deployment as a security force.  “Hopefully, you’ll never have to use the important lessons and skills you learned today and over the course of the past …

Embassy staff from the U.S. Department of Justice were joined by experts from the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and IRS Criminal Investigative Division to work with local police and prosecutors on anti-corruption investigations and prosecutions.  The participants at this recent workshop included a mix of prosecutors and investigators from institutions across BiH and the lectures …

The Embassy’s Civil Military Affairs Team has been working with teachers, students, and first responders for over a  year and a half to make sure those in a position to help during an emergency have the skills they need to do so.  Now to make sure they have the equipment needed to continue the program, …

The U.S. Embassy in BiH marked the 46th annual Earth Day by focusing on the future of Sutjeska National Park.  Forestry students from Sarajevo and East Sarajevo Universities worked with Embassy volunteers, park staff, and experts from NGO Terra Dinarica on trail maintenance. They also installed new trail markings that identify Sutjeska as part of …

We are very excited to announce the official reopening of the newly-renovated American Corner Mostar.  With an investment of over $200,000 in remodeling, technology, staff, and programs, we, together with the help from our friends from the Smithsonian, transformed the American Corner Mostar into a place where young people from Mostar and whole Hrezegovina region …

On March 8, 2016, in honor of the International Women’s Day, Sarajevo Open Center organized reading of the play “Seven”, a documentary play based on interviews with seven women’s rights activists, from around the world, whose life stories remain an incredible source of inspiration for the new generations of women and men in their efforts …

Our sincere thanks to the three hundred students wrote essays and thirty students who created videos responding to the question: “How Can I Help Build a Better Bosnia and Herzegovina?”  We were inspired by your ideas and we encourage all of you to remember what was a key theme in many entries: Change has to …

Helping the U.S. Embassy engage local audiences during Anti-Corruption Week, visiting U.S. Judge Paul Byron and U.S. Attorney William Hochul had great conversations with students of criminology and security studies at the University of Sarajevo, law students from the University of East Sarajevo, and students from law schools of University of Mostar and Svecuiliste Mostar. …

As part of the a week-long activities hosted by the Embassy Sarajevo to put the spotlight on the issue of corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Cormack spoke at the symposium for NGOs, prosecutors, judges and students held in Sarajevo December 8, 2015. In her remarks, Ambassador Cormack noted that corruption was an obstacle which …

As part of the United States Embassy’s program to highlight counter corruption efforts in BiH, U.S. Ambassador Maureen Cormack has established a series of awards for individuals and organizations who are leading the fight to stamp out corruption in the country. On Monday, December 7, Ambassador Cormack made brief remarks about high cost of corruption …

On Saturday, November 21, United States Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the USAID Mission to BiH, hosted an event marking the 20th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement in BiH, and two decades of peace that have followed. U.S. Ambassador to BiH Maureen Cormack, member of the BiH Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic, and Congressman …

Today the U.S. Embassy hosted a round table discussion of security issues with representatives from across the state, entity, and cantonal governments. The event was held in support of a visit by Major General Gregory Lengyel, Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, Europe (SOCEUR). The round table began with a discussion of the …

Making your ride on public transportation more predictable, improving the way critical blood donations are collected, and using gaming to get young people excited about engineering – these were a few of the top ideas for using technology to serve BiH better that came out of this weekend’s 72-hour Hackathon.  More than 65 students from …

In celebration of 20 years of peace since the signing of Dayton peace Agreement, U.S. Embassy Sarajevo announces a contest asking high school students to answer the question: “How can you help build a better Bosnia nad Herzegovina?” 1) Essay Contest: Email entries – typed, in English, and under 300 words – to ZajednoPostizemoViseContest@state.gov , with …

Ambassador Cormack, Defense Attaché COL Mark Karas, and Embassy staff attended the commemoration honoring Ambassador Robert Frasure, Doctor Joe Kruzel, Colonel Nelson Drew, and French Corporal Stefan Raoult on the 20th anniversary of the tragic accident on Mount Igman that took their lives as they worked bravely to help end the war in Bosnia and …

Addressing the American University in BiH graduating class of 2015, the Ambassador stressed several challenges and opportunities that lie before the young people in BiH. Ambassador Cormack told the graduates that they “are the generation raised during these 20 years since the war ended, the generation raised in the peace provided by the Dayton Agreement, …

On July 1, Ambassador Maureen Cormack and her family hosted areception in the Embassy Sarajevo’s garden. That was an opportunity to welcome the BiH government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as representatives from entity and municipal governments. We were very pleased to see so many of our partners, friends, and colleagues from …

More than 100 volunteers, representing their organizations and individual efforts, gathered in the Embassy on June 9 for a mid-year celebration of the Challenge: Choose the Cause, Be the Effect.  In January 2015, the Embassy has challenged 20,000 volunteers to engage in community service projects throughout the country to help Bosnia and Herzegovina mark 20 …

This April 22nd marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, a day when the world comes together to reflect on our shared responsibility to safeguard this fragile planet for future generations. To celebrate Earth Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina, over 900 volunteers, including Embassy employees and family members, accompanied by members of the BiH Armed …

Following a month-long Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) program, the first of its kind in BiH, U.S. Special Operations Forces and Special Police Units of the Ministries of Interior of the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska participated in a tactical demonstration on Wednesday, March 25 at the national training center of the Armed Forces …

As we look back at 20 years of peace in BiH this year and forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead, we want to take a moment to highlight some of the remarkable people making a difference in their communities and their country with support from the U.S. Embassy.  They’ve inspired us and hope their …

On February 5, 2015 Deputy Chief  of Mission Nicholas Hill hosted a welcome reception for Ambassador Maureen Cormack. Ambassador Cormack thanked everyone for the warm welcome, both at the reception and in the days since they have arrived, and said that she was very pleased to be here after having a very, very long time …