The militarized conflict that took place in Bosnia & Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995 crippled political and economic systems, destroyed infrastructure and, perhaps most tragically, tore at the social fabric of the country and its peoples. The 1995 Dayton Accord brought an end to the conflict and created a new structure for governing the country. Local governments are struggling to make sense of the new political and administrative structures created by the Accord, as well as manage the tenuous peace that currently exists. The Canada-Bosnia & Herzegovina Local and Cantonal Government Cooperation Program (CBiHCP) has been instrumental in assisting governments in the Tuzla Canton with improving their capacities to provide services to communities while building structures for peace and unity. This project is an excellent example of how development cooperation can contribute to fostering peace and unity in an ethnically cleansed geography.

Building Capacity for Peace and Unity: the Role of Local Government in Peacebuilding was published in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Local Government Support Program (LGSP).   Included in this publication is a case study on the Canada-Bosnia & Herzegovina Local and Cantonal Government Cooperation Program, Phase II (CBiHCP-II), which is currently being implemented by the Canadian Urban Institute in the Tuzla Canton of northeast Bosnia. Download Publication (PDF)