TIRANA – RYCO Secretary General Mr Đuro Blanuša signed on Tuesday the Platform for Peace, a declaration document developed as part of USAID’s PRO-Future project to promote acceptance of peace-building and reconciliation processes among ethnicities and religious communities in BiH and to garner support for the activities at both the BiH and local levels.
We are happy to support the Platform for Peace despite the fact that it is related only to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Blanuša said and added that the document is an important guide for the reconciliation processes, not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also for the whole region.
He underlined that RYCO believes that building true and enduring reconciliation involves a process that brings together individuals, groups and societies burdened by past or present conflicts and negative representations and perceptions of ‘the other’. As he explains, this common understanding of reconciliation is the reason why RYCO is supporting the platform. Only through shared experience, cooperation and ongoing exchange, new pathways can be built to reconcile people who would otherwise remain trapped in the past, he concluded.
Members of the BiH House of Representatives adopted the Platform for Peace on 5 July 5 2018. The platform is the product of three years of intensive and close work with the mayors of 60 municipalities and the BiH Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, in consultation with peace-building experts and other stakeholders.
USAID’s PRO-Future project is implemented in 70 municipalities in BiH by Catholic Relief Services in partnership with the Institute for Youth Development KULT, Caritas, Forum of Tuzla Citizens, Banja Luka Helsinki Citizen Assembly, Nansen Dialogue Center Mostar, and the BiH Interreligious Council.