Sarajevo Energy and Climate week 2024. Photo: Jasmin Agovic
Sarajevo Energy and Climate week 2024. Photo: Jasmin Agovic
BiH SuTra’s partners, the municipalities and the city, are working toward long-term sustainability goals and turning ambitious environmental and development plans into reality requires more than vision - it demands practical skills, technical expertise, and institutional capacity. To support this transition, the BiH SuTra project is helping these communities to identify their most pressing capacity-building needs. Together, we address them through study visits, targeted training, and collaboration with Swedish partners. These efforts aim to equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to implement their transition plans and take meaningful steps toward a sustainable future.
In 2024, the BiH SuTra partners completed the preparation of their Transitional Plans for Sustainable Transition until 2050. This marked a significant milestone for these regions. The plans pave the way for the implementation of specific measures aligned with the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, focusing on five development pathways: decarbonization, circular economy, pollution reduction, sustainable agriculture, and protection of nature and biodiversity.
Given the complexity of these pathways and the need for comprehensive, long-term planning, it became essential for each municipality and city to evaluate and prioritize the proposed measures and identify their corresponding capacity building needs.
Capacity building is essential because it equips local institutions and individuals with the skills, knowledge, and tools needed to effectively plan, implement, and sustain development initiatives. Without strong capacity, even the most well-designed policies and strategies often fail to produce lasting impact.
This process was carried out within the framework of the BiH SuTra project, serving as a basis for designing future training and knowledge-sharing activities tailored to each community’s priorities.
By December 2024, a Capacity Building Needs Assessment was conducted across all partner communities, using a methodology developed by the BiH SuTra project. This methodology evaluated each measure within the five development pathways based on its relevance and urgency. Each community then selected up to five priority measures per pathway and specified the capacity-building topics necessary for their implementation.
This assessment provided a roadmap for BiH SuTra to tailor its support, focusing on the most pressing capacity-building needs. The results helped identify up to five key topics per pathway for each community, forming the foundation for future training and knowledge transfer initiatives.
The BiH SuTra team analyzed the assessment to identify common capacity building needs across municipalities. High-priority topics emerged, particularly within the Decarbonization, Pollution Reduction (including elements of Circular Economy), and Sustainable Agriculture pathways.
To address these needs, the BiH SuTra project is organizing a study visit to Sweden in May 2025. This visit will combine site visits and expert presentations, offering participants exposure to Sweden’s cutting-edge solutions in areas such as:
Site visits will include the Swedish Water Innovation Center, the Royal Seaport, power and biogas plants, and various waste management facilities. Additionally, participants will attend seminars led by experts, including colleagues from the Sanitation and Health Team at the Stockholm Environment Institute, who will present on water and wastewater management.
Learning from the experiences of other countries adds valuable perspective, allowing BiH actors to avoid common pitfalls, adapt proven solutions to their own context, and accelerate progress by building on tested practices. The exchange of knowledge can foster innovation, strengthen international cooperation and empower communities to take confident, informed steps toward sustainable development.
Building on insights from the study visit, the BiH SuTra project will organize capacity building trainings in BiH, featuring both Swedish and Bosnian experts. These sessions will help to foster further expertise in:
In addition, the BiH SuTra Project is planning to deliver trainings beyond the technical needs of municipalities and the city, specifically in the fields of EU project proposal writing and communication and presentation skills.
These trainings aim to enhance each community’s ability to implement sustainable measures effectively, while also equipping them to engage in international collaboration and access external funding.
The Knowledge and Capacity Building work package of the BiH SuTra project is dedicated to empowering these partner communities with the skills and knowledge required to realize the long-term goals set out in their Transitional Plans for Sustainable Transition until 2050. Through this structured approach, the BiH SuTra project ensures that the communities are not only equipped but also actively leading the path to a more sustainable future.
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