A sustainable transition in Breza

As part of the BiH SuTra project, seven regions have been selected as pilot areas: Banovići, Breza, Gacko, Gradiška, Kakanj, Ugljevik and Živinice. This page gathers information, news and updates about the Municipality of Breza and its process of developing transition plans.

Photo: Courtesy of Municipality of Breza

Vision for 2050

During the first stage of the project, every BiH SuTra project community holds an inclusive workshop where participants can openly share perspectives and co-create a long-term vision for their communities.

On 11 October 2023, the municipality of Breza hosted a forum to shape the collective "Vision 2050", you can read the minutes from this forum here (in local language).

You can also find out more and see some photos from the event in this news story: ”Engaging the community: Breza municipality's “Vision 2050”.

A Q&A with the Municipality of Breza

Read a Q&A with Meliha Beširević, coordinator of the BiH SuTra project and Assistant to the Mayor of the Municipality of Breza who is involved in the project to hear more about her thoughts and ideas for a sustainable transition.

Consultation meetings

During April 2024, the first round of consultation events took place in the cities and municipalities of Banovići, Breza, Ugljevik, and Živinice. These events provided a space to present the five development pathways of transition plans to each local community. During the consultation events, local experts, in cooperation with representatives from SEI, presented measures, activities, goals, and a specific timeframe for each development pathway.

Adoption of the transition plan

In August 2024, the Municipality of Breza became the first in BiH to adopt the Operational Plan for Sustainable Transition under the BiH SuTra project.

The plan focuses on five key pathways: decarbonization, circular economy, pollution reduction, sustainable agriculture, and nature protection and biodiversity. It defines long-term, medium-term, and short-term objectives and includes estimated costs for implementing a set of measures within these pathways. The municipality has selected sixteen activities of high priority within five development pathways that will be under focus during 2025-2027.

Enabling transitional processes

During this stage, the project provides technical assistance for the development of transition-related policies and the preparation of project documents (project fiches) identified as short-term priorities earlier in the process.

In addition, the project will engage key stakeholders with strong potential to contribute to the transition process. We will focus on building the capacity of transformative actors and fostering innovation through the deployment of sustainable solutions.

Learning and knowledge exchange

In parallel to technical support, BiH SuTra project aims to enhance knowledge exchange and capacity-building among partner municipalities and cities in BiH, utilizing Swedish expertise for sustainable development.

Read more about the events and activities carried out here.

Community engagement

The BiH SuTra project aims to enhance communication and engagement in partner communities to raise awareness and drive impact in sustainable transition. During the project period, there are several wider engagement and communication activities and campaigns planned.

Sustainable Winter Bazaar

The community came together at Radnički dom in Breza for the Sustainable Winter Bazaar, event focused on sharing, reusing, and embracing a more sustainable lifestyle. Organized under the BiH SuTra project, with support from the Municipality of Breza, Center for Positive Practice, and Youth Center Desnek, this initiative highlighted the importance of responsible resource use and the potential of a circular economy. The bazaar was opened to people of all ages to exchange gently used clothes, books, and toys—showing how simple everyday actions can support a circular economy.