Livno, May 18 – 20, 2026 - Members of the Network of Cantonal Development Practitioners held the twelth meeting in Livno. The Network serves as a platform for strengthening cooperation in planning, implementation, and monitoring of development in the Federation of BiH, while its work is coordinated by the Development Programming Institute.
The focus of the discussion, during the meeting, was on the preparation of new strategic development documents at the level of the Federation of BiH, as well as at the cantonal level. Development planning practitioners are facing a period when it is necessary to conduct mid-term evaluations of strategic documents being implemented during the 2021–2027 period. A special part of the meeting was dedicated to this issue, along with a presentation of key elements of mid-term evaluation.
UNDP representatives informed on several initiatives and support programs aimed at strengthening development capacities and integrating the principles of sustainable and inclusive development into planning processes. The 'Gender Equality Accelerator' program, jointly implemented by UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF, planned activities focused on reducing violence against women and girls, women's economic empowerment, as well as increasing their participation in governance and leadership. Emphasis is on application of gender equality principles into strategic and development planning processes, throughout collaboration with development planning practitioners in the Federation of BiH.
Presented were also the project for improving the position of women in the labour market in Livno, implemented by the Cantonal Employment Service, and SDG2030BiH program, which UNDP implement in cooperation with the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to support the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals in BiH. Meeting participants are informed about available support packages and criteria for partner selection, with a special focus on strengthening capacities in the field of management and sustainable development.
Demographic modelling for socio-economic development means the projection of public services future needs in relation to the generations to come. UNFPA representatives shared a draft version of an application developed for projections of the teaching staff needed in the Federation of BiH, that can be used in the development planning process at all levels of government, from local to federal level.
One day of the meeting was dedicated to the study visit to the Split-Dalmatia Canton, where colleagues shared their experiences in the field of strategic planning, with a focus on evaluation of the existing cantonal development strategy and initiation of a new planning cycle for the period 2028–2034. They also presented the work of the Firefighting Center for Education and Technological Development in Split, as an example of a successfully implemented cross-border project.