Item 6: UPR Adoption of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Thank you President,
Action Canada makes this statement on behalf of the Sarajevo Open Centre and the Sexual Rights Initiative.
We welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina’s acceptance of the recommendations focused on reinforcing measures for the enhancement of the enjoyment of sexual and reproductive rights.
However, we note that despite certain policy improvements, there is still a long way to go in ensuring the full enjoyment of these rights by all, and ensuring freedom from discrimination for marginalised people in the country on the basis of their gender, sexual orientation, sex characteristics or disability. In order for its support for recommendations on addressing discrimination to concretise into material improvements in the enjoyment of human rights, Bosnia and Herzegovina must undergo extensive legislative reform, and adopt comprehensive policy instruments which inter alia improve its recognition of the rights to private life of same-sex couples, and the rights of transgender and intersex persons to healthcare and legal gender recognition.
We welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina’s support for the recommendations calling on it to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion services, at all levels of governance, and across the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina must ensure that these services - particularly access to contraception, abortion, and family planning services are universally accessible, available, and affordable and covered by health insurance throughout the country, which is not the case at present, as identified in our stakeholder reporting.
Finally, we welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina’s acceptance of recommendations on ensuring access to comprehensive sexuality education. We urge the country to finally develop a mandatory primary and/ or secondary school programme that would offer comprehensive sexuality education in all schools, and ensure access to sexuality information for out of school youth.
Bosnia and Herzegovina must take concrete steps to realise sexual and reproductive rights for all.
Thank you!