According to a research conducted in 2002, 79.6% CSOs stated they had regular contact with local authorities and 57.4% with entity and state authorities. Despite having quite regular contacts, 70.4% responded that the authorities were cooperative only occasionally – compared to 16.7%, which saw the authorities as generally cooperative. CSOs working on representing citizen interests are particularly active on the local level. According to the results of a 2004 research, almost one half of the 73 surveyed CSOs saw their cooperation with local authorities as good or very good. According to a more recent research, over half of the surveyed CSOs stated that the level of support by government institutions improved in the past years (2004). Still, most CSOs believe that CSOs themselves lack the capacity (e.g. professional staff or lobbying skills) to develop a more serious partnership with government institutions at any level – and that the governmental structures, on the other hand, lack the knowledge and understanding of the sector.
The types of contacts between NGOs and authorities that were identified in the research included: work in joint working and joint projects, environmental protection activities, education of staff, alerts on human rights abuses in local communities, legislation for CSOs and beneficiaries and exchange of information. Many local communities (municipalities) have initiated different forms of cooperation at the local level, and politicians in local administrations believe that cooperation with the NGO sector is both positive and necessary.
In the main, there is an absence of systems for government cooperation with CSOs in drafting laws, strategy or policy statements at all levels, and public participation in the decision‐making process, even on an ad hoc basis, is rare. However, as a result of robust encouragement from international donors and development agencies by means of capacity‐building and funding initiatives, positive government‐civil society cooperation has been achieved in selected policy areas:
• Mid‐term Development Strategy 2004‐2007. Sponsored by the World Bank, DfID and other bilateral donors, this was the first example of systematic participation of civil society in government strategy. Consultations were held all over the country during 2003 and a CSO working group of international NGOs and a majority of national CSOs coordinated findings and recommendations to the strategy‐development team. A new Development Strategy 2008‐2013 is currently being developed, in parallel with a Strategy of Social Inclusion 2008‐2013. Civil society has again been active in consultations, with work coordinated by working groups selected by the NGO Council15 and the Network of Elderly People.
• Gender policy. Considerable progress has been made in establishing an institutional framework for creating gender policy in cooperation with civil society. Women’s CSOs have been involved in all major legislative and policy making processes in the country, i.e. National Gender Action Plan (2006); Strategy for monitoring the implementation of UNSCR 1325; Changes and amendments to the Gender Equality Law; Development of the Strategy on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence 2009‐2011; Preparation of CEDAW reports for BiH. A Gender Equality Agency in the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees (MHRR) is responsible for implementation of policy at the State level, and Gender Offices for implementation at the entity level. Gender commissions with significant civil society representation have been established at all levels (state, entity, canton and municipality) for the creation of relevant policy.
• Youth policy. Institutional arrangements for youth policy are also relatively well advanced in BiH. A State Commission for Youth Policy, with significant youth NGO representation, has been in operation since 2006. So, too, has a small Department for Youth in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. As with gender affairs, laws provide for commissions at all lower levels of government. However, a Youth Action Plan has never been developed at state level and youth policy is poorly funded. In the RS, a special Law on Youth Organization in the RS has been in operation since 2004. This law created an entity‐level Youth Council which acts as a youth umbrella organization and a partner to government in creating and implementing youth policy. In addition, the law establishes an institutional means of support – financial and in terms of infrastructure – to youth organizations and council as the local and RS entity level.
• National Roma Action Plans were developed in 2008 by the MHRR in the areas of housing, health and employment using a participatory process which included significant participation from members of the Roma Network (of CSOs) and representatives from Roma community organizations. The process was facilitated by national NGO Bospo, as part of an EC‐funded project (EIDHR) implemented by World Vision. These plans have been adopted by governments at all levels and facilitated the entry of BiH into the Decade for Roma Inclusion 2005‐2015.