Freedom of Expression Kick-off meeting in Sarajevo, BiH
Sarajevo. More than 20 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria met in Sarajevo on April 5, 2024, to kick-start the new, joint EuropeAid funded Project - “Freedom of Expression Hub/FoE Hub”. The meeting was held at EuropeHouse in Sarajevo and gathered representatives from media, civil society, educational institutions, and project partners as well as future youth ambassadors who will play a major part in the implementation of the project.
The FoE project is coordinated by JaBiHEU/Sarajevo and aims to contribute to a comprehensive, human- rights based understanding of freedom of expression that creates trust in democratic institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Main deliverables will include 1) the design of a Freedom of Expression Toolkit (FoE Toolkit) enabling young people and media professionals to gain knowledge and practical skills as well as comprehensive understanding of freedom of expression, misinformation, hate speech, misogyny, and defamation; 2) the organisation of trainings for young people and media professionals; 3) locally contextualised pilot activities by Freedom of Expression Ambassadors with local media, judiciary, governments, youth CSO; 4) Youth Peer-to-Peer Dialogue panels; 5) a youth ambassadors conference; 6) media campaigns and 7) recommendations for policy makers on safeguarding the right to freedom of expression.
The kick off meeting introduced the project to key stakeholders and provided an important platform for discussion and dialogue on key challenges related to freedom of expression, hate speech, misinformation, and misogyny. During the meeting, WUS Austria also presented the outline and methodology of the Freedom of Expression Toolkit for young people.
We are looking very much forward to our collaboration on this project with our partner JaBiHEU and all stakeholders involved!
