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On 24 – 25 April 2008, the Public Interest Law Institute (PILI) organized the first training on Strategic Litigation in Anti-discrimination in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which aimed to build the skills of lawyers and advocates to combat discrimination across the country through strategic litigation.
The training was the first of two introducing strategic litigation, including the basic elements that are part of the decision-making process to undertake strategic litigation as well as planning for litigating discrimination cases. Participants discussed the concept of discrimination, and international and local experts provided European Union and national perspectives on discrimination and familiarized participants with existing anti-discrimination legal frameworks. Participants undertook practical exercises to apply EU concepts of discrimination to real cases they themselves selected. These discussions were followed by group work focused on developing strategic action plans on specific discrimination issues that the participants were confronting in their real practices. 
The training brought together participants from Vaša Prava, the main project beneficiary and local partner, as well as other public and civil society and international organizations that advocate for human rights and equality, such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Movement for Peace, Disarmament, and Liberty (MPDL), the NGO “BiH Women”, Human Rights Office Tuzla, and the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka. A representative from the BiH Ministry of Justice was also present.
Participants will continue to implement the strategic litigation and advocacy plans that they developed during this training. The results of the implementation of these strategic plans and real case studies will be discussed in the next training, scheduled for 25-26 September 2008, when the participants will share their experiences and challenges and will refine their strategic plans and impact litigation.
The training was organized within the framework of the project summary “Promoting Anti-Discrimination Laws and Practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” funded by the European Commission. The main goals of the project are to promote the adoption of anti-discrimination legislation, policies and practice in BiH to ensure equal access to employment, education and other rights, as well as to increase the capacity of civil society to promote anti discrimination legislation, policies and practice by strengthening a key service provider to advocate for change. The project promotes European approaches to anti-discrimination legislation and implementation.
The NGO Vaša Prava is the main beneficiary partner of the project and promotes rule of law and human rights protection by providing free legal aid and information to vulnerable groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
PILI is an international NGO that advances human rights around the world by stimulating public interest advocacy and developing the institutions necessary to sustain it. More information about the work of PILI and Vaša Prava can be found here.
To download a televised public service announcement on anti-discrimination in local language sponsored by the project, click here. For additional information and resources about the training, please clic k on the links below:
In order to access these documents, you will need Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded here.
This project is funded by the European Union. This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Public Interest Law Institute and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
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