At today’s 14th regular session of the Government of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Draft Law on Professional Rehabilitation, Training, and Employment of Persons with Disabilities was unanimously adopted, marking the beginning of the legislative process for this long-awaited regulation.

The adoption of the draft by the Government represents an important step toward establishing systemic support for the employment of persons with disabilities in Brčko—the only part of Bosnia and Herzegovina that still lacks a dedicated law governing this area.

Nataša Damjanović from the citizens’ association Faith and Hope, which has been leading a campaign for the adoption of the law together with partner organizations, stated:

“Our association and partners have been following the process from the very beginning. We reviewed several different versions of the draft—some were favorable to persons with disabilities, while others were not. We submitted numerous comments and amendments, some of which were accepted earlier. We expect the remaining proposals to be seriously considered as the process continues. Our goal is to have a law that is implementable and leads to real employment, not one that remains just words on paper.”

Organizations representing persons with disabilities welcome this development and announced that they will continue to actively participate in and monitor the parliamentary debate to ensure that the final version of the law truly serves the best interests of persons with disabilities.

A strong community starts with inclusion—employing persons with disabilities benefits the whole society!