SDG Week 2025

Day 1 – Monday, 20 October

Opening Event of the SDG Week

From Commitments to Impact: Accelerating SDGs in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Organised by UNDP/UNICEF/Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The 2025 SDG Week in Bosnia and Herzegovina will open with a high-level event that celebrates the leadership of local governments in advancing the 2030 Agenda through the lens of the five key dimensions of sustainable development – the 5Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership.
The event will highlight success stories and best practices from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, demonstrating how coordinated action between public institutions, the private sector, and local communities drives policy transformation, economic resilience, and sustainable progress.
Location: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sarajevo

Disability Inclusion Session

Organised by UNDP/OHCHR

Disability inclusion is central to achieving the SDGs in BiH. This session will take a life cycle approach, looking at how persons with disabilities interact with social sector systems – from early detection and education, to health, labor market inclusion, and social protection.
It will highlight both barriers and innovations, as well as intersectional challenges related to gender, age, and place of living.
Location: UN House, Sarajevo

Youth Action: Security and Resilience in the Era of Organized Crime

Organised by UNODC

The event, supported by UNODC, will introduce students to the current state of organized crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the country’s strategic response to it. It will also gather students’ views to inform future approaches, while promoting the UN “Youth, Peace and Security” Agenda and SDG Week, highlighting the link between sustainable development and the fight against organized crime.
Location: University of Mostar, Mostar

Day 2 – Tuesday, 21 October

INNOVATE FOR GROWTH: Accelerating Sustainable & Inclusive Business in BiH (21 and 22 October)

Organised by UNDP BiH

This two-day conference will bring together stakeholders from the EU and Western Balkans to explore how innovation drives sustainable development and economic growth. It will showcase successful models, share best practices, and foster collaboration between policymakers, academia, industry, investors, and civil society.

Location: Hotel Hills, Sarajevo

Showcase Session: “Care Economy in Action – Women’s Voices, Women’s Work, Women’s Rights”

Organised by UN Women with UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF (UNGEA portfolio)

The session will showcase the care economy as a transformative solution for women’s employment, improved quality of life for vulnerable groups (older adults, persons with disabilities, low-income households), and stronger community solidarity.

Location: UN House, Sarajevo

Workshop – Application of Industry 4.0 in SMEs

Organised by Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Republika Srpska

The Chamber of Commerce of Republika Srpska will hold a one-day workshop on 21 October 2025 in Prijedor on “Application of Industry 4.0 in SMEs” aimed at strengthening companies’ knowledge in digital transformation and modern production processes.

Location: Prijedor

Info Day for Companies – Green Chemistry and Circular Economy

Organised by UNDP / Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Republika Srpska

One-day workshop gathering planners from 16 ministries in the RS Government, addressing implementation of the SDG Framework in BiH through the strategic planning and development management system in line with the new Republika Srpska legal framework. The event is expected to equip a critical number of development practitioners from the government ministries with the “know-how” required for successful implementation of the new legal framework through the preparation of strategic documents, with a special focus on their evaluation.

Location: Faculty of Technology, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka

Panel Session: SDG Practices in the Business Sector – Analysis and Case Studies from BiH and Switzerland

Organised by project funded by the Embassy of Switzerland in BiH and implemented by the Institute for Development and European Integration (IREI) on behalf of the SDG Council of BiH

The event, organized within the framework of the project “SDG Partnership between BiH and Switzerland”, aims to connect the business sector in BiH with sustainable practices by presenting an analysis of SDG integration and inspiring examples from BiH and Swiss companies.

Location: Hotel Hills, Sarajevo

Supporting Private Sector Engagement on Labour Mobility & Migration Management

Organised by IOM & Association of Italian Entrepreneurs in BiH

IOM Bosnia and Herzegovina, in partnership with the Association of Italian Enterprises in BiH, will advance safe and regular migration pathways and promote labour mobility as a driver of economic development.

Location: Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Sarajevo

High Level Conference on Successes in the achievement of SDG 16 in FBiH – focusing on institutional and strategic response to organized crime and corruption

Organised by UNODC

The event will bring together high-level representatives from the political sphere, judiciary, prosecutorial and law enforcement institutions, academia, and the public.

Location: Mostar

Engaging Youth in Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives

Organised by IOM

This one-day simulation exercise, organized by IOM in collaboration with the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will engage youth in practical risk assessment using IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) methodology. Through interactive activities, participants will identify vulnerabilities, assess risks, and propose ideas for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) initiatives. The exercise aims to strengthen local capacities and youth participation in community resilience planning, linking local action with the SDG Framework in BiH and the work of the SDG Council.

Location: Kiseljak

Day 3 – Wednesday, 22 October

Capacity Building for SMEs in Federation BiH – Advancing Industry 4.0 and Sustainability Standards

Organised by Chamber of Economy of FBiH

The training program was developed with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs, through an integrated approach that connects digital transformation and international corporate sustainability standards.

Location: TBC

The story about us – Imagine Migration

Organised by IOM No Nation Fashion & Partners

The activity will consist of two parts: an exhibition and a workshop. Both events will be held at the same venue, café-bar “Backyard Sarajevo” in the downtown Sarajevo, combining a two-day exhibition of 15 AI-enhanced photographs of migrants in No Nation Fashion garments with a workshop “The Story About Us.”

Location: Café-bar “Backyard Sarajevo”, Sarajevo

Dialogue on SDG 5: Gender Equality as an Accelerator of the SDGs

Organisers: UN Women BiH with RCO & Gender Theme Group

The Dialogue on SDG 5 aims to mobilize sustained attention and investment in gender equality as a pivotal driver for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With under ten years left to meet the 2030 Agenda, progress on gender equality has stalled and, in many areas, reversed.

Location: UN House, Sarajevo

Local Community Forum on Peace Education

Organised by IOM & COI Step by Step

This community forum will bring together teachers, parents, and local authorities to create a platform for dialogue on peace while identifying shared challenges and developing practical solutions to promote peace values through existing educational frameworks.

Location: Goražde

PreCOP Youth event

Organised by UNDP & UNICEF

The Youth Pre-COP Forum, jointly organized by UNDP and UNICEF, will bring together around 60 participants, young people from across BiH to engage in the global climate agenda ahead of COP.

Location: Youth House, Sarajevo

Panel discussion on the returns of investments of family-friendly workplaces

Organised by UNFPA

The panel discussion will highlight how family-friendly workplace policies deliver both social and economic returns, positioning them as a cornerstone of business competitiveness and demographic resilience in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Location: Company LANACO Headquarters, Banja Luka

Day 4 – Thursday, 23 October

SDG Business Pioneers All-Stars Event

Organised by UNDP

The objectives of the event are to celebrate the contributions of the SDG Business Pioneers Award overall winners, showcase their continued impact since winning, strengthen the network among these leading companies, and engage a wider audience in recognizing the role of the private sector in sustainable development.

Location: UN House, Sarajevo

Local Communities for Sustainable Development

Organised by UN Women BiH / WPS Joint Programme / PBF BiH / RCO

The online advocacy session will bring together around 50–70 participants, including youth, women peacebuilders, local officials, CSOs, and private sector partners, to present priorities from 17 community dialogues held across BiH earlier in the year.

Location: Online

Intesa Impact Lab

Organised by Intesa Sanpaolo Bank

Intesa Impact Lab is an interactive fireside chat with Intesa Sanpaolo Bank leadership, the Innovation Hub from Milan, and UNDP Circular Economy experts designed for startups, young entrepreneurs, and small companies at the beginning of their journey.

Location: Intesa Sanpaolo hub, Bosmal, Sarajevo

Kick off EU4ENERGY

Organised by UNDP

The launch of the EU4Energy initiative will bring together institutions, the private sector, international partners, and academia to showcase the joint commitment of the European Union and UNDP to advancing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s energy transition.

Location: EU House, Sarajevo

Workshop on youth empowerment priorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Organised by UNICEF, UNFPA, IOM

The workshop will serve as a platform for dialogue on youth empowerment priorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing together ministries responsible for youth at different levels of governance, youth councils and networks, civil society organizations, and international development partners.

Location: Sarajevo

Quality in Focus: Standards of Quality and Evaluation in Early Childhood Education and Care

Organised by UNICEF

UNICEF is supporting the Agency for Pre-primary, Primary and Secondary Education to hold a discussion on improving ECEC quality (related to SDG 4). Objective of the event is to promote good practices in implementing the Standards of Quality of Work of Preschool Institutions and foster continued dialogue among key education stakeholders on advancing quality in ECEC in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The intended audience is educational authorities and practitioners.

Location: BiH Parliament building, Sarajevo

International Scientific and Professional Conference Pedagogical Compass in the Media Labyrinth: Opportunities and Challenges

Organised by UNESCO

Marking the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Global Week, and within the MIL Days in BiH, the conference – to be held at the University of Sarajevo from 23 to 25 October 2025 – will bring together educators, researchers, regulators and content creators from the Western Balkans, with the aim of sharing experience and good practices from policy to classroom practice in media and information literacy.

Location: 23–25 October, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo

Roundtable on Social Protection for Persons Under International Protection

Organised by Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees & UNHCR

The one-day roundtable will be organized by the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees (MHRR) and UNHCR, with the objective to explore key challenges and highlight good practices in the field of social protection for individuals under international protection in BiH. Participants will include representatives of social welfare centers from municipalities where persons under international protection reside, as well as relevant cantonal and entity-level institutions. Partner organizations of UNHCR – BHWI, Vaša Prava BiH, and CRS – will also take part in the discussion.
Location: Sarajevo

Day 5 – Friday, 24 October

All the events organized on 24 October will have as their focus the celebration of the UN Day.