The preservation, conservation and protection of cultural heritage is a cornerstone of governments policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as culture, aside from its intrinsic value, offers a myriad of social and economic benefits to society. Historic sites, for example, are windows into a country’s past and enable dialogues between peoples to continue down the centuries, and even millennia, through to the present day. The cultural sector also significantly contributes towards the economic development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and diversification and can develop entrepreneurial skills.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has 4 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, including the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad, the Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards, and perhaps most famously, the Old City Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar, and Prašuma Janj, an element of the transnational “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”.
Yet, the preservation of cultural and natural heritage is a multifaceted and complex undertaking which requires adequate funding to be actualised, by the relevant authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In order to successfully measure an individual country’s financial contribution, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) deploys the SDG 11.4.1 indicator to measure the total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage by all levels of government.
Sourced from questionnaires sent to UNESCO Member States annually, the UIS collects SDG 11.4.1 statistics from various sources. The questionnaires are based on international standards, classifications, and measures that are regularly reviewed and modified by the UIS to address emerging statistical issues and to improve data quality.
As a means to support Sustainable Development Target 11.4 “Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”, the target’s indicator has been included in the Framework for the Realization of the Sustainable Development Goals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The indicator is also accompanied by the baseline and target values which were determined on calculations made by the UIS questionnaire.
Within the Framework, this SDG is referred to under the ‘Smart Growth’ pillar, which aims to ensure that innovative ideas are transformed into products and services that can create high-paying jobs and accelerate economic growth, whilst preserving natural capital and reducing social inequalities.
The SDG 11.4.1 data produced by authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina offer an insight into the country’s appreciation for their own cultural and natural heritage. All levels of government have committed financially to preserving, protecting and conserving their heritage, as illustrated by the steady increase of the share of heritage expenditure from within the total budget for culture from 74% in 2019 to 79% in 2021.
Gorana Knežević, Head of Department for Society Development Statistics, Agency for Statistics BiH declared that “Reporting on globally agreed indicators such as SDG 11.4.1 puts BiH on right track when it comes to realisation of 2030 Agenda.”
Areas which continue to benefit from this investment include the protection of biodiversity and landscape, cultural services, and broadcasting and publishing services. According to the UIS, the majority of investment so far has been concentrated on protecting cultural heritage, as it accounted for 96,18% of total heritage expenses. Private expenditure accounted for 3.82% of total expenditure on heritage preservation, as reported by Republika Srpska entity.
Similarly, the total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage on all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina accounted for 51,59 PPP per capita in 2019, 49,55 PPP per capita in 2020, and 52,31 PPP per capita in 2021.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of 57 globally and 2 regionally to successfully report its data to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics using the methodology SDG 11.4.1, contributing to the 2030 Agenda. Their achievement is thrown into even greater relief when the country’s decentralised system of governance is considered as well as the logistical challenges such a framework can pose. Indeed, to produce data fitting the UIS’ requirements, information had to be collected from 3 different sources and then aggregated on a country level, a herculean task.
The Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, participated in the activity alongside the entity-level line finance and culture ministries and respective authorities of Brcko District, supported by the Antenna in Sarajevo of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe.
