National Human Development Report (NHDR)

National Human Development Report (NHDR)

October 1, 2013

What is the state of human development in the rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the majority of its people live? Do they have jobs and decent incomes? Do they have proper access to health care and education? Are they connected by good roads, services and telecommunications? Are they involved in the mainstream of social and political life? How important is agriculture in rural life? These are the questions which this eighth Human Development Report for Bosnia and Herzegovina sets out to answer. Some of its recommendations are specific to rural areas, whilst others highlight important steps that the country should take to benefit urban and rural areas alike.

Everyone has their own understanding of rural areas, a picture in their head of village life. Much of this may be accurate, but unless regularly checked against reality, commonly-held views can become outdated and cease to be a reliable basis for decision making. Many decisions have to be taken in the next few years as Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthens its rural development plans and prepares to implement the EU’s “Instrument for Pre-accession in Agriculture and Rural Development” (IPARD). The unique contribution of this report is not to anticipate the results
of that planning process but to prepare the ground, to challenge commonly-held assumptions and help establish where the truth really lies.

This report document seeks for that truth by looking at a series of commonly-held beliefs and asking what is myth and what is reality – starting with the idea of rurality itself...

 

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