COVID-19 Response in Bosnia and Herzegovina – 2020 Activity Report

The COVID-19 pandemic was a test to cooperation and partnerships and showed, more starkly than ever, how we must respond collectively and in new, more flexible ways to complex and unprecedented global challenges.

In 2020, UNDP managed to procure and by 31 December deliver more than 9.1 million items of essential life-saving medical equipment and supplies, funded by 15 domestic and international partners. In parallel to supporting the response of the health systems, UNDP contributed to crisis management and coordination, understanding the socioeconomic impact and supported business continuity and job retention.

UNDP's work and the results achieved were made possible by the strong partnerships with international organisations and domestic institutions with a shared goal in mind: to save and protect the lives of all people in country.

Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in BiH

The Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) report presents an overview of the current state of the BiH economy, with an emphasis on the economic situation of vulnerable social groups and industry-level consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objective of this rapid assessment is to identify the impact of the COVID-19 containment measures such as quarantine, closing of businesses and the disruption of global supply chains on the BiH economy as well as business sector responses to this shock.

Finally, the objective is to identify options to address such impact for the private sector. Particular attention is paid to SMEs, export-oriented companies, as well as those in the services sector and agriculture/food production.

The assessment report is intended to inform relevant stakeholders for the purpose of their response and recovery interventions to help minimize the negative impacts on companies, institutions, communities and the society.

COVID-19 and Human Development: Assessing the Crisis, Envisioning the Recovery

“The world has seen many crises over the past 30 years, including the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09. Each has hit human development hard but, overall, development gains accrued globally year-on-year,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “COVID-19 – with its triple hit to health, education, and income – may change this trend.”

Global human development – which can be measured as a combination of the world’s education, health and living standards – could decline this year for the first time since the concept was introduced in 1990, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned. Concerted action with a focus on equity could still limit the impacts of this unprecedented crisis: closing the digital divide would reduce by more than two-thirds the number of children currently not learning because of school closures.

Read the "COVID-19 and Human Development"

UN Socio-economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) of the COVID-19 crisis in BiH

The UN Socio-economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) of the COVID-19 crisis in BiH  is intended to inform and guide the policy design of the authorities in BiH in response to COVID-19 over the next 12 to 18 months, and also provide medium- and longer-term policy recommendations, as well as help mobilize resources for recovery. UNDP prepared the SEIA report as technical lead for socio-economic recovery, and co-chair of the BiH UNCT Socio-Economic Task Team, under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator and with inputs from UN agencies.

What we do

UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in some 170 countries and territories, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.