Strengthening environmental policy in BiH with a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction approach

The report analyzes how multidimensional inequality and poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) intersect with environmental risks and policy. It finds that marginalized groups—including Roma communities, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities—face disproportionate exposure to pollution and hazards, while social norms limit their access to natural resources. The document argues that environmental policies can either exacerbate these inequalities (e.g., through energy taxes) or mitigate them (e.g., through energy efficiency in social housing). It recommends collecting disaggregated data, increasing the representation of disadvantaged groups in decision-making, and implementing gender-responsive budgeting to ensure a more inclusive and effective environmental strategy.

• Certain population subgroups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically the elderly, the sick, children, pregnant women, and Roma communities, exhibit higher vulnerability to environmental hazards and pollution due to increased sensitivity, higher exposure likelihood, and lower resilience.
• Social norms and traditional practices in BiH lead to significant gender disparities in the ownership of natural resources; men own approximately 70% of land and 97% of private forests.
• Marginalized groups possess specific knowledge that can benefit environmental efforts, such as elderly women in rural areas who have expertise in the sustainable use of non-wood forest products.
• Environmental policies can have regressive distributional impacts, where new energy taxes or vehicle standards disproportionately burden low-income households.
• Targeted environmental measures can improve social equity, such as reducing energy poverty for marginalized households by improving energy efficiency in social housing.
• Roma communities in BiH face severe environmental injustice, often living in informal settlements lacking basic services like piped water, sanitation, and waste collection, which increases their exposure to pollution and hazards.
• Persons with disabilities in BiH are uniquely vulnerable to natural hazards due to a lack of inclusive early warning systems and evacuation protocols, as seen during the 2014 floods in Doboj and Bijeljina.
• The transition away from coal-based power and mining in BiH is expected to significantly impact the approximately 16,000 workers and the communities dependent on this industry, which currently generates over 80% of the country's power.
• Effective integration of GESEP into environmental policy requires the collection of disaggregated data on environmental inequalities, as current information is fragmented and insufficient to understand the impacts on different groups.

APA

Strambo, C., Jahović, B., & Segnestam, L. (2021). Strengthening environmental policy in BiH with a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction approach. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-report-gesep-and-environment-final-eng.pdf

Chicago

Strambo, Claudia, Belma Jahović, and Lisa Segnestam. Strengthening environmental policy in BiH with a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction approach. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-report-gesep-and-environment-final-eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Strambo |first1=Claudia |last2=Jahović |first2=Belma |last3=Segnestam |first3=Lisa |title=Strengthening environmental policy in BiH with a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction approach |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=October 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-report-gesep-and-environment-final-eng.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{strambo2021strengthening, author = {Strambo, Claudia and Jahović, Belma and Segnestam, Lisa}, title = {{Strengthening environmental policy in BiH with a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction approach}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bih-esap-report-gesep-and-environment-final-eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }