“As someone coming from a country that faced enormous problems, I can say that this situation was not because our country was poor," Mladen Ivanić, former Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, said during the event titled “Advancing Housing Through Multilateralism: From Global Commitments to Local Impact” held within the framework of WUF13, APA reports.
He stated that even if there had been no war, they would still not have been able to provide housing for everyone: “The key role here belonged to multilateral institutions. I do not mean only UN institutions. A large number of NGOs also played a major role for us. Thousands of NGOs from all over the world were present in our country, especially in the first years after the war, and the role of the World Bank in particular was extremely important. I truly believe that the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank played a very significant role in rebuilding the country and providing housing for people. During the war, 40 percent of homes in Bosnia were destroyed, while another 40 percent were seriously damaged or completely ruined. This created enormous problems. One of the most important points was also the pressure multilateral institutions exerted on local structures. If decisions had been left solely to local politicians, it would have been questionable what decisions they would make. But when there was pressure forcing them to determine priorities, it influenced the adoption of the right decisions at the local level. Some local forces might have said, ‘It is better to restore army barracks rather than homes.’ But due to such international pressure, priorities changed, and this produced a generally positive outcome.”
According to him, many people believe multilateral institutions are in crisis: “I do not agree with this. Perhaps it depends on political views. However, specialized multilateral institutions are still very effective. I cannot imagine what the world would be like without UNESCO. The World Health Organization is also very good and effective. There are crises in some issues, especially related to political reasons, but I do not think these institutions as a whole are in crisis. I think they are sufficiently good and effective. My message is this: if you are thinking about other countries, allocate more funding to institutions such as the World Bank or the European Union. This is very important. If financial contributions are made, it can help achieve real results.”
