The Association for Democratic Initiatives in the period 13-14 April, 2009 in Sarajevo held a two-day training for 14 representatives of civil society organizations from all over BiH. The training agenda included several topics: the legal framework for public consultations in BiH, how to implement the rules on public consultations in the Ministry of Justice of BiH, how to communicate with citizens, the process of public policy-making, and the expectations of those involved in the public consultation process.

Ms. Elmerina Ahmetaj-Hrelja from USAID JSDP (USAID Judicial Sector Development Project) presented the “Council of Ministers Rules on Consultations in Legal Procedure”, referring to key provisions of the rules. Mr. Niko Grubešić, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Justice of BiH presented the “Rulebook on Implementation of Rules for Consultations in Drafting Legal Regulations in the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina” and Ms. Marina Bakić Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Justice of BiH presented the Ministry’s website and the way it is used in the public consultation process. Mr. Haris Abaspahić divided his workshop in three topics: Public Policies – definitions, communities/groups, science or applied discipline; Policy making process – cycle, role of policy paper in policy making process, dissemination of ideas; How to influence the decision-making process – effective communication.

In their evaluation, the participants expressed their satisfaction with the training and suggested organizing the same training for other civil society organizations.