On January 31, 2025, a panel discussion on the topic “Arranged Marriages in Modern Society: Tradition, Freedom of Choice, and Equality” was held at the Grand Amphitheater of the International University of Travnik. The event gathered experts, academics, and students who together explored the important issues surrounding arranged marriages, focusing on their connection to tradition, freedom of choice, and gender equality.

On Friday, January 31, 2025, a promotion of the student anthology “Gender and Art” was held at the Book Corner of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Tuzla. The anthology, published by the TPO Foundation in collaboration with the University of Tuzla, features academic and artistic works prepared by students under the mentorship of selected professors, following the Winter School held at the University of Tuzla in 2024 as part of the UNIGEM project.

Following the highly successful promotion of the book The Price of Impure Blood: Cultural and Economic Aspects of Menstruation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, this very important work, which represents a pioneering step in exploring a topic often marginalized or silenced in Bosnian society, was presented in Zenica on Thursday, February 20. The promotion of the publication, authored by Jasna Kovačević and Zilka Spahić Šiljak, took place at the Faculty of Law at the University of Zenica.

The book The Price of Impure Blood: Cultural and Economic Aspects of Menstruation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, authored by Jasna Kovačević and Zilka Spahić Šiljak and published by the TPO Foundation, was promoted on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, in a full hall at the Marriott Hotel in Sarajevo. The promoters of the book were Prof. Dr. Amila Ždralović, Prof. Dr. Munira Šestić, and Prof. Dr. Zilka Spahić Šiljak.

As part of the UNIGEM project (Universities and Gender-Responsive Policies), the TPO Foundation, in partnership with the University Gender Resource Center of the University of Sarajevo, the ZATO Foundation, and 19 universities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro, is organizing the international conference Gender and Peace in the Balkans: Tracing the Path Forward. The three-day conference will take place in Sarajevo from February 25 to 27, 2025, in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and online participation (with live streaming).

Every year, the Third Gymnasium in Sarajevo publishes a school newsletter, created by both teachers and students. This year’s edition, titled “Youth in Action for Peacebuilding and Promoting Tolerance,” focuses mainly on activities involving teachers and students from seven Sarajevo high schools, supported by the TPO Foundation within the framework of the UNIGEM project.

The book The Price of Impure Blood: Cultural and Economic Aspects of Menstruation in Bosnia and Herzegovina provides a comprehensive analysis of one of the most significant yet often overlooked issues faced by women and girls worldwide. The research was conducted in 28 cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina through a survey involving over 2,000 women and interviews with 73 women. Through an examination of social norms, economic challenges, and health implications, the book uncovers deeply rooted stigmas, gender inequalities, and structural barriers that hinder women from managing menstruation with dignity. The goal of the book is to raise awareness of this complex issue, create space for discussion, and explore solutions that would enable economically, health-wise, and socially fairer conditions for women and girls. >> Click here to download book.

The evaluation is expected to start on 3 March 2025 for an estimated duration of 20 working days.

After four years of project implementation, TPO Foundation is looking for 10 persons to do monitoring of the undertaken project activities. Five persons are needed for universities in BiH, tree for Croatian partner universities and one person per Serbia and Montenegro, i.e. for UNIGEM partner universities in these two countries.

Within the UNIGEM (Universities and Gender Mainstreaming) project TPO Foundation in partnership with the University Gender Resource Center of the University of Sarajevo, Foundation ZATO and 19 universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro is organising the International Conference “Gender and Peace in the Balkans: Charting the Path Forward?” The three-day conference will be held in Sarajevo from February 25-27, 2025 and it will have a hybrid format allowing for in-person or online participation (live video streaming).