“The BiH Diaspora represents more than just a source of remittances. They are a wealth of information, skills and values that can benefit their homeland. In Switzerland alone there are around 60’000 people of Bosnian origin. Many of them have an interest in supporting their homeland. I invite every BiH citizen living outside and inside of the country to make active of use this online platform and hope they will find it useful. Share your experiences, your ideas and your expertise in your professional field! It will help create fruitful networks and promote positive initiatives for mutual benefit and for the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, stated the Swiss Ambassador to BiH Andrea Rauber Saxer at today’s press conference on occasion of the web portal’s launch.
At the launching event, the media was also addressed by Semiha Borovac, Minister for Human Rights and Refugees, and Nirvana Pištoljević, President of the BiH-American Academy of Sciences and Arts (BHAAAS).
As a long-time partner of BiH, Switzerland is convinced that the BiH diaspora has an important role to play in helping the country to catch up with its European partners. The BiH Diaspora in Switzerland has already created a platform called i-plattform which connects different actors from both Switzerland and BiH. The aim of this platform is to match ideas from both countries with the right partners. The D4D web portal goes a step further by connecting the BiH diaspora all around the globe with partners from BiH.
“We want to encourage the BiH diaspora to join forces for the benefit of the country. This portal is open to people who seek investment opportunities in BiH. It will also be a meeting place for people who are ready to share their knowledge and experience with partners from BiH”, said Ambassador Rauber Saxer.
The web portal also includes a unified address book of institutions in BiH, as well as BiH diplomatic and consular missions in the world, and register of organizations of the BiH diaspora. The portal will ensure the participation of diaspora in the creation of public policies through public consultations. It will also publish public calls and information on business opportunities and on the possibility of projects financing or applying for grants.
