UN General Assembly
2021

One of the consequences of the slowdown in sustainable development that we are facing is the flight of the working-age population to developed countries. According to available statistics, nearly 10 per cent of the population has emigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina since the last census, in 2013, mostly from the population of working age as well as young families with children. That is why I would like to draw attention to the fact that, in addition to the well-known wave of economic migrants from the Asia, the Middle East and North Africa towards my country — and we have tried to provide humanitarian aid, food and accommodation for them — we are also facing the outflow of our own population, which will cause additional social problems for our society. Our people are leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina in search of better business and life opportunities. They are also seeking security in more orderly societies that more actively promote and protect human rights values. They are drawn by the prospect of living in an environment where their knowledge and work can create a life of certainty for them within a rational social order.