Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Suvad Zahirović, President of the Board of Directors of the Union of Disabled Persons' Organizations in BiH and Director of the Information Center for Disabled Persons "Lotos" Tuzla, and Dr. Sc. Zumreta Galijašević Baluković, President of the Network of Women with Disabilities in BiH and President of the Board of Directors of I.C. "Lotos" Tuzla, participated in the 30th Croatian Symposium of Persons with Disabilities with International Participation, held on 29 and 30 October 2025 at the University of Zagreb. The symposium was organized by the Union of Disabled Persons' Associations of Croatia (SOIH).
This jubilee gathering brought together a large number of representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities, experts, and decision-makers from Croatia and the region, with the aim of strengthening the rights, visibility, and position of persons with disabilities in society.
During the symposium, numerous current topics were covered - from employment and social services, to digital accessibility and reasonable adaptation, to inclusive education and designing an accessible environment. Particularly noteworthy were the panels on inclusive allowance, EU card and parking card, and the Round Table "Women with disabilities", which opened up important topics of gender equality, women's empowerment and the fight against violence.
Suvad Zahirović participated in presentations on the topic of assistive technologies, emphasizing their key role in improving independent living, availability of services and greater inclusion of people with disabilities in society.
Dr. sc. Zumreta Galijašević Baluković participated in a round table on women with disabilities, where she spoke about the work and goals of the Network of Women with Disabilities in BiH, the importance of its establishment and activities, achievements in empowering women, as well as the challenges of gender inequality and violence that women in BiH still face.
The panel discussions were extremely dynamic and inspiring, especially in the part that referred to the application of the EU card and parking permit, inclusive education, digital accessibility, and technical procedures in solving accessibility problems. The examples presented from Croatia showed how much a systemic approach, legislative changes, and cooperation of institutions can improve the daily lives of people with disabilities. These models represent an important guideline and incentive for Bosnia and Herzegovina, where more openness, adoption of good practices, and concrete steps towards real inclusion are needed.
Within the framework of the symposium, an agreement on further cooperation was also signed between umbrella organizations from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and North Macedonia, which further confirmed the importance of regional and international cooperation in the promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities.
The participation of representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina at this important gathering has once again shown the willingness of our organizations to actively contribute to regional knowledge exchange, joint action, and the construction of an inclusive society in which the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities are at the center of all policies.
Photos taken from: https://uosikazu.hr/30-hrvatski-simpozij-osoba-s-invaliditetom-s-medunarodnim-sudjelovanjem
https://hupt.hr/odrzan-30-hrvatski-simpozij-osoba-s-invaliditetom-s-medunarodnim-sudjelovanjem
Photos taken from:
https://uosikazu.hr/30-hrvatski-simpozij-osoba-s-invaliditetom-s-medunarodnim-sudjelovanjem
https://hupt.hr/odrzan-30-hrvatski-simpozij-osoba-s-invaliditetom-s-medunarodnim-sudjelovanjem