• General Information
• The Mandate of the OHR
• OHR Organisational Chart
• OHR Offices and Departments
• Status, Staff and Funding of the OHR
• The Peace Implementation Council and its Steering Board
• The Board of Principals

The Office of the High Representative (OHR) is the chief civilian peace implementation agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement designated the High Representative to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the Peace Agreement on behalf of the international community. He is also tasked with co-ordinating the activities of the civilian organisations and agencies operating in the Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The internationally brokered Dayton Peace Agreement was negotiated by representatives of the parties involved in the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the neighbouring Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, at US-led talks in Dayton, Ohio, in November 1995. On November 21, the parties successfully concluded the negotiations, and on December 14, they signed the Dayton Peace Agreement in Paris. The Agreement is formally referred to as the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP).

The Peace Agreement established Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state comprising two Entities, each with a high degree of autonomy: the Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation (FBiH). The Agreement includes the State Constitution (Annex 4) and other provisions designed to build a peaceful, stable country.

The mandate of the High Representative is set out in Annex 10. It declares the High Representative the final authority in theatre to interpret the agreement on the civilian implementation of the peace settlement. The Peace Implementation Council (PIC), a group of 55 countries and international organisations that sponsor and direct the peace implementation process, has subsequently elaborated on his mandate. The High Representative has no authority over the NATO-led military Stabilisation Force (SFOR).

The Steering Board of the PIC nominates the High Representative. The United Nations Security Council, which approved the Dayton Peace Agreement and the deployment of international troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then endorses the nomination.

The current High Representative is Valentin Inzko, he is the seventh High Representative of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first High Representative of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the former Prime Minister of Sweden and the European Union’s Special Negotiator at the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt (December 1995 - June 1997). He was succeeded by the former Spanish Secretary of State for European Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Westendorp (June 1997 - July 1999). Carlos Westendorp was succeeded by the former EU Chief Negotiator at the Kosovo peace talks in Rambouillet, Wolfgang Petritsch (August 1999 - May 2002).Wolfgang Petritsch was succeeded by the former Leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrat Party, Paddy Ashdown (27 May 2002 - 31 January 2006). Christian Schwarz-Schilling (01 February 2006 - 31 June 2007) succeeded Paddy Ashdown. Miroslav Lajcák (01. July 2007 - 26. March 2009) succeded Christian Schwarz-Schilling.

DrValentin Inzko is an Austrian diplomat who served for four years as Ambassador to Slovenia immediately before taking up his appointment as High Representative and EU Special Representative (HR/EUSR) for Bosnia and Herzegovina in March 2009. Dr Inzko has been involved in Southeast European diplomacy since 1981, when he joined the Austrian Foreign Ministry and began working for the department responsible for relations with the region. He was assigned to the Austrian Embassy in Belgrade from 1982 to 1986, and in1992 he headed the OSCE Mission in Sandzak. From 1996 to 1999 Dr Inzko served as the first resident Austrian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this capacity he was responsible for establishing the Austrian embassy in Sarajevo. Based in Vienna from 1999 to 2005, Dr Inzko headed the Austrian Foreign Ministry department responsible for Central, Eastern and Southern Europe as well as Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus. Before joining the Foreign Ministry, Dr Inzko held senior positions with UN Development Programme missions in Mongolia and Sri Lanka. His other diplomatic postings have included serving as the Austrian Representative at the United Nations, and as the Deputy Director of the UN Disarmament mission. Dr Inzko was born on 22 May 1949 in Klagenfurt, Austria, and grew up in a Slovene-speaking household. He was educated at a bi-lingual (Slovene and German) primary school in the village of Suetschach, near Klagenfurt, and then at the secondary school for Slovenes in Klagenfurt. He studied Law and Languages at Graz University, specializing in Russian and what was then Serbo-Croat. He subsequently studied at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. Inzko is married to the noted mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink. The couple have two children.

Prior to his appointment as Principal Deputy High Representative and Brcko Supervisor, Dr Raffi Gregorian , was the senior civilian in NATO Headquarters Sarajevo (NHQSa) responsible for defence reform and served as Political Advisor to the NATO Commander. In 2005 he served as the NATO Co-Chairman of the Defence Reform Commission ( DRC ) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), a position to which he was appointed by High Representative Lord Paddy Ashdown in December 2004. In just six months the DRC developed and agreed on the blueprint for a NATO-compatible single military force, with all enabling legislation at BiH and entity levels being passed in the subsequent five months. Prior to his service at NHQSa, Dr Gregorian directed the BiH section in the United States Department of State from November 2001 to December 2004. His extensive Balkans-related experience includes three years as Senior Adviser and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President and Secretary of State for Kosovo and Dayton Implementation and as acting director of the Kosovo Implementation office in 2001. Prior to joining the State Department in 1999, Dr Gregorian was a Department of Defence senior adviser on the Interagency Task Force for Military Stabilization in the Balkans, where he worked on the Federation Army Train & Equip program. From 1990-1998 he worked for Science Applications International Corporation as a Senior Analyst on peace support operations and counterinsurgency training, doctrine, policy, strategy and resources, as well as arms control counterintelligence issues. From 1986 to 1988 he was an historian at the U.S. Army Centre for Military History in Washington , D.C. , where he worked on the Army’s official history of the Vietnam War. Dr. Gregorian earned his Ph.D. in International Relations and Strategic Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 1998, an M.A. in War Studies from King’s College, University of London in 1989, and a B.A. with Honours from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. He is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve and has served on active duty in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and government publications, has contributed chapters to various books, and is the author of The British Army, the Ghurkhas, and Cold War Strategy in the Far East 1947-54 ( London : Palgrave/Macmillan, 2002). Dr Raffi Gregorian has received two individual and two group Superior Honour Awards from the State Department, Joint Service Commendation Medals for his military service in Kosovo and in BiH, and a Joint Service Achievement Medal for service on the Joint Staff. He is a member of the United States Senior Executive Service and is a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Article II of Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement directs the High Representative to:

• Monitor the implementation of the peace settlement;
• Maintain close contact with the parties to the Agreement, to promote their full compliance with all civilian aspects of the Agreement;
• Co-ordinate the activities of the civilian organisations and agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure the efficient implementation of the civilian aspects of the peace settlement. The High Representative shall respect their autonomy within their spheres of operation while as necessary giving general guidance to them about the impact of their activities on the implementation of the peace settlement;
• Facilitate, as the High Representative judges necessary, the resolution of any difficulties arising in connection with civilian implementation;
• Participate in meetings of donor organisations;
• Report periodically on progress to the United Nations, European Union, United States, Russian Federation and other interested governments, parties and organisations;
• Provide guidance to the United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF).

The OHR’s involvement in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political life has changed and developed according to its mandate and focus in line with the requirements of the PIC. At the beginning of the peace process, the High Representative chaired a number of joint bodies that brought together representatives of the war time parties and took care of the initial requirements of the peace process. The State and Entity Institutions envisaged in the Constitution were set up after the first post-Dayton elections in September 1996, but it took some time before they started meeting regularly. Now, one of the OHR’s key tasks is to ensure that the institutions function effectively and in a responsible manner.

In the economic field, the reconstruction phase, financed under a $5.1 billion World Bank/European Commission program, has been largely completed; the emphasis now is on revitalising the economy through the market reforms that will create jobs and stabilise the BiH Economy. The OHR has also focussed on the establishment of the rule of law, which is the starting point, an essential requirement, for progress in all the other areas of reform.

Among the most important milestones in the peace implementation process was the PIC Conference in Bonn in December 1997. Elaborating on Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the PIC requested the High Representative to remove from office public officials who violate legal commitments and the Dayton Peace Agreement, and to impose laws as he sees fit if Bosnia and Herzegovina’s legislative bodies fail to do so.

Nonetheless, the governing principle of the OHR’s engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the concept of domestic responsibility. This concept calls on the officials and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take responsibility for the peace process and the problems that their country faces.

In February 2002, the European Union’s General Affairs Council (GAC) appointed the High Representative the EU’s Special Representative in BiH. The High Representative maintains an overview of the whole range of activities in the field of the Rule of Law, including the EUPM, the IPTF follow on mission. In this context, the High Representative provides advice to the EU Secretary General/High Representative and the Commission itself.

Political Directors of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB) at their meeting in Brussels on 26 and 27 February 2008 set out the objectives that need to be achieved by the BiH authorities prior to the closure of the OHR and the transition to an EUSR. These objectives are well established, approved by the PIC SB and have all been previously recognized by BiH authorities as obligations. The objectives that will need to be delivered by the BiH authorities prior to transition are: Acceptable and Sustainable Resolution of the Issue of Apportionment of Property between State and other levels of government Acceptable and Sustainable Resolution of Defence Property Completion of the Brcko Final Award Fiscal Sustainability (promoted through an Agreement on a Permanent ITA Co-efficient methodology and establishment of a National Fiscal Council) Entrenchment of the Rule of Law (demonstrated through Adoption of National War Crimes Strategy, passage of Law on Aliens and Asylum, and adoption of National Justice Sector Reform Strategy). In addition to the objectives listed above, the PIC Steering Board agreed that two conditions need to be fulfilled prior to transition; Signing of the SAA, and a positive assessment of the situation in BiH by the PIC SB based on full compliance with the Dayton Peace Agreement. While the signing of the SAA is not part of OHR’s Work Plan it is an important requirement for transition and necessary to demonstrate Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards membership of the European Union. The situation in BiH has previously been defined by the PIC SB as a criterion for decision-making on OHR closure and transition. It remains crucial that BiH political leaders fully comply with the Dayton Peace Agreement avoiding any rhetoric or action that would threaten or violate the Peace Agreement. The achievement of the above mentioned objectives and fulfilment of the conditions will facilitate transition. The PIC Steering Board urges the authorities in BiH to achieve these objectives and contribute to fulfilling these conditions as soon as possible.

The OHR’s headquarters are in Sarajevo. The High Representative, his Principal Deputy and their cabinets are all based here. In addition, the Sarajevo Office accommodates the Political, Economic, Legal, Resources Departments/Units and the Press Office.

• Political Department
• Economic Transition Unit
• Public Security Sector Reform Unit
• Legal Department
• Resources Department
• Press Office

The OHR has 2 Regional offices, in Banja Luka and Mostar, Brcko Final Award Office and 1 field office in Bratunac. A representation office in Brussels liases with international organisations outside Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Banja Luka OHR Office
• Mostar OHR Office
• Brcko OHR Office

Under Annex 10 of the GFAP, the OHR has the status of a diplomatic mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is made up of diplomats seconded by the governments of the PIC countries, international experts hired directly, and national staff from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since July 2008, the OHR employes 34 internationals (10 seconded staff, 23 contractors and 1 international contractor funded) and 189 national contractors.

On 12 September 2002, the OHR announced an increase in the number of BiH citizens in its staff, including its senior staff. As of this date all advertised vacancies at the OHR are open to BiH citizens. Furthermore, where a BiH citizen and a foreign citizen applying for the same post are considered to be of equal merit, qualification and experience, the national applicant will be preferred.

This policy reflects the International Community’s effort to streamline its operations and normalise the ratio of foreign and national staff in international organisations.

The OHR is funded by the PIC. Its budget in 2008/2009 is 11,3 million Euros. Contributions to the OHR budget break down as follows: EU 53 %, USA 22%, Japan 10%, Russia 4%, Canada 3.03 %, OIC 2.5%, others: 5.47%.

Following the successful negotiation of the Dayton Peace Agreement in November 1995, a Peace Implementation Conference was held in London on December 8-9, 1995, to mobilise international support for the Agreement. The meeting resulted in the establishment of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC).

The PIC comprises 55 countries and agencies that support the peace process in many different ways - by assisting it financially, providing troops for SFOR, or directly running operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is also a fluctuating number of observers.

Since the London Conference, the PIC has come together at the ministerial level another five times to review progress and define the goals of peace implementation for the coming period: in June 1996 in Florence; in December 1996 for a second time in London; in December 1997 in Bonn; in December 1998 in Madrid, and in May 2000 in Brussels.

PIC Members and Participants: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China (resigned in May 2000), Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States of America; the High Representative, Brcko Arbitration Panel (dissolved in 1999 after the Final Award was issued), Council of Europe, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Commission, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), International Monetary Fund (IMF), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations (UN), UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Transitional Administration of Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES; disbanded in January 1998) and the World Bank.

PIC Observers to date: Australia, Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, European Investment Bank (EIB), Estonia, Holy See, Human Rights Ombudsperson in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), International Mediator for Bosnia and Herzegovina, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Liechtenstein, South Africa and the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

The London Peace Implementation Conference also established the Steering Board of the PIC to work under the chairmanship of the High Representative as the executive arm of the PIC.

The Steering Board members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, the Presidency of the European Union, the European Commission, and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which is represented by Turkey.

The Steering Board provides the High Representative with political guidance. In Sarajevo, the High Representative chairs weekly meetings of the Ambassadors to BiH of the Steering Board members. In addition, the Steering Board meets at the level of political directors every three months.

Following an extensive study carried out by the Office of the High Representative at the request of the Peace Implementation Council the co-ordinating structure of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina was “streamlined” in 2002 to eliminate overlapping effort and responsibilities and increase effectiveness. As part of this process a Board of Principals was established, under the chairmanship of the High Representative, to serve as the main co-ordinating body for International Community activity in BiH. The Board of Principals meets once a week in Sarajevo.

It is attended by: OHR, SFOR, OSCE, EUPM, UNHCR, European Commission, the World Bank, the IMF and the UNDP.