JOVAN DIVJAK
Founder & Executive Director – OGBIH
Born: 11.03.1937 in Belgrade
Nationality: Bosnian
Position: Executive Director (1994-2011)
Education:
1980-1982 School of National Defence, Belgrade. (Škola narodne odbrane)
1969-1971 Command and General Staff Academy Belgrade
1964-1965 Command and General Staff Academy Paris
1963-1964 School of Languages (French)
1956-1959 Army Military Academy, Belgrade
1950-1956 High school, Zrenjanin
Professional experience:
1992-1997 Headquarters ARBiH
1984-1997 B&H TD Command
1966-1984 Military Education
1959-1966 Military Command
Other Experience:
2004 Member of the NGOs reference group Management Board, Sarajevo
1998 Member of the Association of Independent Intellectuals – Circle 99, Sarajevo
1997 Member of Helsinki Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo
1996-1997 Committee Member of the Faculty of Physical Education Sarajevo
1992-1995 President of the Shooting Association of RBiH, Sarajevo
1992-1994 Member of the Executive Committee of the Basketball Association of RBiH
Activities in NGO and civil society Sector:
2007 Sarajevo: Conference "Civil society in social inclusion"
2007 Sarajevo: Conference on active citizenship in the Balkans
2007 Sarajevo: round table "Regional Cooperation for Development and European Integration"
2005 Sarajevo: Forum "Improving educational standards in schools"
2005 Sarajevo : "The Seven Educational Forum" Conference organized by OSCE, OHR, UNICEF
2005 Sarajevo: "Towards a sustainable future-partnership, participation and involvement. Workshop organized by UMCOR Bosnia and Herzegovina
2004 Sarajevo: Conference on "Bosnia and Herzegovina on the road to functional State: visions, perspectives, and concepts"
2004 Sarajevo: "Towards a sustainable future-partnership, participation and involvement. Workshop organized by UMCOR Bosnia and Herzegovina
2004 Sarajevo: Conference of NGOs B&H organized by the Centre for Promotion of Civil Society
2004 Sarajevo: "Children's rights and strategy development in B&H." Round table organized by Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2002-2005 Sarajevo: "Education for Culture of Peace." 1 (to 7) International conference organized by "Sarajevska Tribina", Sarajevo,
2002 Sarajevo: Seminar "Active Citizenship": Sarajevo – a Healthy City, a project by Sarajevo City Council
2001 Sarajevo: "Development NGOs stabilization programs and leadership." Workshop organized by USAID DM/NET
2001 Sarajevo: Round table "Characteristics of the war in Bosnia"
Sarajevo 2000: Symposium on the B&H schools curricula. Organized by UNESCO, OHR, UN Sarajevo
2000 Sarajevo: "Sustainability of NGOs". Training organized by USAID DEM / NET
2000 Dubrovnik: "The uniqueness of a successful NGO." Workshop organized by USAID DM / NET
1997 Sarajevo: "Strategic planning of teacher's education in BiH". Conference organized by European Commission and OSCE
1994 Sarajevo: Constituent Assembly of NGO Foundation / Association "Education Builds BiH"
Participation in international conferences:
a) in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
2008-2010 Sarajevo: participation in various conferences on education
2008 Sarajevo: "Peace Activism"
2007 Sarajevo: "Future of Education in BiH in 2007"
2005 Sarajevo: "Integration of EUFOR"
2005 Sarajevo: "Poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ten years after Dayton Peace Agreement". Organized by Caritas.
2005 Sarajevo: "Dialogue and partnership development as a lever of Bosnia and Herzegovina". Organized by Confrontations Europe, Association of Sarajevo, Sarajevo FIPA.
2005 Sarajevo: "Genocide against Bosniaks of the UN safe area of Srebrenica in July 1995." Organized by the Institute for Research of Crimes against Humanity and for International Law.
2004 Sarajevo: "Children's Rights – Practice and Strategies in BiH"
2004 Sarajevo: "Bosnia and Herzegovina on its path to functional state: vision, perspectives and concepts." Organized by OHR and OSCE.
2004 Sarajevo: "Status of volunteer work in Bosnia and Herzegovina and existing legal barriers to its further promotion and development." Organized by Centre for Promotion of Civil Society, Sarajevo.
2004 Sarajevo: "To Europe through Conscientious Objection and Civil Service"
2003 Sarajevo: "The Spanish transition to democracy." Organized by the Embassy of Spain in B&H.
2002 Sarajevo: "Development of new policies of the international community – lessons (not) learned" Organized by Soros Foundation
2001 Sarajevo: "Child victims of war and peace." Organized by "Research Centre for War Crimes, Sarajevo"
1999 Sarajevo: "Divided Cities" - (Beirut, Belfast, Berlin, Jerusalem, Nicosia, Sarajevo)
1998 Sarajevo: "Victimhood in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the mitigation of its consequences," organized by Victimology Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina
1998 Sarajevo: the NATO Information Seminar
1998 Sarajevo: "Bosnian Paradigm". Organized by Forum Bosnia, Sarajevo
b) abroad:
2008-2010 Participated in various conferences on education
2007 Peace Camp, Barcelona
2007 Touluse, France: 3rd World You Forum
2007 Offenbach – Frankfurt am Main: Week of Culture – Bosnia on the path to the future
2006 Rome, Italy: "Healing the War"
2006 Torino, Italy: "Spirituality, question of God, question man"
2005 Geneva: "B&H ten years after Dayton and on." Organized by Association "2005 Dayton Peace Agreement," Switzerland
2004 Brussels: "Humanitarians: War Heroes or War Victims." Organized by of the ICRC
2000 Brussels, Belgium: "Dissolution of Yugoslavia, 1991 to 1995."
2000 Texas, Austin, USA. "Democratic changes in ex Yugoslavia"
2003 Albertville, France: "Reconciliation and Reconstruction"
1999 Budapest, Hungary: "The wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina". Presentation: "Characteristics of the B&H war"
1999 Graz, Austria: "The European experience and the development of democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina". Presentation: "National Myths in B&H"
1999 Barcelona, Spain: "European Cities for Human Rights"
1998 Barcelona: "Cities for Human Rights." Organised by City of Barcelona
1998 Nantes, France: "The meeting of art and history"
1997 Graz: "The realization of human rights in BiH - Science and Practice," University of Graz Organiser
1997 Barcelona, Spain: "Europe for Bosnia" (Europa per Bosnia). Authored and presented paper titled "Aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina" and "The future of BiH"
1997 London, UK: "Reconciliation in Bosnia," organized by Association for Central and Eastern Europe
1997 Crikvenica, Croatia: IV Summer School of Democracy
1996 Copenhagen, Denmark: "The future of BiH". Organized by the Danish Institute for International Policy
1996 London: Seminar: "Reconciliation in Bosnia." Organized by The Foundation for Civil Society New York and the British Association for Central and Eastern Europe.
1996 Vienna, Austria: "The dialogue of peace" organized by the Austrian Government. Authored and presented paper titled "The chances of the Dayton Peace and the Future of Bosnia."
1995 Bonn, Germany: "The International Congress for the documentation of the 1992-1995 genocide." Organized by The Society for Threatened Peoples, Federal Republic of Germany. Authored and presented paper titled "The role of the JNA in the aggression against BiH."
Books:
2007 "Sarajevo, mon amour", published in Italian by Edizioni Infinito-Direzione editorials, Italy. Foreword by Paolo Rumiz.
2004 "Sarajevo, mon amour", published in French by Entretin Florence La Bruyere; publisher Buchet-Chastel. Foreword by Bernard Henry Levy.
2000 "The wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina 1991-1995." Offprint Aggression Against B&H. Publisher: Dani, Jesenski and Tura 1999.
Prizes and Awards:
2011 SUBNOR Sarajevo Stari grad Municipality Award, with a present of Traditional Craft Guild; 2011 The B&H Citizen of the Year awarded by the BH Organisations' Council of Australia
2010 Honorary Citizen of the Municipality of Bosanska Krupa, B&H
2009 Plaque of Stari Grad-Sarajevo, for contribution to development and functioning of the municipality
2009 Order of Lafayette, France
2008 Victor Gollancz Award, Berlin
2008 Sarajevo Canton Plaque
2007 Personality of the Year, the Charter of Kulin Ban awarded by the BH Association, Mannheim, Germany.
2007 Takunda Award, the Person of the Year in the Balkans (RE tolerance and coexistence); awarded by the CESVI Association Bergamo, Italy,
2006 Award by the Cercle Universel des Ambassadeurs de la Paix – Universal
2005 6 April Awarded by the Sarajevo City Assambly
2003 Honorary citizen of Abruzzo, Italy
2003 Honorary citizen of Grenoble, France.
2003 Honorary Citizen of Villerest, France
2003 Honorary Citizen of Saumur, France
2001 Honorary Citizen of Padua, Italy
2001 City of Padua Plaque and cash award
2001 Legion of Honour, France.
2001 The city of Vicenza Award, Italy
1999 Humanist of the Year; International League of Humanists, Sarajevo.