Press statement | 18.05.2022 Recommendation to Tuzla University Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina received A.K.’s complaint indicating Tuzla University as the respondent party. The complainant approached IHROBiH concerning a competition procedure, i.e. the requirements set in the said competition. The complaint indicated that there was a public vacancy for the position of Librarian opened at Tuzla University. One of the requirements set in the vacancy was holding the COBISS programme equipment licence. According to the complainant’s claims, the licence to operate in the COBISS system can only be obtained if the person is employed by a national, public, people’s, university or some other library or a library which is a member of the COBISS system in BiH. Therefore, the said licence cannot be obtained independently. Following the investigation procedures, IHROBiH sent Recommendation P-104/22 to Tuzla University on 14 April 2022, indicating that by setting and defining such requirement in the competition procedure, Tuzla University considerably reduced the possibility of hiring bachelors of library science and violated the principle of equal access to employment. This ultimately put candidates in an unequal position, which in practice can lead to an unequal treatment of participants in competition procedures. The Recommendation recommended Tuzla University to align the internal documents with the Librarianship Act and the Rulebook on Professional Titles, Requirements and Methods for Acquiring Professional Titles in Librarianship in Tuzla Canton. IHROBiH received Tuzla University response no 01-2240-2/22 dated 10 May 2022 concerning its recommendation P-104/22 dated 13 May 2022 and containing the information that the Tuzla University Vice-Chancellor submitted to the Managing Board, which issues the Rulebook on the Internal Organisation and Classification of Posts, the proposal to delete from the Rulebook the requirement of “holding the COBISS programme equipment licence” as a separate requirement, on the proviso that Tuzla University will subsequently enable the person who starts working in the given position and does not hold the said licence, to get the training and obtain the licence. Furthermore, the response indicated that Tuzla University requested a ruling from the line ministry concerning the concerned proposal for the Rulebook, and indicated that the Tuzla University Board of Directors, at the session of 27 April 2022, accepted the claims from the IHROBiH Recommendation and found that by conducting the vacancy procedure the complainant was discriminated against in terms of the right to equal employment opportunities and equal access to the position. By Decision no 04-2352-1-8/22 it adopted A.K.’s complaint and cancelled the Employment Decision. Also, the University Vice-Chancellor was instructed to cancel the vacancy for indefinite employment of one incumbent to the position of Librarian, which was complied with the Decision dated 9 May 2022 and published in the Dnevni avaz daily on 10 May 2022. Useful Links Cooperation with NGO Office Days of the BiH Ombudsman Agreements of the Ombudsperson Institution of BiH with other ombudsman institutions Covid-19 and the human rights effect Freedom of Access to Information Marrakech Declaration, 12th October 2018 Operational Strategy of the Institution of Human rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Period 2023 – 2028 Medium-Term Plan 2024-2026 Ombudsman Manual for handling discrimination cases Guidelines for filling in the complaints in the area of discrimination Application before European Court of Human Rights - Instruction The life of an application before the European Court of Human Rights News Archive We are protecting rights of natural persons and legal entities in accordance with the Constitution of BiH and international human rights instruments...Ombudsmen of BiH Ombudsman's ActivitiesSastanak ombudsmena dr Nevenka Vranješa sa ministrom trgovine i turizma Republike SrpskeOmbudsmenka dr. Jasminka Džumhur razgovarala s članom Evropskog parlamentaOmbudsmenka dr. Jasminka Džumhur u Zenici na svečanom otvaranju zgrade Općinskog sudaOmbudsmeni dr. Jasminka Džumhur i dr Nevenko Vranješ na online konferenciji posvećenoj rješavanju govora mržnjeOmbudsmen dr. Nevenko Vranješ u Doboju na prezentaciji „Smjernica“Ombudsmenka Nives Jukić na sastanku u Tužilaštvu Kantona SarajevoActivities Archive Latest publications Special report on the care of children without parental care with a special focus on the situation in institutions, September 2023Annual Report on results of the activities of the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH for 2022Annual Report on results of the activities of the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH for 2021Special Report on Situation in Institutions where Children in Conflict with the Law are Placed, December 2021