Tuzla, a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has made impressive strides towards creating an age-friendly community through the adoption of its City Age-friendly Strategy 2020-2025. The Strategy was developed with the support of Swiss Red Cross consultancy and received active participation and input from older persons’ organisations in Tuzla. This strategic document was adopted by the Tuzla City Council in 2020, providing a legal and policy basis for further development of city services and complementary activities to create an overall positive environment for senior citizens.
The City has integrated the defined strategic priorities into its multi-annual budget, either as separate funding lines per defined priorities or within existing lines, as an integral part of the social infrastructure interventions. This budgetary commitment ensures that the Age-friendly Strategy’s implementation is sustainable, with the necessary resources allocated to achieve the defined priorities.
The Age-friendly Strategy’s development process involved consultations with various stakeholders, including older persons’ organizations, to ensure that the needs and concerns of older persons in Tuzla were adequately addressed. The result is a comprehensive and inclusive strategy that covers various areas, including housing, transportation, health and social services, and community engagement. The mayor’s campaign to promote the elements of the Age-friendly Strategy is a crucial step towards creating an age-friendly identity for Tuzla. By developing an age-friendly identity, the City can serve as a role model for other communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans Region. Tuzla’s proactive approach to creating an age-friendly community is commendable, and its commitment to its senior citizens is an excellent example for other communities to follow.