Ibrahim Spahic

First President of BJCEM from 2001 to 2006

President of the Commission for Drafting of the Cultural Strategy of BiH of the Council of Ministers of BiH

Ibrahim Spahic was born in Sarajevo on May 10, 1952. He finished the First Grammar School and graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo. From 1974 to 1982, he was the president of the Sarajevo Students Association and ta member of the Presidency of the Student and Youth Association at the BH and SFRY level. He participated in numerous European and world youth forums in the period from 1968-1978. He founded the Students' Cultural Centre CEDUS, was a co-organizer of the Chess Club "Cajtnot" and a member of the Steering Board of the Sport Association "Bosna." He was the President of the Council of a Daily Newspapers "Sport" and the member of the Executive Committee of the World Competition in Gymnastics.
For many years he was a member of the Council of the Association of the People with hearing disabilities. He initiated and supported humanitarian aid for the House for Neglected Children, Nursing Home and Public Kitchen. He was a member of the first Steering Committee for the construction of the Medical Centre Sarajevo. He initiated the action "100.000 books for 10 new libraries in BiH", was the editor of the program of the Youth House of the Cultural Centre "Skenderija" and a co-founder of CDA (Center for Social Activity) and the international cultural project "Poetry of Space". He was a representative of the Local Community "Bascarsija" in the Municipality of Stari Grad. From 1980 to 1990 he was the deputy director of the Research Centre and the member of the Presidency of the SSRN BiH party (Association of Socialist and Working People in BiH).

In the period from 1990-1993, he was the President of SSRN and DSS (Democratic Socialist Party Sarajevo), President of the City Democratic Party from 1993 and a member of the Sarajevo Council of City Commissioners 1992-1993. He is the author of the April Declaration for a Free and Unified Sarajevo (1992).

Ibrahim Spahic was a co-organizer of the international humanitarian project "Why" "Dubrovnik 1991" and "Alsas-Sarajevo 1993" as well as the co-organizer of the projects "Houston-Sarajevo", "Open Road Stockholm- Sarajevo", "Sarajevo-Heart of the Europe", and the promoter of the Map of the graphics Sarajevo 92-95. He attended the First World Conference on Human Rights, organized by UN.
He was also the co-organizer of the peace gatherings in Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona and Sarajevo and gave speeches before the Committee for Foreign Affairs and Security of the European Parliament and at the conferences held by the Council of Europe and by the UN Committee for Human Rights. He was a candidate for the BiH Presidency in 1996 and 2002. He was the Deputy in the Republican Parliament (1974-78) and the member of the Commission for foreign politics.

Mr. Spahic was an MP in the House of Representatives of the BH Parliamentary Assembly (1998-2000) and was the first deputy of the Chair of the Commission for Foreign Affairs. He was particularly engaged in the development of parliamentary diplomacy and was the head of parliamentary delegations at the international conferences.

He was also an MP in the House of Peoples of BiH Parliament (2000-2002) and the Chair of Constitutional-Legal Commission. Ibrahim Spahic was the Chairman of the IPU delegation of the BiH Parliament Assembly. He was the BiH representative at the IPU conferences in Berlin, Jakarta, Amman, Burkina Faso, Paris, London, Bled, Ohrid as well as at other bilateral and multilateral meetings of parliamentarians.

He was the initiator and the author of Laws and Resolutions that were adopted in the Parliament Assembly of BiH: The Law on the Protection of Ethnic and National Minority Rights in BiH; Parliamentary Assembly BiH Resolution on European Integrations and the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe; the Resolution on Trust and Peacekeeping in BiH; the Resolution on Social and Economic Policy; and the Resolution on Health Protection. He also prepared proposals for the laws and resolutions that were to lead to parliamentary procedure: the changes of the Law on Council of Ministers and the Ministries in BiH; the Law on Sarajevo City, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the resolutions on the position of BiH youth in the educational system; employment and social life in B&H; amendments to the BiH Constitution; resolutions on the position of scientific and cultural institutions in B&H; two interpellations on economic and social policy of the Council of Ministers of BiH that were taken into consideration in the Parliament Assembly of B&H. He was the initiator of the Strategy on Mid-term Economic and Social Development of BiH.

Hi is the author of the text on the cultural strategy of BiH that was for the first time accepted in 2006 as the part of the strategy on the economic and social development of BiH in a document entitled "Revised Strategy of the Economic-Social Development 2004-2007 (PRSP)".

Ibrahim Spahic is the president and the organizer of the International Festival Sarajevo "Sarajevo Winter," the president of the International Peace Centre (IPC), the president of the House of Europe - Sarajevo, all on a voluntary basis. He is the founder and the president of BiH Foundation Kulin Ban. He was the initiator of the project "Sarajevo - European cultural centre" 1993/1994 and was the initiator and coordinator of the project "Sarajevo-First Intercultural Centre of Europe 2003-2004. He organized the first Intercultural Forum of the European Council in 2003. He was the president of the Coordinating Board "Sarajevo - European Region 2006" along with the government of the Canton of Sarajevo.

Ibrahim Spahic established the awared "Sloboda" which has been given out every year since 1993 when it was established.

Mr. Spahic was also the president of the X Biennial of Young Artists of Europe and Mediterranean 2001, the founder and the first president of the Association of Biennials of Young Artists of Europe and Mediterranean 2001-2006, which organized the Biennials in Athens, Sarajevo and Naples.

He is the founder and the president of the IPC publishing house and is the editor and the publisher of more than 200 books and a member of numerous internationally recognized organizations. He is the former publisher and the editor of the human rights magazine "Why"; the and the co-editor of the magazine for philosophical issues "Dialogue" from 1995 to 2007. He is the President of the Association of the Publishers and Booksellers of BiH and the organizer of book fairs in Sarajevo, Frankfurt, Washington, Barcelona, Cairo, Goeterborg, Zagreb and Podgorica. He is the organizer of the Conference of Mayors of BiH and the communities of mayors in B&H from 2002-2006 in cooperation with the Council of Europe; the president of the European Organizing Committee of the regional awareness-raising campaign for the promotion of multiethnic society and democratic citizenship for all - "Link Diversity", in the countries of South-Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, BiH). He is the co-president of the Festival of Culture of Minorities in Romania; the chairman of the first Conference on Minorities in BiH and the patron of projects dedicated to the European Convention on Culture in BiH. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Cultural Forum in Brussels; a member of the Executive Committee of the Directorate for Culture of the European Council in Strasbourg from 2002 to 2006; a member of the Executive Committee of the European Festival Association (EFA) in Gent, and a member of the Executive Committee of BJCEM. He is the president of IITM for BiH and is an honourable member of PEN Center BiH and the Architects Society of Sarajevo. He is a member of the international forum for intercultural and inter-religious dialogue and a member of numerous international organizations, such as ISPA (New York); IITM (Madrid); BJCEM (Brussels) IPA (Geneva). He has organized 25 exhibitions IPC's "Map of Graphics 92-95".

Ibrahim Spahic was the founder of the Lions International Club Sarajevo and served as its first president from 1997-1998. On the initiative of the Lions Club, the modern department for pre-natal medicine was opened at the University Medical Centre "Kosevo during this period. He was the President of the Board for the Celebration of the 120th Anniversary of the First Grammar School in Sarajevo as well as the President of the Management Board of the National Theatre of Sarajevo. He was a member of BiH Press Council, a former member of MESS Festival Council, the former President of the Collegium Artisticum Association (Austrian House), the former president of the International Festival - Poetics of Space, and the organizer and the president of the first Citizen's Forum. He was the founder and the co-president of the first ecological organization "Skakavac"; former publisher of the ecological review "Eko oko"and "Spektar" and a member of the Council for Gender Project BiH.

He was the initiator of the first international competition in BiH for the Sarajevo Concert Hall in 1999 and the construction of the Hall at Marijin Dvor that was included in the Regulation Plan of Sarajevo. He also initiated the project "Cesma (drinking fountain) for Roma, fountain for Sarajevo". He was one of the members/founders of the Association "Mediteran", the organizer of the activity "Book for the Srebrebica Library", the co-organizer of the Theatre "Amphitheatre" and the construction of the sport facilities in the Aerodromsko settlement, in collaboration with the "Help" organization. On his initiative the Gallery IPC "E" started to work again, and the enabling the activities of "Sartr" to take place in the premises of CDA once again.

Ibrahim Spahic was awarded by many institutions.
He has been the recipient of many awards: the Award for the North-South Cultural Cooperation (Morocco); "Charte d'Or" for Humanism (International League of Humanists); the medal "Joan Miro" (UNESCO); as well as the award "Tartuffo per Pace" (Italy). He received special recognition by the EU and the City of Taomira for activity in the defence of human and artistic dignity; the award "Nine Dragon Heads" for the development of cultural relations between BiH and Korea; the award of the city of Antwerp, the European Cultural Centre 1993, and a special award of the cultural association L'eta verde (Italy); as well as the first award of the international organization "Biser" for GENDER promotion, an award from the Fine Arts Biennial - Alexandria, the award of the City of Dubrovnik and the award of the International Book Fair in Podgorica.

He is the author of numerous works about foreign policy and human rights, culture and art. He has been a participant in many international cultural and scientific conferences and congresses, is the organizer of workshops and international seminars and is often a the speaker at round tables.

Ibrahim Spahic is the author of the book "Parliamentary Assembly of B&H" (1998-2002), the book of poetry "The Sign" and the editor of the Monograph "Twentieth Anniversary of the Sarajevo Winter Festival." He is the publisher and editor of more than 150 books and magazines from all areas of human creativity.

He is married and has two children: a son Mirsad (22) and a daughter Selma (12). His wife Senada has a Masters degree in Economics.

Predsjednik Gradanske demokratske stranke BIH

Roden je 10. maja 1952. godine u Sarajevu, gdje je zavrsio I gimnaziju i diplomirao na Filozofskom fakultetu sarajevskog univerziteta.

Od 1974. do 1980. predsjednik Saveza studenata Univerziteta u Sarajevu i clan predsjednistva Saveza studenata i omladine na republickom i saveznom nivou. Ucesnik evropskih i svjetskih foruma o mladima od 1968. do 1978. godine. Osnivac studentskog kulturnog centra Sarajevskog unuverziteta i pokretac CEDUS-a. Suosnivac Sahovskog kluba "Cajtnot" i clan Upravnog odbora Sportskog drustva "Bosna", predsjednik Savjeta dnevnog lista "Sport" i clan Izvrsnog komiteta Svjetskog prvenstva u ritmicko-sportskoj gimnastici, visegodisnji clan Savjeta Udruzenja gluhih i nagluhih osoba i inicijator i ucesnik u podrsci Domu starih, Domu za nezbrinutu djecu i narodnim kuhinjama u Sarajevu. Bio je clan prvog Upravnog odbora za izgradnju Klinickog centra Sarajevo. Organizator je i akcije 100.000 knjiga za deset novih biblioteka u BiH.
Programski urednik Doma mladih Centra Skenderija i suosnivac CDA, i medunarodnog kulturnog projekta "Poetika prostora". Bio je odbornik SO Stari Grad ispred Mjesne zajednice Bascarsija.
U periodu od 1980 do 1990. bio je zamjenikm direktora Studijskog centra i clan Predsjednistva SSRN Sarajevo.
Od 1990. do 1993. bio je predsjednik SSRN i DSS Sarajeva. Predsjednik GDS BiH od 1993.
Clan Savjeta povjerenika grada Sarajeva 1992./93. Autor Aprilske Deklaracije o nedjeljivosti Sarajeva iz 1992.
Suorganizator medunarodnog humanitarnog projekta WHY "Dubrovnik 1991. i Alzas - Sarajevo 1993. i koorganizator projekata Hjuston-Sarajevo, Open road Stokholm-Sarajevo, Sarajevo - srce Evrope, promotor mape grafika Sarajevo 92-95. Ucesnik Prve Svjetske konferencije UN-a o ljudskim pravima u Becu.
Suorganizator mirovnih mitinga u Parizu, Londonu, Rimu, Barceloni i Sarajevu i govornik na Komitetu za spoljnju politiku i bezbjednost Evropskog parlamenta, na konferencijama Savjeta Evrope i Komitetu za ljudska prava UN-a.

Bio je kandidat za clana Predsjednistva BiH 1996. i 2002. godine.
Delegat u Skupstini SRBiH bio je od 1974. do 1978. godine (clan Komisije za spoljnu politiku).
Poslanik u Predstavnickom domu Parlamentarne skupstine BiH od 1998. do 2000., i duznost prvog zamjenika predsjednika Komisije za vanjske poslove, posebno angaziran na razvoju parlamentarne diplomacije. Predvodio je parlamentarne delegacije na medunarodnim konferencijama.

Bio je delegat u Domu naroda Parlamentarne skupstine BiH od 2000. do 2002. Predsjednik Ustavno-pravne komisije i predsjednik delegacije PSBiH u Interparlamentarnoj uniji. Biran je za jednog od potpredsjednika Konferencije Interparlamentarne unije. Nastupao je u ime BiH na Konferenciji IPU u Berlinu, Dzakarti, Amanu, Burkini Faso, Parizu, Londonu, Bledu, Ohridu i drugim bilateralnim i multilatelarnim susretima parlamentaraca.
Inicijator i autor je zakona i rezolucija koji su usvojeni u Parlamentarnoj skupstini BiH: Zakona o pravima etnickih i nacionalnih zajednica ili manjina u BiH; Rezolucije PS BiH o evropskim integracijama i Paktu stabilnosti za Jugoistocnu Evropu; Rezolucije o povjerenju i pomirenju u BiH; Rezolucije o ekonomskoj i socijalnoj politici, Rezolucije o zastiti zdravlja za sve. Predlagac je zakona i rezolucija koji su uvedeni u parlamentarnu proceduru: Zakona o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o Vijecu ministara Bosne i Hercegovine i ministarstvima BiH; Zakona o gradu Sarajevu, glavnom gradu BiH; Rezolucije o polozaju mladih BIH u obrazovanju, zaposljavanju i drustvenom zivotu u BiH; Amandmana na Ustav BiH; Rezolucije o polozaju naucnih i kulturnih institucija BiH; autor je dvije Interpelacije o ekonomskoj i socijalnoj politici Vijeca ministara BiH koje su razmatrane u Parlamentarnoj skupstini BiH na zajednickoj sjednici i ciji rezultat je prihvatanje prijedloga za izradu Strategije srednjorocnog ekonomskog i socijalnog razvoja BiH.

Autor je teksta kulturne strategije BiH koji je prvi put prihvacen kao dio strategije ekonomsko-socijalnog razvoja BiH 2006. godine u dokumentu "Revidirana strategija ekonomsko-socijalnog razvoja 2004-2007 (PRSP)".

Predsjednik je i organizator Medunarodnog festivala Sarajevo "Sarajevska zima" i kao volonter predsjedava i Medunarodnim centrom za mir, Kucom Evrope Sarajevo i osnivac je i predsjednik bh. Fondacije "Kulin ban". Pokretac je projekta Sarajevo - kulturni centar Evrope 93./94. i inicijator i koordinator projekta Sarajevo - Prvi interkulturalni grad Savjeta Evrope 2003./2004. organizator prvog interkulturalnog Foruma Savjeta Evrope 2003. i predsjednik Koordinacionog odbora "Sarajevo - Euroregija 2006." pri Vladi Kantona Sarajevo.

Pokrenuo je Internacionalnu nagradu "Sloboda " IPC-a koja se dodjeljuje od 1993.godine.

Direktor X bijenala mladih umjetnika Evrope i Mediterana 2001. i prvi osnivac i predsjednik Udruzenja mladih umjetnika Evrope i Mediterana za period 2001.-2007., koje je koorganizator Bijenala u Sarajevu, Ateni, Napulju.

Osnivac je izdavacke kuce IPC, raniji izdavac i glavni i odgovorni urednik casopisa za ljudska prava "WHY". Bio je koizdavac casopisa za filozofska pitanja"Dijalog" od 1995-2007.. Predsjednik Udruzenja izdavaca i knjizara BiH i organizator sajmova u Sarajevu, Frankfurtu, Vasingtonu, Barceloni, Kairu, Geteborgu, Zagrebu, Podgorici...
Organizator Konferencije gradonacelnika BIH u saradnji sa Savjetom Evrope i zajednicama opcina i gradova u BiH. /2002.,2003.,2004.,2005.,2006./

Bio je predsjednik je Evropskog organizacionog komiteta kampanje Vijeca Evrope za podizanje svijesti i promoviranje multietnickog drustva i demokratskog gradanstva za sve"Link Diversity" u jugoistocnoj Evropi (Bugarska, Rumunija, Albanija, Srbija, Crna Gora, Kosovo, Hrvatska, Makedonija, Moldavija i BiH). I kopredsjednik Festivala kultura manjina u Rumuniji, predsjedavajuci Prve konferencije nacionalnih manjina u BiH i pokrovitelj projekata posvecenih Evropskoj konvenciji o kulturi u BiH. Clan je Izvrsnog komiteta Evropskog kulturnog foruma u Briselu i Izvrsnog komiteta direktora za kulturu Savjeta Evrope (2002. do 2006.) u Strazburu, Izvrsnog komiteta Evropske asocijacije festivala u Gentu i izvrsnog komiteta BJCEM. Predsjednik IITM za BIH.

Pocasni je clan PEN Centra BiH i clan Drustva arhitekata Sarajeva.
Clan je Medunarodnog foruma za medukultumi i medureligijski dijalog, kao i mnogih medunarodnih organizacija: ISPA /Njujork/, IITM (Madrid), BJCEM (Brisel), IPA (Zeneva). Organizovao je dvadestpet izlozbi u svijetu "Mape grafika 92-95", IPC.

Osnivac je prvog medunarodnog kluba "Lions" Sarajevo u Sarajevu i njegov prvi predsjednik 1997. godine, tokom cijeg djelovanja je otvoren savremeni Odjel za prenatalnu medicinu UKC Kosevo.
Bio je predsjednik Odbora za obiljezavanje sto dvadesete godisnjice Prve gimnazije u Sarajevu, predsjednik Upravnog odbora Narodnog pozorista u Sarajevu, clan Savjeta BH Pressa, clan Savjeta Festivala MESS, predsjednik Asocijacije Collegium artisticum (Austrijska kuca), osnivac i predsjednik Izvrsnog odbora Gradanskog foruma i osnivac i kopredsjednik prvog Eko pokreta u BiH "Skakavac" i izdavac casopisa "Eko oko" i "Spektar" i clan Savjeta Gender projekta BiH. Pokrenuo je aktivnosti i za prvi Medunarodni konkurs u BiH za Concert Hall 1999. i izgradnju Concert Halla na Marijin Dvoru koji je uvrsten u Regulacionalni plan Sarajeva, inicijator projekta Cesma za Rim - Fontana za Sarajevo, jedan od clanova-osnivaca Fondacije Mediteran, organizator akcije Knjiga za biblioteku u Srebrenici, suorganizator izgradnje teatra Amfiteatar i sportskih terena u Aerodromskom naselju sa organizacijom "Help". Na Spahicev poziv obnovljen je rad Galerije IPC-"E" i omogucen rad SARTR-u u CDA.

Dobitnik je nagrade za Kulturnu saradnju Sjever-Jug (Maroko), «Zlatne povelje» za humanizam (Medunarodna liga humanista), medalje «Juan Miro» (UNESCO), nagrade «Tartuffo per Pace» (Italija), nagrade ISPA za upravljanje u oblasti kulture (New York) kao i specijalnog priznanja Evrope za rad na odbrani ljudskog i umjetnickog digniteta (Taormina), nagrade Devet zmajeva za razvoj kulturnih veza Juzne Koreje i BiH, grada Antverpena kulturnog centra Evrope 1993. i specijalne nagrade Asocijacije za kulturu L'eta verde (Italija). Prvi je dobitnik Gender nagrade zenske asocijacije Biser, Aleksandrijskog bijenala, grada Dubrovnika. Medunarodnog sajma knjiga u Podgorici.

Autor je radova iz oblasti vanjske politike i ljudskih prava, kulture i umjetnosti. Organizator je workshopova i medunarodnih seminara i predavac na mnogobrojnim tribinama u zemlji i svijetu. Autor je knjige Parlamentarna skupstina BiH (1998.-2002.) i knjige poezije "ZNAK", te priredivac antologije poezije Harfa i urednik Monografije "20 godina Sarajevske zime", izdavac i urednik vise od 150 knjiga i casopisa iz svih oblasti stvaralastva.

Ozenjen je i ima sina Mirsada (22) i kcerku Selmu (12). Supruga Senada je magistar ecc nauka.