The U.S. foreign assistance priority is to help BiH solidify its future within the Euro-Atlantic community, ensuring that BiH makes the necessary reforms to gain EU and NATO membership. To reach this goal, the following objectives are necessary:

• Effective government institutions and civil society that encourage and enable active citizen involvement;
• Effective, transparent and accountable state-level institutions and processes, namely in the justice and security sector, which uphold the law equally for all citizens;
• Greater economic growth through investment and enactment of EU standards;
• A vibrant society that values tolerance and diversity, and where women and minorities flourish.

Cross-cutting initiatives that are critical to U.S. foreign policy objectives are youth, civil society, empowering women, and inter-ethnic reconciliation. The Embassy has identified these topics as focal points for diplomatic efforts and USG assistance. Task forces meet regularly to design and focus the Embassy‘s work around these key areas. USAID/BiH is part of these task forces, and integrates these important concepts into the design and work of all its programs. Corruption is also a cross-cutting area of focus since it is a major obstacle for the progress of BiH. Each Development Objective (DO) addresses these priority topics in the overall strategy, as well as at the project level (see DO sections for detailed information).

Overall, the USG assistance presence in BiH is broad and made up of diverse USG agencies. USAID implements about 50% of the Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia (AEECA) assistance to BiH and also manages non-AEECA funds. Over $20 million in the annual AEECA country-level budget goes to the following USG efforts: Department of Defense; State Department and Office of Public Affairs; Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training and Assistance Program (ICITAP), and the Overseas Prosecutorial and Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT); Department of Commerce (through Commercial Law and Development Program); Department of Treasury; and direct assistance transfers to the Office of the High Representative in BiH, the International Commission on Missing Persons, the BiH State Court (i.e., funding U.S. judges to serve as full-time advisors) and the National Endowment for Democracy. The State Department‘s Assistance Coordinator to Europe and Eurasia annually oversees the funding allocation to USG agencies for assistance efforts. The Mission Strategic Resource Plan (MSRP) sets forth out-year budget levels at the broad level, although it does not set forth budget levels for specific USG agencies and does not discuss strategic details.

USG programs in Peace and Security strengthen BiH‘s ability to combat terrorism, address trafficking in persons, safeguard its borders, progress on defense issues and promote tolerance. Department of Defense programs strengthen state-level Bosnia defense institutions, develop capabilities at the tactical level, and help BiH advance on the path toward NATO accession. Department of Justice/ICITAP builds stronger cooperation among law enforcement agencies, improves judicial systems, and builds more capable police and intelligence services in BiH. The Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program involves several complementary assistance efforts to increase BiH‘s ability to check ongoing proliferation concerns: legal and regulatory, enforcement, licensing, industry outreach, and interagency cooperation. The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC)‘s security assistance and other support includes, but is not limited to, foreign military sales of U.S. defense equipment, services and training, management of the budget account for Foreign Military Financing, International Military Education and Training grant funding, the Combating Terrorism Fellowship Program, the Global Peace Operations Initiative, Counter-Threat Reduction and Warsaw Initiative Funding. Additionally, these offices oversee military-to-military programs and play a key role in the State Partnership Program - an initiative that partners countries with states within the United States. Department of Justice programs work with BiH law enforcement agencies to increase their capacity to combat terrorism and organized crime. State Department‘s Office of Public Affairs promotes civic education, cultural and educational exchanges, and provides small grants for civil society.