SSST Hosts National Roundtable on Sustainable Cultural Heritage

University SSST leads discussions on cultural heritage management as part of the SMACH Forum and EU–SEE Cooperation Strategy.

Last week, University SSST brought together leading voices from across Bosnia and Herzegovina for a national consultative roundtable within the SMACH Forum – a regional initiative dedicated to advancing sustainable cultural heritage management in Southeast Europe, financed by the Central European Initiative (CEI).

The roundtable marked an important milestone in the finalisation of the EU–SEE Cooperation Strategy, opening space for a forward-looking exchange on climate change impacts, institutional realities, policy alignment, and the growing role of interdisciplinary collaboration in safeguarding cultural heritage.

The discussion was led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lejla Pašić, from the Sarajevo Medical School of the University SSST, who is leading the SMACH project at SSST and steered the conversation toward shared priorities, practical insights, and next steps.

We were delighted to welcome key national stakeholders, including representatives of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Museum of Sarajevo, the Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo, the Faculty of Architecture University of Sarajevo, the Cantonal Institute for the Protection of Cultural-Historical Heritage, and the Association for the Digitization and Informatization of Cultural Heritage digi.ba – whose perspectives brought depth, relevance, and real momentum to the discussion.

What stood out most was a strong sense of shared purpose: a collective commitment to collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and joint action, as we work together to connect research, policy, and practice and shape sustainable cultural heritage strategies for the SEE region.