The Dayton Agreement was signed on 21 November 1995, bringing the war in the Balkans to an end. That year, Barcelona City Council declared Sarajevo as its eleventh district in a show of support for the rebuilding of the Bosnian capital. This was when Barcelona started its backing for international cooperation projects, which it currently devotes 0.7% of its GDP to.

The City Council’s cooperation with the Bosnian capital continues today, via a joint programme with Medicus Mundi for the prevention of gender violence in Sarajevo through a women’s information centre and the creation of temporary flats for women making the transition from the centre and starting to build an autonomous life. A technical exchange programme is also being set up to prevent and fight sexist violence.

Over the last 25 years, Barcelona has driven cooperation projects with Sarajevo and other cities around the world. In 2020 the City Council allocated 7,07 million euros to 112 international cooperation projects.

To mark the 25^th anniversary of the end of the war in the Balkans, various cultural events are being planned for people to gain an insight into the Bosnian reality, with the support of Barcelona City Council.

• Project Encara hi ha algú al bosc, by Teresa Turiera, a piece on the systematic rape of Bosnian women by the Serbian army. The initiative includes:
  • A photography exhibition at La Model until 30 January.
  • A play at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya up until 7 February.
• Documentary L’última cinta des de Bòsnia, by Albert Solé, where a woman returns to Bosnia to bury the remains of her older brother in Srebrenica.
• Documentary Àlbum de postguerra, by Gervasio Sánchez, where the photographer returns to produce portraits of people who were children during the siege of Sarajevo.