Bill Text: NY J00313 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorating the 31st Anniversary of the Independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 1, 2023

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 42-21)

Status: (Passed) 2023-01-31 - ADOPTED [J00313 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J00313-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 313

BY: Senator GRIFFO

        COMMEMORATING   the   31st   Anniversary   of  the
        Independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina on  March  1,
        2023

  WHEREAS,  It  is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay just tribute to the cultural heritage of  the  ethnic  groups  which
comprise  and  contribute to the richness and diversity of the community
of the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
commemorate the 31st Anniversary  of  the  Independence  of  Bosnia  and
Herzegovina on Wednesday, March 1, 2023; and

  WHEREAS,  Known  locally as Dan nezavisnosti, this public holiday is
marked by parades,  cultural  pageants,  speeches,  historical  lessons,
Bosnian  cuisines,  and  traditional  folk  dances;  family  and friends
celebrate with get-togethers and picnics, culminating in an  evening  of
fireworks and concerts; and

  WHEREAS,  Following  the end of the First World War and the collapse
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) joined  the
South  Slav  Kingdom  of  Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was renamed
Yugoslavia; and

  WHEREAS, After an economic and political crisis in the 1980s and the
rise of nationalism, Yugoslavia broke up along its republics' borders at
the start of the 1990s; and

  WHEREAS, Bosnia and Herzegovina became independent from  the  former
Yugoslavia when a referendum was held on February 29, 1992, and March 1,
1992;  most Serbs boycotted the referendum, while 99.7% of the remaining
population voted for independence; and

  WHEREAS, Independence was officially declared on March 3, 1992,  and
Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  were  admitted as a member state of the United
Nations on May 22, 1992; unfortunately, this  resulted  in  a  political
upheaval which would eventually turn into a bloody and brutal war; and

  WHEREAS,  Between  1992  and  2007,  the  State Department resettled
131,000 refugees from war-torn Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  in  the  United
States, 8,000 of whom were resettled in Utica, New York, where they have
rebuilt their own community; and

  WHEREAS,  The  1995  Dayton  Peace Agreement divided post-war Bosnia
into  two  entities,  the  Federation  of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  and
Republika Srpska; and

  WHEREAS,  Today,  Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrates its relationship
with Europe and focuses on its main objective of becoming  a  member  of
the European Union; and

  WHEREAS,   The   31st   Anniversary   of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina's
Independence provides an opportunity for citizens to raise  their  flags
of  white,  blue  and  yellow, to remember the innocent victims who lost
their  lives  in  their  quest  for  freedom,  and  to   recognize   the
significance  of  their  contributions  to  the quality and character of
life, and, through events and activities,  for  all  people  to  gain  a
greater  appreciation of Bosnian history and traditions, and of the role
Bosnians have played, and will continue to play, in our society; and

  WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have  this  opportunity
to  recognize  such events of significance which foster ethnic pride and
exemplify the cultural diversity that  represents  and  strengthens  the
fabric of the people and the State of New York; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 31st Anniversary  of  the  Independence  of  Bosnia  and
Herzegovina.