Development Association NERDA is registered with the BiH Ministry of Justice pursuant to the law on Associations and Foundations of BiH. According to the Statute of NERDA, the programming goals of the Association are: stimulating the economic development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and creating pre-conditions for the EU integration.

NERDA acts as a Regional Development Agency in the territory of North-East BiH, while in trans-national and cross-border projects with neighboring countries, NERDA has the role of leader in development projects for the territory of entire BiH.
The goals and activities of NERDA are realized through identification of project initiatives along with partners and by implementation of projects whose funding is ensured through international donor organization and BiH organizations, or by providing services to clients.

Although it was registered at the level of BiH and participates in projects throughput BiH, NERDA primarily acts in the territory of North-East BiH, that involves 34 cities and municipalities and Brčko District BiH. The total surface size of NE BiH is 7.260 km² (14,18 % of the total BiH surface) and it is the most populated region in BiH with around 1 million population, which makes 26,50% of the total BiH population.

The highest employment rate is in two sub-regional areas: four municipalities in Tuzla basin (Banovići, Lukavac, Tuzla and Živinice) and the Posavina-Semberija area (with the largest municipalities/cities: Bijeljina, Brčko and parts of Gradačac municipality), which makes for 65% of the total number of employees in NE BiH.