• The full participation of women in business and politics, as well as in the labor market marks the development of the modern society, said Minister Ivailo Kalfin during a forum, organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and Women’s Campaign International

Some people say that leadership is a talent, but I think it can be taught. This statement was made by Mrs. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, during a conference ADVANCING LEADERSHIP FOR BALKAN WOMEN, organized in Sofia by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and the influental US organization Women’s Campaign International.

Mrs. Bokova pointed out that she was very impressed by the initiatives of the Council, and especially by the Leadership Academy. “Everyone can become a leader in their field, everyone can generate ideas and contribute. Trainings like these help encouraging the leadership among women”, she stated, while giving as example  the Pakistani Malala Yousafzai, who became a Nobel Peace Prize winner at the age of 17 years.

Irina Bokova also informed that a new Agenda for Sustainable Development for the Next 15 Years is to be adopted in the UN in September. “We must make sure that the topic of gender equality will be placed in the focus of our work. Because, despite the big energy and enthusiasm that came from the women conference in Beijing 20 years ago, we are still not satisfied with the results. We cannot accept that only 20% of the world leaders are women”, Mrs. Bokova underlined.

“Women earn 10 to 30% less than men for the same type of work. According to our data, 1.6 billion women live in countries, where they are unable to apply for some positions and professions”, stated also Irina Bokova. “The inequalities start very early because of the lack of access to education for millions of girls. In its role as a leading world organization in the field of education, UNESCO aims to make education accessable and continuous at all stages. The result will be the opportunity for women to take their place in politics and business, overcoming the current stereotypes”, she said. Mrs. Bokova also hopes that the 21^st century might become the century of a genuine equality between men and women.

The Deputy PM and Minister of  Labor and Social Policy of Bulgaria Mr. Ivailo Kalfin underlined the fact that the percentage of women, who occupy leading roles in our country is two times higher than the average in the EU countries (7%), and nevertheless it is still very low – 13%. “That is why all of us, both society and institutions, have to concentrate our efforts on providing the necessary prerequisites so that this percentage keeps growing. The full participation of women in business and politics, as well as in the labor market marks the development of the modern society”, he added.

According to Minister Kalfin, one of main obstacles working women in Bulgaria are facing is the lack of time. “This is why we developed amendments in the Labour Code, that will enable flexible working hours. We are also working on the introduction of vouchers for household help and childcare”, he added.

The ex-congresswoman from Pennsylvania Marjorie Margolies, founder and president of Women’s Campaign International presented the work of its organization towards encouraging better education and more active participation of women in the public life and economy. “We cannot talk about equal rights without talking about education”, she stated.

Mrs. Margolis shared her personal and professional experience as a top journalist, member of the US Congress and a mother of 11 children, both own and adopted. “I always tell my children: “You cannot win if you are not ready to lose”, said the president of  Women’s Campaign International. She talked about the missions of the organization throughout the world, including in countries struck by war and poverty, such as Columbia, Eritrea and Sri Lanka. “We talk to those people, we share ideas and, most of all, we listen to them”, said Mrs. Margolis.

Mrs. Darina Stoyanova from the Council of women in business in Bulgaria thanked the special guests and the participants. “The Council promotes the leadership culture in Bulgaria, supporting good practices for increasing the professional qualification of women, trying to encourage and support them so that they can be able to take higher positions”, she said. According to her, more women on management positions mean better business, better society and better life.

“Each noteworthy organization can be recognized by its interest in education and development of its members as leaders”, said Mrs. Milena Edreva, chairwoman of the Permanent Commission of Education, Culture, Science and Cultural Diversity at the Municipal Council of Sofia. She presented some initiatives of the Municipality in the field of education. Mrs. Edreva pointed out that the mayor of Sofia, Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova, is the patron of  Leadership Academy 2015/2016. “We are counting on the sustainability of this project, because it not only contributes to the development of women in Bulgaria, but also to the development of the society as a whole”, she said.

More than 30 women from member companies of the Council, as well as participants in the Leadership Academy, had the chance to take part in the training. They shared their personal and professional experience, problems and stereotypes they had to overcome in their career and professional life, and received valuable information and advice on leadership practices, communication skills and ways of fostering their professional growth.