The list of official guests participants include government leaders, ministers, MEPs, leading representatives of international organizations, heads of research centers and universities and world-famous personalities from politics, business, science and media.

The event, which will take place between May 18th and 20th, 2016 in Sofia, organized by the Council of Business Women in Business in Bulgaria and UNESCO under the patronage of the Director General of the organization and an official candidate of Bulgaria for head of the UN Irina Bokova.

“The forum aims to highlight the role of women in modern society, social and economic life and to propose steps to achieve gender equality,” said Boryana Manolova, Chairman of the Board of Women in Business at a news conference today.

The gold sponsors of the international forum are Siemens Bulgaria and “Prestige-96”, and silver sponsors are EY Bulgaria and SAP. Media partners are Nova TV and “Manager”magazine. Among the companies supporting the event are BMW Bulgaria, “Katarzyna Estate”, Coca-Cola, Generali Bulgaria and others. The host of the event is the Grand Hotel Sofia.

The program of the event is divided into several thematic panels covering the place and role of women in politics, business, media, education, science and innovation.

For the opening of the Global Forum of women leaders on May 18 in Sofia will arrive Prime Minister of Bangladesh Mrs. Sheikh Hasina.

International institutions and organizations are represented by Ms. Mara Marinaki, adviser on gender equality at the European foreign service, Ms. Sagnier Gyulser Corat, director of the Department for Gender Equality of UNESCO, the Director of the International Research and Scientific Institute the progress of women at the United Nations Mrs. Carmen Moreno, members of the European Parliament Iskra Mihaylova (Bulgaria) and Maria Spiraki (Greece) and others.

Bulgaria will be represented at a very high level. At the official opening of the forum will participate Chairman of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Tsetska Tsacheva. Together with senior managers of leading local and international companies in Bulgaria and globally recognized foreign guests at the Global Women Leaders’ Forum will be ministers from the Bulgarian government. Among them are Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Ms. Meglena Kuneva, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Mrs. Lilyana Pavlova and Minister of Energy Ms Violet Petkova.

Special guest of the closing ceremony will be Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova.

This is the first international forum at such a high level dedicated to the issues of women leaders in Bulgaria.

Participation in the Global Forum of Women Leaders is based on registration, which can be made on the website gwlforum.womeninbusiness.bg.