Global Women Leaders’ Forum

Official opening

National Art Gallery

May 18, 2016

Sofia, Bulgaria

 

Address by Rosen Plevneliev, the President of the Republic of Bulgaria 

Dear Director-General of UNESCO,

Mrs. Chairperson of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria,

Mrs. Prime Minister of Bangladesh,

Mrs. Mayor of Sofia,

Mrs. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science,

Ladies and gentlemen ministers,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to congratulate all of you – distinguished leaders and top officials from the country and around the world.  You gathered here at this forum with the desire and willingness to contribute to improving the role of women in society, business and politics.

I congratulate UNESCO for its global mission and vision and the Director General Mrs. Bokova for her leadership. I congratulate the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria – highly active women, whose mission is to lead, who have organized a series of events and this very important international conference.

The fact it’s being held in May is very symbolic. Sixty years ago, on May 17, 1956 Bulgaria joined UNESCO – it was a sign of vision, a clear sign that our country shares the values ​​of this unique organization. Because UNESCO teaches us to respect human dignity, promote equality between people, to deal with challenges through dialogue and compromise and that only through cooperation and only together can we achieve this world that we want to leave to our children. 60 years have passed since then. Bulgaria is far ahead , and today it leads this organization.

 

Dear friends,

Gender equality is not only a basic human right, but also an essential and indispensable condition for creating sustainable and peaceful societies worldwide. It has its transformative potential for a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable development of the countries around the world.

In 2008, equality became a global priority of UNESCO and remained as such until today. The 1995 Beijing Platform for Action set high goals and unprecedentedly covered a wide range of issues for the removal of the main challenges facing women. Twenty-one years later, many of the challenges in the 12 problem areas of the Action Program remain. We have responded to a number of them, we have improved a lot, but there is still a long way to go to achieve true equality of women.

Today we are going through a period of global turbulence. The record number of crises and their interaction, terrorism, massive refugee waves make the international environment uncertain and unpredictable. And it becomes more and more ruthless to the most vulnerable – women and children. Despite our efforts we continue to witness the daily violation of human rights. This calls to rethink the quality of policies, to unite and give a comprehensive response to contemporary – both old and new – challenges.

Therefore, in New York, at a meeting of global leaders on gender equality and women’s empowerment in 2015, I was a very proud head of state because everyone reached full agreement to reconfirm the commitments to accelerate the elimination of gender inequalities. I was also happy because Bulgaria vigorously promotes the development of the new Agenda for development until 2030. We were a member of the working group that set these unique targets which we can achieve together.

In these objectives gender equality and women’s empowerment have a priority role. They are set not only as a goal but as a key factor for achieving other objectives. At the session of the United Nations I expressed the strong commitment of the country to contribute to the full implementation of this ambitious program.

Bulgaria achieved significant and steady progress in ensuring equal rights and equal participation of women and men in all spheres of life. The National Strategy for promoting gender equality and annual action plans create the necessary conditions and prerequisites for the implementation of a unified, stable state policy in this area. The newly adopted law on equality of women and men provides the integration of gender in all policies as a prerequisite for the effective exercise of the rights of women and girls. We are determined to remove completely the payment gap and to develop additional policies to combat all forms of violence against women. Bulgaria has achieved a lot. Bulgaria gave an example. But my gratitude goes to all powerful NGOs, which asserted the leadership of the Bulgarian woman. The awareness of the role of women led to their increased participation in political and public life. The National Assembly Speaker, two deputy prime ministers, the mayor of the capital, the Vice-President of the European Commission on issues of budget and human resources are women. The Director General of UNESCO who today fights for the prestigious position of Secretary General of the United Nations is also Bulgarian.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

International agreements have a solid foundation that sets the direction for decisive and focused action at national and global levels. Bulgaria is at the center and has its ambition to pursue its agenda. Let us never forget that the building of a world of justice, tolerance and equal opportunities depends on our joint effort.

In connection to this, I wish you fruitful discussions, finding the answers to the most important issues and challenges, to be prepared for your future actions, to consolidate efforts and to inspire new followers and leaders!

Good luck!

May 18, 2016

Rosen Plevneliev

President of the Republic of Bulgaria