site.btaBulgaria Takes Part in Opening of UN Human Rights Council Session in Geneva

Yuri Sterk, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, attended the high-level segment opening the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the Swiss city on February 26, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.

The event was also attended by UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and over 120 high-ranking representatives of UN countries, including heads of state, heads and deputy heads of government, and ministers of foreign affairs.

In a statement, Ambassador Sterk underscored the importance of promoting multilateralism, a rules-based international order and the principles laid down in the UN Charter, particularly in the current international context dominated by Russia's ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, which involves grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and the tense situation in the Middle East. He spoke about the priorities of Bulgaria as a newly elected UNHRC member and reaffirmed the country's consistent commitment to protecting human rights in individual countries and regions and within the main thematic categories.

The Permanent Representative also attended the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, held under the chairmanship of Indonesia. It involved 57 ministers of foreign affairs, deputy ministers and permanent representatives, among other senior state officials. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among the speakers.

On this occasion, Sterk said that protecting the rules-based international order is more important than ever before. Bulgaria, as a responsible and reliable member of the UN and the Conference on Disarmament, will remain a staunch champion of effective multilateralism, with the UN at its core. Russia's unprovoked, unjustified and illegitimate aggressive war against Ukraine poses a direct threat to the rules-based international order, the UN Charter and international law, he said.