site.btaDeputy PM Gabriel, UNICEF Representative to Bulgaria de Bruin Discuss Strengthening of Cooperation

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel and UNICEF Representative for Bulgaria Christina de bruin discussed at a meeting on Monday the strengthening of cooperation between Bulgaria and UNICEF, Gabriel announced on Facebook. 

The focus of their talks was on young people's mental health, early childhood education and care, and digital skills and coordination within the Generation Unlimited Global Partnership for Youth.

The promotion and protection of children's rights is a top priority for Bulgaria as a member of the UNICEF Executive Board for 2023-2025 and co-chair of the UN Friends of the Children and Sustainable Development Goals Group, Gabriel wrote in her Facebook post. "I look forward to a successful cooperation on these important issues also in the framework of Bulgaria's preparations as a candidate member of the UN Human Rights Council for 2024-2026," she added.

Bulgaria fulfilled its first mandate as a member of the UN Human Rights Council in the period 2019-2021, according to the website of the Foreign Ministry. The country is currently a member of the UNICEF Executive Board (2023-2025) and the UN Women Executive Board (2023-2025).

If elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the period 2024-2026, Bulgaria will work towards: securing support for measures and policies aimed at combating all forms of discrimination, intolerance, racism, anti-Semitism and hate speech; promoting women's participation in all spheres of political and public life. It will also ensure that the rights of every child are respected, including by promoting universal access to education, by improving school environments and providing quality online education, in addition to traditional methods of education, the Foreign Ministry writes on its website.