site.btaSports Minister Peshev, UNICEF’s de Bruin Talk Uniting Efforts to Support Young People

Minister of Youth and Sports Ivan Peshev described the collaboration with UNICEF as extremely important and expressed hope that it would continue and intensify, speaking at a meeting with Christina de Bruin, UNICEF’s Representative for Bulgaria, the Sports Ministry press service said here on Monday.

Peshev added he was pleased that the agreement between the Ministry and UNICEF would be put into effect for the first time, noting that its activities are crucial to the Youth Strategy.

Peshev emphasized that it is crucial for the Ministry of Youth and Sports to engage with young people, which is why the government's programme includes the construction of 18 new youth centres in the country. Among the priorities for youth policy is the completion of all 28 centres nationwide.

"We can even boast that the groundbreaking for the youth centre in Sofia took place today," Peshev noted.

Christina de Bruin expressed satisfaction with the programme and with the Sports Ministry’s vision for future work with young people. “The partnership between UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports has indeed deepened significantly over the past two years, and I hope these efforts will continue in the same manner in the future,” de Bruin said.

Peshev also informed de Bruin about the recent meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security at the Presidential Institution, which addressed the spread and use of narcotic and intoxicating substances among young people. He said the Ministry of Youth and Sports is launching a campaign aimed at combating addictions among the youth.