UNICEF’s Representative to Bulgaria Hands in her Letters of Accreditation
02 July 2018 News
Today, the newly appointed UNICEF Representative to Bulgaria, Dr Jane Muita, handed in her letters of accreditation to Deputy Minister Yuri Sterk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr Muita succeeds Maria Jesus Conde, whose three-year term ended in June.
‘I would like to wish you a successful term, and I trust that together we can show the world the many good examples Bulgaria has to offer in the sphere of childcare,’ the Bulgarian diplomat welcomed her.
‘Indeed, Bulgaria sets the pace in Europe in various aspects of child protection, for instance in deinstitutionalisation,’ Dr Muita agreed.
A proposal initiated by Bulgaria, and endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), on the topic of the HRC Resolution on the rights of the child being Inclusive Education to Empower Children with Disabilities was cited a further example of Bulgaria’s commitment to the child protection policy.
Dr Muita added that UNICEF Bulgaria would continue to rely on the experience, guidance and good cooperation of Bulgarian authorities, and went on to thank the country for its rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, which had recently concluded.
Deputy Minister Sterk replied that Bulgaria had excellent cooperation with the UNICEF offices in countries in Armenia and Georgia in the spheres of childcare and development aid.
‘The experience Bulgaria has gathered can be of great use for transitioning countries in the southeast of Europe and in the Eastern Partnership group since there are similarities in terms of social processes,’ Mr Sterk said.
‘As for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of EU, one of its greatest achievements related to protecting the rights of the child has been the approval of the EU mandate for negotiations with countries from the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States,’ Minister Sterk highlighted. ‘The Post-Cotonou Agreement will foster enhanced cooperation with Africa to protect the rights of the child, and step up work with migrant children, which is especially important if we are to prevent the exploitation of migrants who are also unaccompanied minors,’ the Bulgarian diplomat stated.
Dr Muita, who was born in Kenya, holds an MA in Public Healthcare from Johns Hopkins University in the USA, and came to Bulgaria from Zimbabwe, where she served as Deputy Head of the UNICEF office.