A young architect and a student in international relations are the new youth delegates of Bulgaria to the UN
25 June 2021 News
Deputy Foreign Minister Zaritsa Dinkova welcomed the two newly elected youth delegates from Bulgaria to the UN with a mandate 2021-2022 - the Architect Maria Badeva and the student Kristina Mincheva.
"Let me cordially congratulate the winners of the competition. I wish you to be bold and innovative in this great and responsible endeavor!", said Deputy Minister Dinkova at a ceremony in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She emphasised that the program "Bulgarian Youth Delegates to the UN" is an important part of the policies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for empowerment of young persons.
Kristina Mincheva is a sophomore in international relations in Paris. She studied at an international school in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, for 5 years, during which she has been an ambassador to various academic youth communities, as well as an active member of the school club for sustainable development and debate. She was also a volunteer in a NGO, as well as a youth delegate of Bulgaria to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
Maria Badeva is an architect and a researcher. She has completed a master’s programme in architecture in London. She is currently a PhD student at the Department of Urban Planning at the Faculty of Architecture in Sofia. She created an architectural project for the "Institution of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples", as well as a number of other architectural and urban projects in China, Bulgaria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain. She is very interested in the role of young architects in the development of urban spaces.
"I want to assure you that during your mandate you will always be able to count on us," said Zaritsa Dinkova and that she looks forward to getting acquainted with the plans and ideas of the new youth delegates, and that later in the year she would attend their first briefing on their future participation in UN forums.
For the 15th consecutive year, the United Nations Association of Bulgaria, with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised the national competition for the selection of Bulgarian youth delegates to the UN.
The position of a Bulgarian youth delegate to the UN has a mandate of 18 months with various obligations at national and international level with a focus on youth policies and has a representative function in relation to the opinion of Bulgarian youth.
This year, the selection campaign was again held in four rounds, with six youths reaching the final stage out of more than 100 candidates who initially appeared. The finalists appeared in an interview with a jury, which included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - UN and Development Cooperation Directorate, Human Rights Directorate, the Diplomatic Institute, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, UN Association of Bulgaria, the National Youth Forum, the Bulgarian Platform for International Development.
Zaritsa Dinkova congratulated all six finalists who demonstrated high competence and creative ideas regarding youth policies at national and international level. "I am glad to see such young and enthusiastic people. You are the generation that must design the new world,“ said Deputy Minister Dinkova.
The program "Bulgarian Youth Delegates to the UN" is among the most recognised one worldwide. The two young persons from Bulgaria join the Bulgarian delegation to the UN General Assembly and the ICOSOS Social Development Commission.
Bulgaria is one of only 40 countries that have such a program and thus ranks among the leading countries in the international arena, which recognise youth as an equal partner in decision-making processes at national and international level.