Deputy Minister Velislava Petrova met with heads of UN specialized agencies in Geneva and discussed the priorities of Bulgarian participation in their activities
03 March 2022 News
The priority areas of interest for Bulgaria, as well as more active exchange of innovative ideas, good practices and technology transfer were among the leading topics of conversation with the heads of UN agencies working in the field of intellectual property and telecommunications.
"The Bulgarian government sees the potential of the younger generations, which should be encouraged and inspired. The areas in which this can happen are entrepreneurship and technology transfer", said Deputy Minister Velislava Petrova during her meeting with the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Daren Tang. She pointed out that conditions should be created for young people to expand their knowledge and develop innovations. The experience and good practices shared in the framework of cooperation through international organizations in which Bulgaria participates can contribute to this. The specific assistance that WIPO could provide to our country in this regard was also discussed, including the implementation of projects at the national level aimed at improving the international marketing of established national products.
The topic of strengthening the interconnectedness of the regions was touched upon during the conversation of Deputy Minister Petrova with the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, Hualin Jiao. The interlocutors discussed the international challenges in the field of communication technologies and the role of this specialized UN agency in the fight against cybercrime. During the conversation, Deputy Minister Petrova informed about Bulgaria's candidacy for a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council for the period 2023-2026, given the upcoming elections in October 2022.
The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine and its impact on the countries of the region was the main topic of Deputy Minister Petrova's talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and Director-General of the International Organization for Migration Antonio Vitorino.
The Bulgarian Deputy Minister briefly presented the actions of the government aimed at deporting Bulgarian citizens and the assistance, care and support received in our country by people seeking salvation from the war. In turn, the leaders of UNHCR and IOM informed about the current state of their field operations and the actions taken to expand them in light of increasing refugee flows from Ukraine to neighboring countries and praised the EU's decision to provide temporary protection to adequately protect and help for all those in need. It was emphasized in the talks that the majority of refugees from Ukraine are women and children, who are particularly vulnerable, as they face a number of risks - gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and violence, human trafficking. The understanding was shared that the efforts of governments should be focused on the specific needs for their protection and guarantee of their rights.
Deputy Minister Velislava Petrova's meetings with UN specialized agencies took place as part of the agenda of her visit to Geneva, Switzerland, where she participated in the high-level segments of the 49th regular session of the Human Rights Council and and the United Nations Conference on Disarmament.