Deputy Minister Kostadin Kodzhabashev participated in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
26 October 2022 News
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostadin Kodjabashev took part in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the 40th anniversary of the Committee on the Convention at the Palace of Nations in Geneva. The participation of the Bulgarian Deputy Minister was an expression of the priority importance of the rights of women and girls for Bulgarian foreign policy.
On October 25, 2022, in the context of the 83rd regular session of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) taking place in Geneva, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva organized a side event to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Committee, and of the Republic of Bulgaria’s accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The event was opened with a video address by the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Ms. Iliana Yotova. In her welcoming address to the participants, she emphasized that equality between men and women was a key factor for development in today's world and the best remedy against crises, highlighted Bulgaria's achievements and pointed out the challenges our country faces in tackling discrimination against women.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Kostadin Kodzhabashev welcomed the participants in the event, stating Bulgaria's strong support for the work of CEDAW. He emphasized that equality between women and men, women's empowerment and the fight against discrimination were among the national priorities in the field of human rights. Deputy Minister Kodjabashev announced Bulgaria's candidacy for membership in the Human Rights Council for the period 2024-2026, stressing that our country will once again place a special emphasis on achieving full equality for women and men in all areas and on the empowerment of the women.
In his welcome speech, Mr. Andrea Ori, high-ranking representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, reviewed the achievements of CEDAW and of Bulgaria in the fight against discrimination against women.
Welcome remarks in the form of video addresses were also delivered by Prof. Dr. Diana Kovacheva, Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, and Assoc. Prof. Ana Dzhumalieva, Chairperson of the Bulgarian Commission for Protection against Discrimination.
The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, H.E. Ambassador Yuri Sterk, took part in the panel discussion. He highlighted the public consensus in Bulgaria that equality of men and women is an indispensable condition for the development of our nation and a crucial driver to prosperity of our society. Ambassador Sterk focused on a number of challenges, including the empowerment of women, the fight against trafficking in women and girls, the implementation of the “Women, Peace and Security” Agenda and the active involvement of civil society. He called for elimination of all forms of discriminatory treatment towards women, including those based on religious motives or national traditions, as well as to combat violence against women and girls, including gender-motivated violence in the context of military conflicts, similar to Russia's war against Ukraine.
Members of CEDAW and representatives of Bulgarian and international non-governmental organizations also took part in the event as panelists.
The event enjoyed strong interest and active participation by heads of missions of UN member states in Geneva and by other diplomatic representatives, CEDAW members and representatives of the civil society.
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