The UNWE hosted the First Annual Conference of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network - SDSN Bulgaria on the Sustainable Development in the New Global Realities. During the Conference the youth section SDSN Youth Bulgaria was also launched to join the already existing 23 national and regional networks worldwide.
The Coordinator of SDSN Bulgaria, including 6 Bulgarian universities, is the UNWE and it is headed by Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of UNWE, and co-chaired by Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Michail Musov.
 |
| Chief Assist. Dr. Atanas Dimitrov, SDSN Bulgaria Manager, Andrija Erac, SDSN Networks Manager, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rosen Plevneliev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria /2012-2017/, Assoc. Prof. D.Sc. Michail Musov, Gabriela Naskova, SDSN BulgariaManager |
Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov reminded that in 2023 the UNWE has become the Coordinator of the National Sustainable Development Solutions Network - SDSN Bulgaria - established by the UN to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the world organization, and that the UNWE is one of the first universities in Bulgaria to seriously engage in the implementation of the green energy. "The establishment of a renewable energy system is part of our university's policy and a step towards becoming a green university. What we do in the field of sustainable development is not only in the frameworks of SDSN. There are also other organizations working in this direction, such as the Bulgarian network of the UN Global Compact, and we have recently joined the initiative of Sofia Municipality for climate neutrality, sustainability and innovation in climate governance, and thus we all move together in the right direction."
"I feel at home at the UNWE, but I have to take my responsibility as President, and what Presidents do - they talk to people, visit universities, point out the lessons from their experiences, and therefore I am grateful for the opportunity to share my ideas and activities with you today", outlined Rosen Plevneliev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria /2012-2017/. "I am proud to be among people who care about the future of our planet. Therefore, I welcome all delegates who have come from different countries to participate in today's very important conference and to join in the search for important solutions for the future of the world. As a member of the Advisory Council of the Azerbaijani Presidency of the UN Climate Summit to be held in Baku in November, I am responsible for all the negotiating teams as we strive to reach a consensus. So I promise you that everything you discuss and decide today at this important conference will be presented to the forum in Baku."
Angel Stoykov, Chairman of the National Representation of Student Councils /NRSC/, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to talk about the young people point of view on the sustainable development and how they can help. According to a recent survey by the NRSC and NGOs on how the young people aged 15-29 perceive their problems, where they are in their development and their mental health, worrying facts were revealed - over 40% of young people are not worried about the future of the world but about their financial situation, over 46% describe themselves as addicted to alcohol, drugs and digital devices. "I say this because when we think about the sustainable development, we need to reach out to young people to guide them towards the goals we set ourselves in order to have truly sustainable development in the future. When we set goals today, we have to think about who will implement them tomorrow", added Angel Stoykov.
 |
| Prof. Dr. Matilda Alexandrova, Vice Rector for Educational Activities, Angel Stoykov, Chairman of the National Representation of Student Councils, Ilian Chabukliysky, Chairman of the Student Council, the ASECU President Prof. Grigoris Zarothiadis, Member of SDSN Black Sea Management Board |
The Chairman of the Student Council Ilian Chabukliisky said he was pleased to represent the student community and share its commitment to building a sustainable future. "The theme of the Conference is timely because the world we live in changes economically, socially and environmentally at an extraordinary pace. The global challenges require us to take a new approach for solving them. It is not only the responsibility of the governments and companies, but also the responsibility of us - young people. We have realized that sustainability is not just a goal, but a path to a fairer and more sustainable world, so I am glad that today we can be part of this important discussion for the future."
The most important part of the forum was the announcement of SDSN Youth Bulgaria. On this occasion, Raquel Armendariz Sukunza, SDSN Youth Associate, noted in her speech: "I am honored to announce the launch of SDSN Youth Bulgaria because I believe that the Bulgarian youths are fully prepared to deal with all the challenges that we, the young people, face in today's dynamically changing world. Our mission is to encourage the young people to play an active role in shaping a sustainable future for the next generations. Why are the young people so important? They are billions now and they are the generation that must shape the sustainable development policies and find solutions to protect our planet. Bulgaria has proven its strong commitment to the SDGs and we are convinced that Bulgaria's young people are full of potential, innovative ideas and willingness to work hard and will contribute to strengthen the entire SDSN Youth".
Sofia Vassileva and Nikolay Boshnakov have been appointed as Coordinators of SDSN Youth Bulgaria.
 |
| Prof. D.Sc. Michail Musov with representatives of SDSN Youth Вulgaria: Atanas Radev, Raquel Armendariz Sukunza, Sofia Vassileva, Nikolay Boshnakov, Gabriela Naskova |
In her speech Sofia Vassileva emphasized that "SDSN Youth is a global network that connects young leaders who share common values and are committed to the SDGs, so by launching SDSN Youth Bulgaria, we not just launch a network, we launch a platform where ideas, innovation and determination can flourish."
Nikolay Boshnakov said he was honoured to be the Coordinator of SDSN Youth Bulgaria. "It is exciting to be part of a team of visionaries and leaders - your peers who share common values, views and ideas for the future. In my opinion, the SDGs are not just goals, but a call for empathy and solidarity that leads to a change in mindset", said the new SDSN Coordinator.
 |
| Prof. Dr. Tsvetana Stoyanov, Vice Rector for Institutional and Business Cooperation and Student Policies, Prof. Dr. Miroslava Peycheva, Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact, Prof. Dr. Tilcho Ivanov - one of the founders of the National and Regional Security Department and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetla Boneva, Dean of the International Economics and PoliticsFaculty |
 |
| Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yanko Hristozov, Vice Rector for International Affairs /the second man from the right), lecturers and employees |
Among the guests were also Prof. Dr. Daniela Feschian, Chairman of the UNWE Control Council, lecturers, students.
Andrija Erac, Head of Networks Team at SDSN, took part by report on the Leveraging Global Experiences for Local Impact: SDSN Networks in Action. He emphasized that the main driving force of the SDSN Networks are young people and that the biggest contribution for the future is to involve more and more young people in the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The keynote speaker of the event was Maria Cortes-Pugh, Vice President of the Networking Program at SDSN, who connected online. She delivered a presentation on How to Achieve the SDGs in a Changing World, in which she provided specific data on the implementation of the United Nations SDGs. She also highlighted Bulgaria's achievements on SDG 15, emphasized that the main problem is not implementing the SDGs in time and pointed out that it is necessary to focus on finding more and more technological solutions.
The President of ASECU Prof. Grigoris Zarotiadis, member of the Management Board of SDSN Black Sea, delivered a report entitled From Thessaloniki Sustainability Summit in 2024 to the Future Summit in New York in 2024: What to Do in the Black Sea Region, in which he highlighted the activities of ASECU in the framework of the implementation of the UN SDG`s and underlined the role of the Black Sea region for sustainable development worldwide.
The forum was attended by the Chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees Mariana Tosheva, the Deputy Mayor of Sofia Municipality for Green System, Ecology and Land Use Nadezhda Bobcheva; Chief Assist. Dr. Kristian Zhelev, SDSN Leadership Council; Roberto Santorelli, President of Confindustria Bulgaria; Raquel Armendaris Sucunza, SDSN Secretariat, responsible for the development of the SDSN Youth Networks; Patrick Kyhos, US cybersecurity expert and former White House and FBI official; the Deputy Foreign Minister of Libya's Interim Government Abdulhadi Lahweej and the Director of International Cooperation Directorate at the University of Benghazi Nasser Abdelkadir.
The Conference was divided into three panels aimed at engaging specific stakeholders in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
 |
 |
| The Rector Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov and Assoc. Prof. Yanko Hristozov met with Dr. Abdulhadi Lahweej, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Interim Government of Libya /the fourth man from the left/ and John Dalli, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection /2012/ /the sixth man from the left/ - speakers at the event |
The Rector gave as presents to Dr. Abdulhadi Lahweej and to John Dalli neckties bearing the UNWE logo.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |