On June 16, 2023, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Yuri Sterk, received the newly appointed Permanent Observer of the International Organization of La Francophonie /IOF/ to the UN Office in Geneva, Henri Monceau.

Ambassador Sterk and Mr. Monceau discussed the omnipresence of digitization, the opportunities and challenges inherent to the digital area, as well as the role and place of international Geneva in this regard. Given Bulgaria's role as a co-coordinator on digitization within the Group of Francophone Ambassadors /GPF/, the two interlocutors examined the possibilities for strengthening cooperation in this area within the GPF.

Ambassador Sterk presented Bulgaria's priorities in the field of digital technologies, which coincide to a large extent with the priorities related to the candidature of Bulgaria for the Human Rights Council for the period 2024-2026. In particular, he put an emphasis on digital education, fair and equal access to digital technologies and the protection of the rights of the child and of women’s rights in the digital environment.

The Bulgarian Permanent Representative wished success to the new Head of the Permanent Representation of the IOF in Geneva.