Deputy Minister Dinkova discussed with representatives of the Bulgarian Platform for International Development the possibilities for cooperation on issues related to the development policy of Bulgaria
10 August 2021 News
At a working meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between Deputy Minister Zaritsa Dinkova and representatives of the non-governmental organization Bulgarian Platform for International Development (BPID), the possibilities for continuing cooperation on issues related to the development policy of Bulgaria and the EU were discussed.
The main topic of the conversation were the next actions and cooperation in updating the legal framework of official development assistance in order to achieve greater efficiency, return and public awareness of Bulgaria's participation in international development cooperation.
During the conversation, the importance of the participation of civil society in the processes of development cooperation, the need for a sustainable partnership and dialogue between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and non-governmental organizations working on these topics was stressed.
In this regard, future prospects for cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bulgarian Platform for International Development were outlined to increase the awareness and empathy of the Bulgarian society on issues related to international development cooperation and the goals for sustainable development.
Deputy Minister Dinkova stressed the importance of optimizing our development policies as a tool for foreign policy positioning and influence, opening new opportunities for the Bulgarian business and non-governmental sector, and respectively creating jobs for Bulgarian citizens.
The meeting was also attended by the Director General for Global Affairs Ulyana Bogdanska and the Director of the UN and Development Cooperation Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Valeri Yotov.
Additional information about BPID:
The Bulgarian Platform for International Development (BPID) was founded in early 2009 and unites in a network 16 authoritative non-governmental organizations working in the field of development cooperation, sustainable development, health issues, migration, global education and others. The purpose of the platform is to be an active and legitimate partner of state institutions in fulfilling Bulgaria's commitments to the European Union's development policy towards third countries. BPID is a member of the European Confederation of Non-Governmental Organizations for Development (CONCORD), which is the main non-governmental partner of EU institutions in the field of development policy.
The partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bulgarian Platform for International Development in the field of development has a fruitful history.
BPID and the member organizations of the Platform actively participate in the development of basic documents for development policies and contribute to achieving an effective dialogue between institutions on the one hand, and civil society on the other.
In 2015, within the framework of the European Year of Development, a two-year Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the BPID.
In 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided key support in connection with the implementation of the project "Civil Dialogue for Development", funded by DG DEVCO of the EC, related to the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Since 2014, BPID and its member organizations have been holding a National Conference on Global Education, and since 2017 a Global School competition has been organized annually, thus promoting the topics of development and sustainable development among the youngest.
Since 2018, the competition "Journalism for Development" has been held annually.