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Global women leaders' forum kicks off in Bulgaria

Xinhua, May 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Global Women Leaders' Forum kicked off here on Wednesday evening bringing together female leaders from business, politics, social and cultural fields from all over the world.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said at the opening ceremony that gender equality is not only a basic human right but also an essential condition for creating sustainable and peaceful societies worldwide.

In Bulgaria, two-thirds of the judges and public administration employees are women, Plevneliev said.

The President of the National Assembly and two deputy prime ministers are also women, and at the head of UNESCO also stands a Bulgarian woman, Irina Bokova, who today is bidding for the prestigious position of Secretary General of the United Nations, Plevneliev said.

Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, who also attended the ceremony, said equality of women is an issue that is very close to her heart.

Bangladesh has achieved remarkable success and is an example amongst many developing countries in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in terms of poverty reduction, gender equality and education, she said.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said the inequality between men and women is a major obstacle to achieving real progress in many countries in the world.

One of the key messages of the forum in Sofia is that you need to start with education in order to give a chance to girls to become leaders in science, business, and politics, Bokova said.

The three-day event is organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. Endit