Bulgarian youth delegates, selected after a transparent national competition have become part of the Bulgarian delegation to the UN General Assembly and will work on UN resolutions on youth rights just like active diplomats. A similar position exists in just 20 countries worldwide. With the Bulgarian Youth Delegates to the United Nations program, this country becomes one of the leaders in the world who recognize the youth as equal partners in the process of decision-making at national and international level.

Currently, Ani Koleva is one of the two Bulgarian youth delegates to the UN. She is a student in the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, a graduate of Babson College, USA and participant in the "Young Leaders of Bulgaria" program. She is a volunteer at the UN Association in Bulgaria. A year ago she decided to take part in the competition in order to defend her goals. Her personal motivation is the fact that her younger sister has Down syndrome and Annie wants the voice of these young people to be heard. She told Radio Bulgaria more:

"This year we worked mainly on the topics of education and rights of disadvantaged young people, as well as youth unemployment. Surely education is part of the problem of youth unemployment and this is a topic on which we have worked for a year and will continue to work on. We are fortunate that the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the United Nations has always been close to us and helped us. It is scary for a young person to go there and do the things that a true diplomat does every day. "

For the ninth consecutive year, The United Nations Association in Bulgaria organized a national campaign to select the Bulgarian youth delegates to the United Nations. This year it was held in four rounds, as ten out of a hundred young people reached the last stage.

Anina Yovkova and Dimitar Dimitrov were those selected. Anina is a student in the University of National and World Economy and is interested in the topics of peace and security, humanitarian issues and human rights. In 2014, she worked on a project aimed at the Syrian refugees in Bulgaria, presenting a report on the topic in Brussels. That same year she became a volunteer at the United Nations and went to Brazil. Dimitar studies international relations and history at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

"Education was the link between us,” Dimitar says. “We are yet to coordinate the areas in which we will work and get acquainted with the needs of young people. We are not going to work in a vacuum but will represent the Bulgarian youth in the UN in order for their voice to be heard. During the competition I focused on ensuring equal access to quality education for children with special educational needs. Although we have a good legal framework, very often these children are deprived of access to high-quality education. My other priority is the introduction of civic education as part of the school curriculum."

"My priorities related to education are linked to youth unemployment, because we see a problem that is not unique to Bulgaria, it is a problem concerning all young people in the EU,” Anina adds. It is very difficult to find a job in your sphere of knowledge immediately after graduation. Another priority is young people’s motivation, because there are opportunities but people are not always motivated to search for them."

Ani Koleva tells new delegates that this position is not a job but a cause and one has to defend it, to live with it. The new delegates should bear the responsibility that the Bulgarian youth trust them.

"This year we became the first youth candidates who spoke in front of the Second Committee of the UN, which deals with economic and financial matters,” Ani proudly says. “Usually even separate countries do not have the word in this committee, and this shows others the importance of our program.”

English: Alexander Markov