The Permanent Representative of Bulgaria in Geneva, Ambassador Yuri Sterk, speaking at the first High Level Officials Meeting of the Global Refugee Forum, welcomed the event as an opportunity to take stock of the progress made towards achieving the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees and to identify further steps to be taken in view of the constantly increasing number of refugees against the backdrop of the pandemic.
He stressed that priority should be given to the development, humanitarian assistance, good governance and security nexus and called for joining efforts to support the countries of origin and their neighbours, assist the voluntary repatriation of refugees in safety and dignity and fight human trafficking and smuggling. The Bulgarian diplomat further highlighted the specific needs of women, children and persons with disabilities, as they are among the most affected by the humanitarian, security and pandemic crises. In that regard, Ambassador Sterk reaffirmed Bulgaria’s commitments to the pledge, made together with France and Australia, to encourage the inclusion of refugees with disabilities in all kinds of humanitarian activity.
Ambassador Sterk also presented a brief overview of the progress achieved in fulfilling the pledges Bulgaria made at the High-Level Segment on Statelessness as part of the UNHCR Executive Committee meeting in October 2019, as well as during the First Global Refugee Forum in December 2019, and reiterated the continued financial support by Bulgaria for the UNHCR’s activities in implementation of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework in Afghanistan.
