site.btaPresident Meets Bulgaria's Youth Delegates to UN

Head of State Iliana Iotova met at the President's Administration building with Viara Trifonova and Viktor Tsvetanov, who are Bulgaria's youth delegates to the United Nations, the President's Press Secretariat said on Tuesday.

The young people, selected through a national competition for an 18-month term, join the official Bulgarian delegation in the work of the UN General Assembly's Third Committee and the UN Economic and Social Council's Commission for Social Development. Trifonova and Tsvetanov meet with young people across Bulgaria and learn about their views on a range of issues, which they subsequently present at national and international level.

They briefed Iotova on the large-scale survey they conducted among Bulgarian young people. It shows that young people have become quite pessimistic about the future and are experiencing anxiety and fear about what lies ahead. In this context, the discussion focused on peace and security as the most important priorities in today's world, as well as the role of international organizations in achieving and maintaining them. Iotova highlighted the European Union's absence from efforts to resolve the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the consequences of which are being borne by the EU itself, the President's Press Secretariat said.

The meeting at 2 Dondukov Blvd. also addressed the need to strengthen contacts between young people and Bulgarian institutions so that their views and proposals on issues affecting them can be taken into account. The problems facing youth centres in Bulgaria were also discussed. These centres are key venues for youth development and youth policy.

The meeting took place on the eve of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, at which Bulgaria will be represented by its head of State.

In January this year, Trifonova and Tsvetanov launched a national survey under the motto "To New York and Back".