site.btaDeputy Foreign Minister Pavlov Participates in UN Sustainable Development Forum

Deputy Foreign Minister Nikolay Pavlov participated in the ministerial segment of the United Nations 2025 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), held in New York from July 21 to 23, the Ministry announced in a press release on Tuesday.

During the forum, Bulgaria presented its Second Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting progress in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda.

As part of the visit, the Deputy Foreign Minister also took part in a side event titled Demographic Diversity and Sustainable Development, organized by Bulgaria and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Participants included representatives from Qatar, Lesotho, Guatemala, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The main moderator of the event was the Acting Executive Director of UNFPA, Diene Keita.

The UN Secretary-General delivered a special statement, dedicated to the clean energy transition to the participants in the forum. In his speech, the Secretary-General emphasized the importance of energy security for well-being and stability.

During an interactive discussion within the forum focused on regional perspectives for implementing the SDGs, Pavlov presented the priorities of the Bulgarian chairmanship of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). He highlighted the importance of sustainable development for economic progress, security, and connectivity in Southeast Europe and the Black Sea region.

Deputy Foreign Minister Pavlov participated in a high-level open debate of the UN Security Council on Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes where he delivered Bulgaria’s national statement. He stressed the importance of prevention, mediation, arbitration, and judicial resolution of conflicts, as well as Bulgaria's commitment to international law and the UN Charter.

During the visit, bilateral meetings were also held with UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua, the President of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Canada’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Bob Rae, as well as with Serbian Minister without portfolio in charge of gender equality, Tatjana Macura. The latter extended an invitation to Bulgaria to participate in a conference on women's empowerment, scheduled for September 30, in Belgrade.