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Event Sonya Yoncheva

The Permanent Mission of Bulgaria recently Rights of the Child, to include a right to free
organised a joint event with the United Nations and compulsory pre-primary and secondary
Geneva Office, UNICEF and the Diplomatic education for every child around the world.
Club of Geneva where we presented a broader We will be working with countries not only
vision of how children’s human rights have to from Europe but from other parts of the
be promoted globally. This event was centred world as well, promoting the universal right
on the participation of Sonya Yoncheva, a to education, which should be comprehensive
world-famous Bulgarian opera soprano, who and include secondary education as well as
is also a UNICEF national ambassador in pre-school or pre-primary education. This
Bulgaria. The event attracted high interest would cover children from the age of four
and attention because she was there not just up to the age of 16. Kids around the world,
performing in her own right but also with the we believe, should have the right to free and
Geneva Conservatory Children’s Orchestra inclusive access to education.
whom she and her husband, himself an
orchestra conductor, are patronizing. Sonya You seem to have had a busy year in 2023.
Yoncheva performed with them a couple of Could you tell us a little about it?
her pieces, and presented in an interactive Yes, it was busy, but it was successful because
manner her vision as goodwill ambassador for we were elected to the HRC.
UNICEF. So, this being said, I also took part in an
event organized by the non-governmental
I also had the opportunity and the honour organizations Save the Children and Child
of representing my country as co-sponsor Rights Connect on the margins of the
of a couple of other important events, which celebration of the 75th anniversary of the
again were focused on children’s rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I
will be part of the initiatives that we will mentioned “celebration”, but during the event
be promoting through and in the Human itself, I stressed that probably the time is not
Rights Council. The first was a side event quite appropriate for celebrations because
that we organized jointly with the Permanent we are facing multiple challenges to human
Missions of Luxembourg and of Armenia here rights, including to the rights of children.
in Geneva, aiming to promote the idea of an And of course, it is we, the adults, who bear
additional protocol to the Convention on the the primary responsibility for ensuring that

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