On 27 November in the Ceremonial Hall of the UNWE was held an academic ceremony for the awarding of the commemorative medal "Prof. Stefan Bobchev - Founder and First Rector of UNWE" to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui,

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Bulgaria and dean of the Diplomatic corps. She received the high award on the initiative of the Rector of the University - Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, for her dedicated work in strengthening international cooperation in the field of education and fruitful cooperation with UNWE. Ambassadors, diplomats, academics and media representatives attended the event. The official guest was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms. Maria Angelieva.

Dr. Polya Katsamunska, moderator and main coordinator of the event, lecturer at the Department of Public Administration, opened the ceremony by saying: "The Rector and the academic community of our University have the great pleasure to host this celebration in honour of H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Bulgaria, to celebrate her outstanding work in Bulgaria in supporting and promoting the educational and cultural cooperation as well as the development of relations between our two countries. There is no doubt that her strong presence here in Bulgaria is full of achievements and we would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for her support, friendship and partnership throughout the years we have worked together on various educational and research projects, cultural events and joint initiatives. She is not only an ambassador of a very high caliber, but also an exceptional person who opened her soul to the Bulgarians." Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska emphasized: "Because of all this we invited Zakia El Midaoui, to deliver a public speech on "The Power of Women in Diplomacy". We take this opportunity to award to Her Excellency the Commemoprative Medal of "Prof. Stefan Bobchev - Founder and First Rector of the UNWE" - for her outstanding merits and recognition for her invaluable support and active participation in the educational initiatives, research projects and cultural events, and also for all her significant contribution to the Bulgarian-Moroccan cooperation and partnership".

The rector of the UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov outlined: "Today is a particularly solemn day for our academic community because we have the honour and privilege to express our respect and appreciation to an extraordinary person - H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco." And turned to Her Excellency: "Your Excellency, your mission in Bulgaria has left a solid trace both in the political and economic relations between our two countries as well as in the academic cooperation, for which the UNWE is very grateful. You have not only worked to strengthen the bilateral relations, but have also contributed to the closeness of our peoples, cultures and academic communities. Your understanding that keeping the cultural and historical heritage is of vital importance for any country, as it represents its culture and civilization, helps to connect peoples and creates a sense of belonging. It has found expression in hundreds of forums building a bridge in exploring our two cultures as well as in the joint initiatives between the Standard newspaper and the UNWE on the occasion of the Campaign of Wonders of Bulgaria. Over the years of your mission in Bulgaria you have shown an endless energy, diplomatic talent and sincere desire for cooperation. Due to your efforts, very important partnerships between the Bulgarian and Moroccan universities, including our university, have been launched. Such initiatives not only open up new opportunities for students and lecturers, but also create a basis for sustainable cooperation and mutual enrichment".

On behalf of the French-speaking group of Ambassadors H. E. Mr. Raymund Furrer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation, greeted H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui.

Greetings to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui were also presented on behalf of the Arab group of Ambassadors in Bulgaria - H. E. Dr. Toufic Jaber, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lebanon, and on behalf of all diplomatic missions accredited in the Republic of Bulgaria greeting were extended by H. E. Mrs. Brândușa-Ioana Predescu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania.

Evelina Tsileva, Chairperson of the NGO More Women in the Power, awarded a plaque to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui and expressed thankfulness for her fruitful cooperation.

In her public lecture on "The Power of Women in Diplomacy" H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui highlighted: "The equitable participation and leadership of women in political and public life are essential in the implementation of the United Nations agenda relating to the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, data indicate that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making power throughout the world, and that gender parity is still far from being achieved in political life, including in the field of foreign policy of countries. Throughout the world, including in developed countries, diplomacy has always been considered an exclusively male domain. Today, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions and in the most important geopolitical positions, due to numerous obstacles preventing them from joining diplomatic services. Moreover, at the global level, women represent only one fifth (1/5) of the ambassadors, with some variations depending on the region and country. She outlined that the Kingdom of Morocco has a diplomatic network of 104 diplomatic representations /embassies/ and 57 consular posts and although the number of female diplomats, ambassadors and general consuls in Morocco is significantly lower than that of men, the career developments of women and men, with equal skills, remain parallel and identical and do not experience any kind of gender-based discrimination.

In her speech H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui also pointed out that over the years the Moroccan women have asserted their presence in the diplomatic sphere due to their own qualities and professional skills, as well as their dynamism and their ability to negotiate.

"It falls to me to recall the role of women in preventive diplomacy, mediation and peacekeeping. As you may all know, conflicts throughout the world have had disastrous repercussions on men and women, but the latter are often the ones who pay the highest price, in terms of violence against them, rape, assault, economic insecurity, forced displacement, etc. Women and girls are often the first collateral victims of conflicts, pandemics, poverty, etc. They have much more to fear for the safety of their homes, children and families than men. This is why they play a leading role in preventing conflicts, and if unfortunately hostilities break out, they can help contain and stop them”, pointed out the Ambassador of Morocco and added: “I would like to say that despite the great strides made in consolidating gender equality, promoting the gender approach requires more efforts, everywhere in the world, mainly when it comes to strengthen women's participation in decision-making and achieve gender equality in economic, political and social spheres".

The ceremony is organized in collaboration with the University team coordinating the STUDIES-DIG project under the Horizon Europe Programme - a key EU funding programme for research and innovation helping to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and supporting the creation and better dissemination of excellent knowledge and technology. On behalf of the UNWE team Prof. Dr. Lyuben Boyanov greeted the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui and expressed his heartfelt gratitude for her dedication and contribution to the development of cooperation between Bulgaria and Morocco.

Dr. Lyuben Boyanov, lecturer at the Information Technologies and Communications Department, awarded a plaque to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui on behalf of the project team.

Traditionally H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui wrote a message in the Golden Book of the UNWE:

For me it is an honour and pleasure to express in this Golden book some of my impressions about University of National and World Economy, with whom the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco has very deep and profound links, including the numerous training and research programs, targeting students and professionals from Moroccan universities and UNWE.

I warmly salute the engagement of the top management of UNWE (Mr. Rector and his team for their engagement, professionalism and availability).

UNWE is a great model on which other universities can inspire and with whom they can start sustainable collaboration, such as the case of the universities in Tangers, Kenitra and Rabat from Morocco. Moreover, our Moroccan professors and students learn many things from their exchange mobilities with UNWE.

May stability, prosperity and excellence always be among the UNWE.

The material was provided by UNSS.

In the photo above:  Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of the UNWE presents the commemorative medal "Prof. Stefan Bobchev - Founder and First Rector of UNWE" to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Bulgaria.

First row: Ambassadors and guests of the ceremony; Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska, moderator and main coordinator of the event, lecturer at the Department of Public Administration opens the ceremony, seated /left to right/ are: H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Maria Anguelieva; Her Excellency delivers her public speech; Ambassadors and guests.

Second row: Prof. Dr. Lyuben Boyanov, lecturer at the Department of Information Technologies and Communications, presents an award to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui on behalf of the STUDIES-DIG project; Evelina Tsileva, President of the NGO "More Women in Power", presents her with a award on behalf of the organization as a sign of gratitude for the fruitful cooperation; H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui writes a special message in the Golden Book of the UNWE; before the event, after a meeting in the Rector's office /left to right/: Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska, H. E. Mr. Sanjay Rana, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India, H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, H. E. Mr. Kenneth Merten, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, H. E. Mrs. Catherine Bannon, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ireland.