Scientific Forum Devoted to the 50th Anniversary of the Human Resources and Social Protection Department, 70th Anniversary of Economics of Human Resources Specialty and 32nd Anniversary of Insurance and Social Affairs Specialty

50 years of the foundation of the Human Resources and Social Protection Department, 70 years of the specialty Economics of Human Resources and 32 years of the specialty Insurance and Social Affairs celebrated the Department with a Jubilee Scientific Conference. The Forum is under the patronage of the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov and it is focused on the Labour and Social Protection in the Conditions of Global Societal, Economic and Social Changes. As part of the Jubilee Conference plaques were awarded for contribution to the establishment and development of the Human Resources and Social Protection Department and a bas-relief of Prof. Dr. Nikola Naumov was unveiled.

The Executive Director of the Employment Agency Dr. Polina Marinova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Galina Dimitrova, Scientific Secretary of the Department, Prof.  Emil Mingov, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valery Apostolov, Head of the Department, Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky, Deputy Head of the Department and Chairman of the UNWE General Assembly, Chairman of the Economic and Social Council, Zornitsa Rusinova and Prof. Dr. Margarita Atanasova, Dean of the General Economics Faculty /from the left to the right/

"50 years ago the Human Resources and Social Protection Department was established with a vision aimed at training specialists in the field of labour organization and human potential management", said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valery Apostolov, Head of the Human Resources and Social Protection Department, at the opening of the Jubilee Conference. He added that "the labour and social protection play an important role in our contemporary society, especially in the conditions of globalization when socio-economic and social changes occur which require reorganization of the working environment. And it is necessary because there are circumstances related to the technological revolution". Assoc. Prof. Apostolov specified that we are facing serious demographic problems as the change of the working environment is related to a number of other factors that affect it and create new challenges but also new opportunities. He specified that one of the major challenges is the dynamically changing work environment which leads to the necessity of both training and prequalification of the workforce. "Maintaining the skills and competitiveness becomes increasingly urgent. An important aspect of labour and social protection is to ensure social equality and fairness that`s why the Department has chosen to hold the Scientific Conference under the title Labour and Social Protection in the Context of Global Societal, Economic and Social Changes, said Assoc. Prof. Apostolov.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valery Apostolov, Head of the Department

The Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov greeted the Human Resources and Social Protection Department in a video address and expressed his appreciation to the pleiad of bright minds who created and developed the specialties and the Department. "The scholars who for decades set the methodology for personnel development and educate worthy individuals", said the Rector and added that over these decades the study of human resources and social protection, and subsequently insurance, have been taken as a benchmark of the economics of human resources. "Today the management of the sector is unthinkable without the highly qualified specialists graduated from the UNWE. The Department, as part of our academic family, will always be in a leading position as a creator of high standards in education and science. I would also like to greet the lecturers of speciality Insurance and Social Work for preparing professionals who successfully realized as managers, experts or specialists in insurance companies and pension insurance companies, in the central and local administration as well as in supervisory bodies".

Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov

"What makes me very happy is that during all these 50 years the Department has managed to integrate very well into all the changes that have taken place", emphasized Prof. Dr. Margarita Atanasova, Dean of the General Economics Faculty. She added that the topic of the Conference "directs us to the three pillars that are the basis of the prosperity and sustainability of the Department. The first pillar is respect for the wisdom of science and scientific achievements, followed by the constructive interaction with various partners and the third pillar is the systematic building of the academic team which requires a lot of patience and foresight. The Department as a part of the General Economics Faculty has a serious contribution to the prosperity of the University". Prof. Atanasova wished her colleagues from the Department to be always so dedicated in opening new horizons, to keep the traditions and to build on their achievements.

Prof. Dr. Margarita Atanasova, Dean of the General Economics Faculty

"For five decades the Department has been creating one of the most famous and valuable professionals in the economy of Bulgaria - the specialists who know how to manage people, how to create and unite teams, to increase the most valuable capital in any administration and business - their employee", said Prof. Emil Mingov, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy. "Human resources will continue to be the most valuable asset and the Department's mission is to teach our professionals to discover, develop and use this human potential which will not be displaced by the artificial intelligence. The Department has a major practical and applied contribution to the activities of UNWE."

Prof.  Emil Mingov, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy

Denitsa Kirilova read a Greeting address on behalf of the Chairman of the Financial Control Commission Boyko Atanasov: "Keep your energy, inspiration and aspiration for constant improvement and through it let the UNWE continue to be synonymous of prestige and educational traditions and the let the Department of Human and Social Protection be a pillar in the development of sciences related to human capital where the acquired knowledge is equivalent to undisputed success." 

Denitsa Kirilova, Financial Control Commission

The Chairman of the Economic and Social Council Zornitsa Rusinova reminded that the relation between the Council and the UNWE is due to the long-standing work of Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky and expects these traditions to continue. "The potential of the state for people who can develop labour and social protection is in the hands of all of you. Continue to give young people a horizon not only to develop intellectually but also to stay to work in Bulgaria." She awarded an honorary prize to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valery Apostolov and Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky.

Assoc. Prof. Valery Apostolov, Zornitsa Rusinova, Prof. Lalko Dulevsky

"These jubilee years are associated with a lot of hard work and professionalism", said the Executive Director of the Employment Agency Dr. Polina Marinova and added that the Agency and the UNWE partner extremely well in building the vision of the labour market.

Dr. Polina Marinova, Executive Director of the Employment Agency

Vladimir Boyadzhiev, Executive Director of the National Institute for Conciliation and Arbitration and Joanis Parteniotis, Vice President of Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, also addressed the participants in the Jubilee Conference.

From the UNWE greetings were addressed by the Chairman of the Student Council Ilian Chabukliysky who outlined that the Department is a good partner of the Student Council.

Greeting addresses were presented by the Industrial Business Department represented by the Head of Department Prof. Dr. Nikolay Shterev, by the Economics of Transport and Energy Department represented by the Scientific Secretary Assoc. Prof. Dr. Borislav Arnaudov, who also awarded a jubilee coin. Greeting were addressed by the Political Economy Department headed by Prof. D.Sc. Pencho Penchev, by the Economic Sociology Department headed by Prof. Dr. Georgy Petrunov, by the Economics Department represented by the Scientific Secretary Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shteryo Nozarov etc.  On behalf of the students Martin Dimitrov, 4^th year of specialty Economics of Human Resources expressed thankfulness for the dedication and support of the lecturers and assured that the learning process is very important for them and will help them to develop in the future. "Thank you for being there for us and taught us to think critically and strive for high results."

The main thematic areas of the Conference were in the field of labour market, industrial relations, human resources management, organizational behaviour and corporate culture, health and safety working conditions, insurance, social insurance, corporate social responsibility, etc.

As part of the Jubilee Conference plaques were awarded for contribution to the establishment and development of the Human Resources and Social Protection Department.

The memorable moment was also marked with group photos of the academic staff of the Department

As part of the festive celebration a bas-relief of Prof. Dr. Nikola Naumov was unveiled. Prof. Dr. Lalko Dulevsky, long-standing Head of the Human Resources and Social Protection Department, told more about his personality. "I am very pleased that we are unveiling the bas-relief of a man who was a scientist, a personality, a public figure and most importantly an internationally renowned scholar. He had the good fortune to win a competition when he was only 30 years old and to be an expert at the United Nations Demography Department, to work at the Institute of Demography in Paris which is the largest institute in the world. He had the opportunity to participate in the first population census in Africa. In the 1960s he returned to Bulgaria and founded the Demographic Institute at the National Statistical Institute. He began working at our university and in the 1970s he founded the Laboratory for Demographic Research which made the first demographic studies in Bulgaria. Prof. Naumov also made the first forecasts of the demographic crisis in Bulgaria."