The Rector of the UNWE Awarded the Commemorative Medal to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui in the Presence of More than 30 Diplomats

At the initiative of the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov an academic ceremony in honour of H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco and Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps in Bulgaria for her dedicated work to strengthen the international educational cooperation.

During the event the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov awarded to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui the Commemorative Medal of Prof. Dr. Stefan Bobchev - Founder and First Rector of the UNWE her contribution to strengthening the international cooperation in the field of education and fruitful collaboration with the UNWE.

Nearly 30 ambassadors attended the ceremony and greeted H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui. Before the event the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov met in his office with H. E. Mr. Kenneth Merten, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America /USA/. At the meeting together with H.E Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui attended also the Ambassador of India H. E. Mr. Sanjay Rana, H. E. Catherine Bannon, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ireland and Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska, moderator and main Coordinator of the event, lecturer at the UNWE Public Administration Department. 

Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska, H. E. Mr. Sanjay Rana, H. E. Mrs. Zakiya El Midaoui, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, H. E. Mr. Kenneth Merten, H. E. Catherine Bannon /from the left to the right/

The official guest at the event was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angelieva.

Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska, moderator and main Coordinator of the event, H. E. Mrs. Zakiya El Midaoui, the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Maria Angelieva /from the left to the right/

"The Rector and the academic community of our University have the great pleasure to host this celebration in honour of H. E. Mrs. Zakiya El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco, Doyen 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 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," said Prof. Dr. Polya Katsamunska and emphasized: "Because of all this we invited H. E. Mrs. Zakiya El Midaoui to deliver a public speech on The Power of Women in Diplomacy. We take this opportunity to award to her the Commemoprative Meda 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, for all her significant contribution to the Bulgarian-Moroccan cooperation and partnership".

"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”, said the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov and outlined: "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 project 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. Zakiya 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. Brândusha Ioana Predescu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania.

H. E. Mr. Raymund Furrer	H. E. Dr. Toufic Jaber	H. E. Mrs. Brândusha Ioana Predescu

Evelina Tsileva, Chairperson of the NGO More Women in the Power, awarded a plaque to H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui and expressed thankfulness her for the 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 the Kongdom 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 as the latter are often the ones who pay the highest price, in terms of violence against them, rape, assault, economic insecurity, forced displacement, etc. Since 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”.

More than 30 representatives of the diplomatic corps attended the event and among them were: Н. E. Mr. Rami Aloteibi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H. E. Mr. Abdulrahman Ahmed Al Jaber, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates, H. E. Mr. Nader Saad, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H. E. Mr. Ghazi Hamed Alfadli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kuwait, H. E. Dr. Toufic Jaber, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lebanon, Н. E. Mrs. Lina Omar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iraq, Mr. Ahmed Shamer, Managing Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen, H. E. Mr. Fahad Al-Mushiri, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Qatar, H. E. Mr. Raymund Furrer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation, H. E. Mrs. Brândusha Ioana Predescu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania, Н. E. Mrs. Agneza Rusi PopovskaAmbassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of North Macedonia, H. E. Mrs. Alexandra Micic Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H. E. Mr. Iwan Bogananta, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia, H. E. Mr. Sanjay Rana, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India, Н. E. Mrs. Catherine Bannon Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ireland, H. E. Mr. Kenneth Merten, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America /USA/, H. E. Mrs. Lhagvasuren Sayanaa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia, H. E. Dr. Miklós Boroš, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary, H. E. Mrs. Ursula Höfter Zuccoli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Н. E. Mr. Otar Berdzenishvili, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia, H. E. Mr. Do Hoang Long, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Radivoje Brajovic, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Montenegro, H. E. Mrs. Natasha Bergel, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia, representative of the Ambassador of Poland H. E. Dr. Maciej Szymanski. The event was also attended by representatives of various state institutions and chambers of commerce.

On behalf of UNWE the event was attended by Prof. Dr. Matilda Alexandrova, Vice Rector for Educational Activities, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yanko Hristozov, Vice Rector for International Affairs, Deans of Faculties, Heads of Departments, lecturers and students.

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.

Prof. 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.”