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H.E. Octavian Bivol, UNICEF Representative in Bulgaria, during his keynote address.
UNICEF, Special Olympics Uzbekistan and Republican Center for the Social Adaptation of Children Get Together over a Cup of Tea and Cake.
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Special Olympics Bulgaria and UNICEF Bulgaria officially announced their partnership to advance the rights of children with intellectual disabilities on 30 November in Sofia. The announcement was made at the start of the Third International Conference “Sport for Instrument for Social Integration of People with Intellectual Disabilities” organized by Special Olympics Bulgaria under the patronage of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sergey Stanishev.
“In Bulgaria, UNICEF has been supporting the Special Olympics National Games and information campaigns because we believe in the commitment and success of our colleagues from Special Olympics,” said H.E. Octavian Bivol, UNICEF Representative in Bulgaria, during his keynote address.
Bivol continued: “The National Plan for Cooperation between UNICEF and Special Olympics Bulgaria will help us make the point that children with disabilities have the same rights as all other children.
- “We will raise public awareness and aim at changing perceptions and challenging negative attitudes.
- “We will promote the participation and empowerment of children with intellectual disabilities and their families in their societies, including through sports, and will seek to build their self-reliance and confidence.
- “We will address societal barriers that impede social inclusion and development of children with intellectual disabilities.”
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Nargiza Umarova, UNICEF Uzbekistan Project Assistant, Child Protection Program, describes the work of UNICEF. Conference moderator Hristo Hristozov, Special Olympics Bulgaria National Director, is to her left. |
In his speech, Bivol also welcomed Nargiza Umarova, UNICEF Uzbekistan Project Assistant, Child Protection Program, and Gulya Saidova, Special Olympics Uzbekistan National Director, to the conference. Uzbekistan and Bulgaria are two of seven countries where a UNICEF and Special Olympics International partnership has been started. The partnership was announced at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China.
In their presentations, Umarova and Saidova gave highlights of the hugely successful partnership in that aims to reinforce the country’s capacity to achieve greater inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream society.
A statement read during the conference from the Bulgarian Prime Minister also carried the theme of national capacity: “The Special Olympics Program is full of campaigns, events and initiatives and your contribution is highly significant for the development organized sport movement of people with and without intellectual disabilities in Bulgaria.”
More than 40 senior Bulgarian educators, representatives from NGOs, the Peace Corps and Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia attended the one-day conference that was held at the National Art Gallery in the Bulgarian capital. Hristo Hristozov, Special Olympics Bulgaria National Director, served as the conference moderator. Conference presentations focused on volunteerism in sports and the development of inclusive sport in Bulgaria.
There were also presentations of awards to individuals who supported Special Olympics Bulgaria in 2007, including those who helped the delegation attend the World Games in Shanghai. Bulgarian National Television, which was one of the award recipients for its documentary on the Bulgarian delegations participation at the World Games, reported on the conference.
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Conference participants. All photos courtesy of Special Olympics Bulgaria |
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