61st Meeting of the PABSEC Cultural, Education and Social Affairs Committee, Burgas, 2 October 2023

The 61st Meeting of the PABSEC Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee was held in Burgas (Bulgaria) on 2 October 2023 upon the invitation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The meeting was attended by the national delegations from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine, as well as a representative of the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat and members of the PABSEC International Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Musa Guliyev, Chairman of the Committee (Azerbaijan).

At the opening ceremony, the participants of the meeting were addressed by Mr. Rosen Zhelyazkov, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Petar Kanev, PABSEC Vice-President, Head of the PABSEC Bulgarian Delegation, and Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General.

Upon the instruction of the General Assembly, the PABSEC Secretary General awarded the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, with the PABSEC Medal of Honour, dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Assembly.

The Committee discussed the draft Report and Recommendation 195/2023 “The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening Child Protection System in the BSEC Member States”, which will be submitted for consideration to the 62nd Plenary Session of the General Assembly.

The Committee took note of the information about child protection in Bulgaria presented by Ms. Teodora Ivanov, Head of the State Agency for Child Protection of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The Committee also took note of the information on the activities of the BSEC Organization presented by Mr. Alexei Nistrean, Executive Manager of the BSEC PERMIS.

The next 62nd Meeting of the Committee will take place in the spring of 2024; the date and venue of the committee are to be confirmed. It was proposed to discuss “Investing in Human Capital for Innovation and Prosperity in the BSEC Region” as a main issue. Mr. Evgeniy Pivovarov, member of the PABSEC Ukrainian delegation was proposed to be a Rapporteur on this issue.