Bulgarian candidate for member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Velina Todorova was elected in the late hours of June 30 in New York. The news was confirmed by the Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov, who characterized the victory as “compelling”.
This is the first application of Bulgaria announced in April at the High Level Conference on the Rights of the Child.
She is Associate Professor in Civil & Family law, Civil Status and Child Protection at the Institute for Legal Studies to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and in the Law Faculty of Plovdiv University. Todorova is an expert with more than 20 years of experience in the field of children’s rights – child labor, domestic violence, rights of children with disabilities, juvenile justice and others. She is one of the authors of the “Strategy of Sofia on Child’s Rights” (2016-2021) and represented our country in the Committee of Experts to prepare the new strategy.
From December 2011 to May 2013 Velina Todorova was Deputy Minister of Justice. For 3 years (2001-2004) she was Director International Cooperation – State Agency for Child Protection to the Council of Ministers. From 2011 up to now she is Director of the Institute for Legal Studies (2011). Velina Todorova is member to the Bulgarian Association of Women in Legal Profession, Chair of the Board of the Centre for Women’s Studies and Policies, Chair of the Board of Gender Education, Research and Technologies Foundation.
Over 700 organizations from across Europe including the National Network for Children and the European child protection network Eurochild have supported Velina Todorova’s campaign with numerous advocacy actions.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child is the main UN body that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the rights of children by all States members. Founded in 1991, it is composed of 18 independent experts from different countries. Through its monitoring functions, the Committee helps Member States in the interpretation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in order to develop and implement state policy in relation to the commitments under the Convention.
We, form the National Network for Children wish Velina Todorova to continue to be powerful activist for children’s rights around the world! Bulgaria can be proud of her election, which is great success for all of us!
You can find more information here
