Bulgaria Appoints Roma Minister
The new government of Bulgaria, under Prime Minister Stanishev recently appointed Mr. Yavor Dimitrov, 41, as Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy. Mr. Dimitrov is the first Roma to serve as a Deputy Minister in any Bulgarian administration. His portfolio will include demographic policy, social investment and equal opportunities legislation. He holds a Master’s degree in public finance from the Svishtov Academy of Finance. His appointment represents a positive step in the new governments efforts to promote ethnic integration in the country. This appointment proves very timely in light of the rise of inflammatory rhetoric in Bulgaria denigrating ethnic minorities.
USAID is particularly pleased to note its role in Mr. Dimitov’s career development as he is one of the young and talented Roma leaders identified and trained under USAID’s Ethnic Integration and Conflict Resolution Program in Lom, when the program first started in 2000. Mr. Dimitrov actively participated in a series of leadership training sessions delivered by the Roma Leadership Institute with USAID support. In 2001, Mr. Dimitrov joined a Participatory Training Program in Hungary organized by World Learning where he observed local good practices of partnership between NGOs and local authorities.
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