At the end of the European Diversity Month and after long-term initiatives in this direction, Sofia University joined the Diversity Charter. On the occasion of the University's inclusion in the Charter, initiated by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Dean Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev stated: "We are pleased to be the first public higher education institution in Bulgaria to officially join the Diversity Charter, aligning ourselves with the most active Bulgarian institutional leaders in this area. We believe that systematic actions to protect human rights and provide an accessible, friendly, and motivating environment support the full realization of every individual, regardless of their ethnic, racial, gender, age, or other characteristics". About 15% of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration students are international students. On March 11 this year, we marked the beginning of the festive month of Ramadan with students, faculty, and guests.

During the period of March-April, we held the second Academy for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, and at the end of May, we celebrated Diversity Month with an inspiring event for our students and partners from the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", and Lidl Bulgaria. The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration has also launched activities to include students with visual and hearing impairments, welcoming our first foreign blind student this semester, who is studying in a master's program.

The European Diversity Charters help organizations in the public and private sectors in the European Union implement effective diversity and inclusion policies. By signing the Charter, all organizations make a public commitment to promote diversity. The Charters are organized at the national level, and each country has its own. Currently, over 17,000 organizations have joined.

The Diversity Charter in Bulgaria is a joint initiative of the Center for the Study of Democracy and the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum. Its main goal is to encourage diversity management in Bulgaria. The term "diversity" refers to the different types of people who are part of an organization with their individual and specific characteristics. Despite these, they accept and share common aspects with the other team members. In the field of employment, the main idea of diversity is associated with acceptance of every employee; a sense of value and respect in the team. In this regard, the policy of the Diversity Charter is closely related to the policies and activities of Sofia University in line with the Rules for the Structure and Activity of Sofia University and the Plan for Activities to Ensure Gender Equality.

By adopting the Charter, Sofia University will deepen its policy towards activities ensuring equality among employees, students, and doctoral candidates, and will improve its effectiveness and sustainability in the field of diversity. You can read the full text of the Charter here.