After Kristalina Georgieva - another Bulgarian with European recognition!
It is our pleasure to inform all our partners that the Board Chair of the Bulgarian Fund for Women Stanimira Hadjimitova has been selected among more than 100 nominations to be portrayed in the Calendar 2011 “Women Inspiring Europe” of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
EIGE’s aim is to make visible some outstanding European women and their achievements as a source of inspiration for others.
Stanimira has a M.Sc. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria) and a Bachelor degree in Economics from the Economic University of Sofia (Bulgaria). She became an entrepreneur in 1992 exporting Bulgarian professional machines, tools and agricultural products. In 1995, while operating her business successfully, she established one of the first Bulgarian advocacy groups in the field of gender equality – Gender Project for Bulgaria Foundation (GPF). As its Director, Stanimira managed more than 40 projects in the country and in the South Europe region as a part of the Stability Pact Gender Task Force (SP GTF). She represents GPF in the National Council on Gender Equality to the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria.
As a civil society activist she received recognition through participation in numerous international events connected with the global women’s movement: the NGO Forum at the IV-th UN Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995; NGO Working Session and ECE Regional Preparatory Meeting on the Review of the implementation of the Beijing+5 in Geneva in the year 2000 and in the New York Preparatory Committee in March 2000; WIDE Annual Conference 2010 “Migration in the Context of Globalization-Women’s Human Rights at Risk?”, Bucharest, June 3-5, 2010; European Commission Conference “Equality between women and men in a time of change”, 15-16 June 2009, Brussels; 11th AWID International Forum on Women’s Rights and Development, Cape Town, November 2008; etc.
Stanimira has contributed to the democratization of the society and to the recognition of women’s rights as human rights in many ways. She was an expert in the Bulgarian NGO women’s group that created the Recommendations to the Bulgarian Government for achieving real gender equality in connection with the Beijing +5 Review; in the Working Group set by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs for elaboration of Bulgarian Equal Opportunity Draft Law, June 2000 - January 2001; in UNIFEM mission in Moldova on elaboration of Equal Opportunity Law in 2002.
The most influential work of hers is connected with the work as a National Focal Point to SP GTF. She organized and participated in numerous trainings for active women from different political parties, institutions and NGOs in political skills and gender mainstreaming policy in order to prepare them for participating in elections - to vote and run for office; to build the national network of politically active women who to be encouraged to start joint projects for empowerment of women, including Roma women.
Stanimira works with passion for women’s human rights, social change and for bringing more visibility to achievements of women locally and globally.
For the presentation of the Calendar EIGE is organizing a special event in Brussels, which will take place on the 3rd of December in the Hotel Silken Berlaymont, Boulevard Charlemagne, 11-19. Stanimira Hadjimitova is invited and will be in attendance.