On December 15, Bulgaria participated in the Open Debate of the UN Security Council “Leadership for Peace”, which was dedicated to the upcoming election of the Secretary-General of the Organization and the strengthening of multilateralism.

In her speech, Ambassador Gergana Karadjova, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN, highlighted the high responsibility that the UN member states have in the process of electing a Secretary-General, calling for the nomination of candidates who meet the highest requirements for political and moral integrity, have a clear and bold vision for international cooperation, and are determined to bring to the Security Council issues that may pose a danger to international peace and security.

Ambassador Karadjova emphasized that these qualities are possessed by both men and women, and encouraged the nomination of female candidates, expressing the expectation that they will be seriously considered in the upcoming selection process of the best candidate. She pointed out that so far, from the five regional groups of the UN, only the Eastern European regional group has not had a Secretary-General of the Organization elected.

The debate is one of the landmark events of Slovenia's presidency of the Security Council in December of this year and is a continuation of the ministerial-level debate of the same name, which Slovenia organized in September 2024.