24 Facts About Irina Bokova

Irina Georgieva Bokova is a Bulgarian politician and a former Director-General of UNESCO.

Irina Bokova served as Bulgaria's ambassador to France and to Monaco, and was Bulgaria's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO.

At UNESCO, Irina Bokova advocated for gender equality, improved education and preventing funding for terrorism, especially by enforcing the protection of intellectual goods.

Irina Bokova is the daughter of the communist politician Georgi Bokov, editor-in-chief of Rabotnichesko Delo, the official newspaper and organ of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

Irina Bokova graduated from the First English Language School, and then went on to graduate from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, preparing young apparatchiks from the entire Eastern Bloc for future tasks such as diplomats and agents under the control of the KGB.

Irina Bokova was a member of the Bulgarian communist party until 1990, when the party was renamed in Bulgarian Socialist Party, and her membership was cancelled, after changes in the law that year required that employees of several ministries, among them Foreign Affairs, should not be members of any political party.

Irina Bokova is married to Kalin Mitrev, a director at EBRD, and has two children.

On 22 September 2009, Irina Bokova was elected Director-General of UNESCO.

Irina Bokova took over the position from Koichiro Matsuura of Japan.

Irina Bokova entered the office of the Director-General as both the first woman, and the first Southeastern European to take this role.

Irina Bokova was re-elected by the UNESCO General Conference on 12 November 2013.

On 18 November 2015 Irina Bokova was given the Special Award of the Simon Wiesenthal Center at a ceremony in Washington, DC, for the inauguration of the exhibition People, Book, Land: The 3,500 year Relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land in the US capital.

Irina Bokova inaugurated the exhibition in the presence of Edward Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Israel's Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer and Rabbi Marvin Hier.

In October 2016, after opposing an Arab-backed resolution in UNESCO denying Temple Mount's connection to Judaism, Irina Bokova received death threats, prompting her protection to be reinforced.

In 2018 it was announced that Irina Bokova will be teaching at the Kyung Hee University in Korea.

Between mid-2014 and end-2016, Irina Bokova was a candidate for the position of UN Secretary General.

In June 2014 the Bulgarian government nominated Irina Bokova to be the official candidate of the country for the United Nations top job.

Irina Bokova's campaign ran into troubles after reports that the United Kingdom had opposed her elevation.

Since the rules for nominating UN Secretary-General do not provide the option of replacing a candidate, unless they agreed to stand down, which Irina Bokova said she would not do, from 28 September 2016 there were two Bulgarian candidates, with Kristalina Georgieva being the "sole and unique candidate of Bulgaria".

When prompted by St Vincent and the Grenadines and an informal dialogue at the UN, Irina Bokova responded by emphasizing her understanding of the problem as she had recently traveled to Haiti, and her acknowledgement of the various UN agencies that have make substantial efforts to cope with this issue.

Irina Bokova has good reputation to the permanent five members of the UN Security Council.

Irina Bokova has a clear vision about the mission and activity of the organization.

Irina Bokova has taken a strong stance on the fight against extremism and terror financing and is actively championing women empowerment and girls' education.

On 6 April 2015, the French Embassy in Bulgaria announced that Irina Bokova has been awarded the French Order of the Legion of Honour.