Media literacy as a responsibility

The forum will bring together representatives of the communication community, institutions, and business organisations

On April 29, 2022, at UniCredit Bulbank’s International Centre, Aksakov Street №8, will be held the forum „Practical Aspects of Media Literacy“, organised by the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” with the support of the „Scientific Research“ Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science, BDVO and the Bulgarian Network.

The forum aims to put the current state and different aspects of media literacy in Bulgaria on the agenda. Participants will try to outline the threats to information security in crises and the challenges different audiences face in dealing with the information overload.

Improving media literacy is key to increasing public awareness in the context of instability, uncertainty and information ambiguity in the post-truth world. The wide scope of the concept, which includes credibility and information assurance, digital literacy, hate speech recognition, etc., requires a partnership between theoretically engaged experts and communication practitioners, as well as public engagement. The Forum is therefore an opportunity for collaboration between representatives of business, civil society, institutions, media and the academic community.

The forum will be attended and will be held in a presentation and moderated discussion format with participants from different sectors. The program will start at 09:00 with an opening by the hosts of the event Prof. Dr. Veselina Valkanova, Dean of FJMC, and Prof. Dr. Andreana Eftimova, head of the project.

There will be two opening lectures – „Media Literacy as responsibility: reflections on the future of communications in a VUCA and post-truth world.“ by Prof. Dr. Anna Adi from Quadriga University, Germany and „Reverse influence of post-truth on social reality – false events“ by Assoc. Georgi Lozanov from Sofia University.

Among the leading participants are Assoc. Dr. Orlin Spasov, who will speak about „Media Literacy in Bulgaria in the Context of Monitoring Media Pluralism 2021“, Assoc. Dr. Alexander Hristov, Dr. Manuela Toteva, Nadia Obretenova and others.

During the forum, a number of successful media literacy projects will be presented – information resources, fact-checking tools and fake news identification. Key topics include the effectiveness of digital communications and the importance of digital literacy.

The balance between freedom and responsibility will be discussed in the panel on information assurance as part of media literacy. Reporting the facts, brand positioning, responsibility to stakeholders are some of the issues that will be discussed by representatives of business, media, communications community and civil society.

The forum is free to attend, upon prior registration at office@bdvo.org.

The Forum is hosted by UniCredit Bulbank.

The event is organised as part of a project for an international forum on „Practical Aspects of Media Literacy“, funded by the Research Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science under contract No. KP-06-MNF-16 of the year 2021.

UN Global Compact Bulgaria selects first-ever SDG pioneer

UN Global Compact Bulgaria selects first-ever SDG pioneer
Dimitar Tsotsorkov won first place in the challenging competition

15 March 2022, Sofia, Bulgaria
15 March 2022 will stay in the history of the United Nations Global Compact Network Bulgaria with the first SDG Pioneers awards. Dimitar Tsotsorkov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Asarel-Medet, is the winner of the SDG Pioneer Prize and will represent the country in the global round of the competition, which will take place during the UN Global Compact summit in June. Gergana Manolova from Unicredit Bulbank came in second, and Katerina Kirova from Zagorka and Nevena Dimitrova from ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 were awarded third prize.

„Assarel-Medet is an example of how a company can radically change the appearance of a city,“ said Ognian Trajanov, Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Bulgaria at the award ceremony. „In the core of each individual’s fulfillment is to create and fight for a better world. And it is an honor for him to even make a small change. When he is part of a shared vision and guidelines for action, as embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals, he feels more confident, achieves more and becomes more impactful. Due to the pandemic, the war will delay the achievement of the Goals, but none of us will abandon or forget them. On the contrary, realizing with renewed strength their relevance, their comprehensiveness, we will work even more motivated to accomplish them.“

„I accept this award not as my own, but as a recognition for the entire Asarel-Medet team, for the Asarel and Lachezar Tsotsorkov foundations, and last but not least for my father, Prof. Dr. Lachezar Tsotsorkov“, Dimitar Tsotsorkov said. „The last two years have reminded us how priceless words like peace and health are to us. Today it is more important than ever to be united by shared values, to remain compassionate, humane, sensitive to the pain of others, wise and empathetic. I wish peace and love to all and hope that this insane war will end soon,“ he added.

The first SDG Pioneers Bulgaria competition included leaders from companies working to achieve the SDGs: Assarel-Medet, Zagorka Heineken, Investor Media Group, Coca Cola HBC Bulgaria, Kaufland Bulgaria, ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3, Nestle Bulgaria, Unicredit Bulbank, Postbank. Nominations for the awards were evaluated according to a regulation set by the UN Global Compact, and the ranking was determined by a jury composed of:

• OgnyanTrayanov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Network and the jury
• Krassimira Velichkova, Bulgarian Donors Forum
• Elitsa Barakova, BCause foundation
• Michail Okoliyski, Phd, WHO Bulgaria
• Grigorii Vazov, VUZF University
• Rumen Donev, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy

The presentation of the awards became another occasion for the companies of the UN Global Compact and the Bulgarian Network to emphasize their unifying principles, which are even more relevant today. The participants joined a conversation about human empathy, the social role of business and its will to act and find solutions, especially in difficult times. Antonio Hautle, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland, spoke about ethics in times of peace and war.

A special gift for the guests was a conversation between the host of the event, Donika Rizova, and journalist Georgi Toshev, about the values that unite us and the principles that guide us. The conversation included stories that change us for the better and the importance of rethinking our past and present as well as the threat of hybrid wars and misinformation. At the end, the audience united around the word for 2022 – “HOPE”.

SDG Pioneers Bulgaria brought together representatives of responsible business to celebrate the inspiring actions of leading companies and their people who showcase that one person’s efforts matter, and when supported by the power of business, they can change the present and the future.

About the United Nations Global Compact
As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.
For more information, visit: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/.

About the UN Global Compact Network Bulgaria
The local network unites the participants of the Global Compact in Bulgaria in collective initiatives towards with positive societal and business impact, proving that the business is a force for good.
www.unglobalcompact.bg

About the SDG Pioneers
Every year the UN Global Compact recognizes the pioneers of the Sustainable Development Goals – these professionals working at any level of a UN Global Compact, who are leveraging a principles-based approach to accomplish the 17 Global Goals, known as SDGs. These visionary leaders give impetus to the interest toward the Global Goals and toward the creative means of their implementation by the business. In 2022 the UN Global Compact will again prize those persons who set ambitious goals and impact their companies and societies in order to make a sustainable future for all.

Contact for media
Find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and secretariat@unglobalcompact.bg, www.unglobalcompact.bg, Mob. +359 882 173 188 I +359 889 666 029.
Please do not hesitate to tag us in your social media posts using #SDGpioneers.

SDG Pioneers 2022 – Bulgaria will take part in the global awards for advancement on SDGs through the Global Compact Network Bulgaria

SDG Pioneers 2022, whose aim is to reward the business leaders doing an exceptional job to advance the Global Goals, will be held in Bulgaria for the first time. The contest will recognize these professionals who actively contribute to the accomplishment of the Ten Principles. The selection of national-level pioneers will be executed by the Bulgarian Network. Companies and organizations which are members of the UN Global Compact have the right to participate.

By March 14th, 2022 the Bulgarian Network will reward one SDG Pioneer from the country who will get the chance to compete in the global round of the 2022 UN Global Compact SDG Pioneers campaign. The world winners in the contest will be announced during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York, USA. 

The National SDG Pioneers submission period has now opened and will be available through this application form until January the 31, 2022. The applications will be evaluated according to the UN regulation, from a jury including representatives of the business, the UN, the academic institution, the non-governmental sector and the state government. 

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The UN Global Compact is a North Star for companies around the world

The UN Global compact is a secretary general’s initiative to engage with the private sector. We were founded by Kofi Annan, the previous Secretary General of the UN. He went to the World economic forum in 1999 and made a very famous speech where he proposed a global compact to bring the UN and the private sector together in order to put a human face on the global market. That was at a time when globalisation was really taking hold. There was a feeling that the private sector was acting in a very self-interested way, so the UN and the secretary general wanted to engage with the CEOs of the world to encourage them to think about important principles, about human rights, labour rights, protecting the environment and fighting corruption on the basis that these are the things that business leaders really should think carefully about. So Kofi Annan proposed this Global Compact and here we are – 21 years later with almost 40 thousand companies that joined and signed up for these principles.

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Looking towards the responsible business through the prism of communication

Looking towards the responsible business through the prism of communication

The event MAKING GLOBAL GOALS LOCAL BUSINESS organized by the Global Compact Network Bulgaria gathered business leaders and corporate sustainability experts to discuss on the human dimension of the Global Goals

13th October 2021. To celebrate its 10th anniversary last Wednesday the Global Compact Network Bulgaria co-hosted the international forum MAKING GLOBAL GOALS LOCAL BUSINESS in collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact Initiative. The central topic of this hybrid event, simultaneously live in Sofia and online from New York, was the human dimension of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and their translation into the language of society and companies.

Participants in the conversation were Ognian Trajanov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Network, Silvia Kostova, Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing, Postbank, and Daniela Peeva, Chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Investor Relations Directors. They agreed on the fact that the Sustainable Development Goals are not UN goals only, they are standards beyond time, belonging to everyone and giving us an idea of our social progress. The media is the partner through which business talks about investment and innovation in the language of good stories.

Special guest and speaker was Dan Thomas, Head of Global Compact Communication Department, former BBC and Reuters journalist and expert with rich experience in the field of media. He talked about the ability of the business to shape the status quo and to chase economic as well as public interest: “SDGs and sustainability are unpopular words and sound boring but the truth is that they are all about society, the people and the planet. In other words, crucial topics that everyone cares about. The fifth SDG Gender Equality seems like a technical term but to a father with four daughters it is extremely important and even more important for his daughters. SDG13 Climate Action may seem irrelevant to people but when their homes flood due to extreme weather caused by a changing climate, then yes, they care.”

The participants in the discussion raised questions related to the media shift as a result of the tech revolution and the future of journalism in the context of sustainable development.  “I believe the media everywhere will and should report on private sector initiatives when they make an impact (good or bad) on wider society. In other words journalists should report on things that affect their audience and keep their role of watchdog”, Dan Thomas commented and acknowledged that the world of communication has changed in a revolutionary way: “We used to rely on mass media in order to be recognized. With the emergence of social media platforms we are gaining greater audiences and engagement in a more personal format.”

The investors’ viewpoint was presented by Daniela Peeva, who stated that the attitudes have changed in recent years – various sustainability criteria are increasingly being monitored, including non-financial reporting by companies.

From the perspective of the banking sector, Mrs Silvia Kostova reaffirmed the importance of the SDGs: “Our bank does not implement the SDGs as an end in itself but as a part of a comprehensive ESG program with a real impact on the environment and society”. According to her, in order to achieve wider media coverage of their campaigns, the companies need to learn to tell exciting stories.

According to Ognian Trajanov, the role of the media is to recognize the good corporate examples for solving societal problems as well as the opportunities to overcome them:

„There is no longer any doubt that our planet is threatened by us. We must stop stealing from the future of our children. And for this to happen without sacrificing living standard, accelerated innovation and morale are needed. With the help of the media we must provide the good companies with motivation that their investments in innovation and environmentally friendly technologies are recognized and appreciated by His Majesty the customer, the partners and the entire supply chain. Indeed, the role of the business has become much more responsible – the researches show that the companies invest more in collective projects and that they have outgrown the initial understanding of CSR as corporate donation programs. We have a conscious duty – we have won through the market the right and responsibility to manage resources responsibly and skillfully, including the team we lead to create greater benefits for society. Through products and services, but also through innovative approaches to meet the challenges and opportunities, in areas and topics of essential importance that have not yet been identified, addressed or resolved. We analyze, create an innovative solution, invest at our own expense, turn it into a good practice and make it sustainable. And in order to turn this proven good practice into a benefit for the whole society, it has to be recognized. That’s what the media needs.“

The Chainman of the Bulgarian Network also shared other perceptions for the role of the media: „The contribution of the media is important to keep our children in Bulgaria, giving them examples of opportunities for decent realization, to encourage entrepreneurship, to inspire other companies in the industry and to incite their employees to require, this way proving that responsible business is a force for good. Chasing the public interest, this is a matter of principles for the media and especially for the public ones.”

Making Global Goals Local Business is an international forum that aims to present the Sustainable Development Goals and the role of business as a key factor for their achievement. The forum is one of the events organized by local networks and the United Nations Global Compact.

Organizational partners are Bulgarian Public Relations Association, Bulgarian Industrial Association, Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum, Bulgarian-Belgian Business Club, German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Sofia Tech Park.

The event is held in partnership with Assarel-Medet, Bayer Bulgaria, Euroins, Overgas, TechnoLogica, TPP ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 and with the media partnership of BGlobal, investor.bg, enterprise.bg, Sega newspaper.

The discussions scheduled for the second day of the forum, as well as the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Bulgarian Network, were postponed due to the latest anti-epidemic measures announced on the first day of the event.

From New York to Sofia – a joint UN Global Compact and Network Bulgaria forum for responsible business

The event MAKING GLOBAL GOALS LOCAL BUSINESS will meet representatives of responsible business in Bulgaria with globally renowned experts in corporate sustainability. The events will take place in a hybrid format on the 13th and 14th of October 2021 and will be dedicated to the role companies have in achieving the SDG’s

On the 13th and 14th of October 2021, Sofia will become a focal point for responsible business during the forum MAKING GLOBAL GOALS LOCAL BUSINESS. The Bulgarian Network and the member-companies will meet with representatives from the global initiative from New York to showcase the power of business to be a force for good in a national and international scale. The public event will unite leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, sustainable development experts, partners and other stakeholders from the region. The main topics will be the actions that can be taken to accelerate the progress towards achieving the SDG’s and the 10 principles of the UNGC. The event will be held with the special participation of Sanda Ojiambo, Executive Director of the UNGC, Dan Thomas, Chief “Communications and Strategic Events” at UNGC and Ognian Trajanov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Network.  
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Responsible Business Leaders can help solve societal problems

„The responsible business has a grant task ahead of it currently, given that peoples trust in it is very high, over 80% of individuals expect it to solve problems, while the state is in the background. Businesses are burdened with the expectation to respond to any problems and look for opportunities. It has a strong side to it, namely that it is inherent to seek solutions to problems, to innovate, do try, to find creative solutions to a variety of situations and after that to offer them to people.“, sajr Darina Georgieva, executive director of Local Network Bulgaria. „So the role of the leaders in the UN Global Compact Network Bulgaria, from what we observe in our daily work is to think in the long run, to think about their employees, to think and work with care for the environment in which they operate. as there are many companies in the chemical industry, mining, energy, telecommunications and they cannot work in the isolation in their “cube” alone. They are connected to their employees, their customers and the environment and their role is to think in all directions and to implement this responsible in their strategies and way of work, with thought for all these groups.“, she added.

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The Bulgarian Arctic Expedition Team, top influencers and professionals, essential for all of us, in a discussion for future professions during the virtual “Festival of Professions” 2020

“The Festival of Professions” 2020 will bring together in a virtual studio leading names from various professional fields for conversations and discussions about the future of their professions and the paths, which they reveal. The Festival, organized by the UN Global Compact Local Network Bulgaria, was held on November 28 (Saturday) 2020, from 10:00 to 17:00, with live streaming on YouTube and Facebook channels of the Network. The sixth edition of the initiative will be released as an online conference, led by journalists from TeenStation and will include live participants in the program. The festival is intended for children and young people in the age group 9-16, parents and teachers.

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3000 online meetings with professionals during the virtual edition of “Proud of my Parents’ work” 2020

The virtual edition of “Proud of my Parents’ work” attracted over 3000 views. 5 companies from different economic sectors responded to the challenge of conducting the event online, from the industrial sector and the service sector: mining and energy industry, financial, logistics and IT services, Assarel-Medet, Aurubis, DZI, ContourGlobal Maritsa Iztok 3, UBB, Overgas, Postbank, TechnoLogica and Transpress “opened their doors” for a virtual walk with the kids and an online introduction with the occupations of their parents.

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