The 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
23 February – 31 March 2026
Item 6: UPR Bulgaria
Joint Oral Statement by International-Lawyers Org and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)
Delivered by Lila Exhertier / GICJ
Mr. President, We welcome Bulgaria’s active engagement with the Universal Periodic Review and its cooperation with United Nations mechanisms. In particular, we note positively the legislative and institutional reforms undertaken in recent years, including amendments to the Criminal Code on torture and hate crimes, as well as changes to the Protection against Domestic Violence Act.
However, several important challenges remain.
The refusal from Bulgaria to ratify the Istanbul Convention, the concept of “gender” being incompatible with the Constitution, remains a concern. These constitutional and interpretative restrictions continue to limit measures criminalizing gender-based violence and promoting gender equality, as well as the prevention of the protection of victims and the implementation of international standards on violence against women and domestic violence.
International Lawyers and the Geneva International Centre for Justice are concerned that despite notable legislative progress, persistent discrimination and socio economic exclusion, particularly affecting Roma communities and other minorities, remain a serious issue.
We therefore encourage Bulgaria to reconsider its restrictive interpretative approach to gender to take steps towards overcoming constitutional obstacles that hinder the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and related reforms, and to intensify efforts to combat discrimination, hate speech and violence against Roma, women and other marginalized groups. We look forward to Bulgaria’s continued constructive engagement with the UPR process and to further concrete progress in the promotion and protection of human rights and gender equality for all.
Thank you.
