"Overgaz" was re-elected to the National Council of the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact

At the report-election meeting of the Bulgarian Network, which was held on February 21, 2023 in Sofia Tech Park, members of the National and Control Council were elected, as well as the chairman of the association for the term 2023-2027.

Assarel-Medet, Overgaz, Sopharma and the BCause Foundation were re-elected as members of the National Council, and Aurubis, Solvay Sodi and Lidl Bulgaria are the new additions to the governing body. The members of the National Council have managerial, representative and leadership functions, and their commitments are related not only to the activities of the Network with the Global Compact in New York and CSR Europe, but also to the affirmation of sustainability as the only way of development and prosperity of business and society.

Members of the Control Board for the new mandate are "Investor Media Group", SU "St. Kliment Ohridski" and "Kaufland Bulgaria". Participation in the two councils of the organization is a matter of trust, honor and prestige.

Dimitar Tsotsorkov, chairman of the supervisory board of "Asarel-Medet", who was chosen as an SDG pioneer for Bulgaria and is among the 10 SDG Pioneers on a global scale, was unanimously elected chairman of the Bulgarian network.

He assumes the prestigious post after two landmark mandates of Ognyan Trayanov, owner and executive director of TechnoLogica. During his presidency, the Bulgarian network grew with new members, emblematic projects such as "I'm proud of my parents' work", "Bazaar of professions" and "Kindness games", which were recognized by dozens of companies.

In his speech, Svetoslav Ivanov, executive director of Overgaz Inc., emphasized the significant social role of the company:

"Our company deals with the distribution of natural gas. We actually replace the electricity that comes out of the Bulgarian sockets. Only 20% of the primary energy that is burned in the form of coal reaches these contacts. With all the remaining energy, the Bulgarian energy industry warms the air and emits carbon emissions. In fact, by replacing electricity with natural gas, we are reducing our carbon footprint. The little secret I would like to share is that I had the good fortune years ago to be the first bird to initiate the creation of the Global Compact Network in Bulgaria. It was an absolutely pioneering initiative, but we managed to convince enough followers, for which we are extremely satisfied. I won't dwell too long on all the projects related to reforestation, adopting hives, investing in young and gifted athletes and researchers, because the list is very long. We cannot fail to mention important projects such as the "Bulgarian School", which educates children from nursery to high school education. It's hard to be brief when talking about Overgaz, its operations and all its green, sustainable and community service initiatives."

Svetoslav Ivanov emphasized that the state abdicated its immanent functions such as health care, education, internal and external security, and therefore a new component has appeared in the activity of "Overgaz", namely - the aspiration to support the reduction of the state's participation in the economic life.

"Overgaz" has been among the creators of the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact since 2010 and has been involved in the management of the local network since then. The company respects and affirms the 10 principles of the Global Compact on human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption and encourages other companies to work responsibly towards society.

The UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative and includes over 16,000 members. The voluntary initiative of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan brings together business and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, cities and UN agencies in a truly global forum in support of sustainable growth and civic responsibility. The 10 principles of the UN Global Compact are aimed at implementing responsible business practices in the field of human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and the fight against corruption.

Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact, which functions as part of the Global Network and was officially announced on May 6, 2011 by H.E. Ban Ki-moon - Secretary General of the United Nations, is an association of companies, non-governmental organizations and educational institutions. The Bulgarian network is the most active organization in the country in the field of corporate responsibility and sustainable development.