UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said she does not intend to run in the forthcoming presidential elections, noting that her efforts are now focused on applying for the post of UN Secretary-General. Irina Bokova was awarded the honorary title "Doctor Honoris Causa" of the University of Economics in Varna. In a overcrowded university hall, the rector of the school Prof. Plamen Iliev said that Bokova received this award for her outstanding contribution and active work for the development of education, science and culture, multilateral diplomacy, intercultural dialogue and the preservation of the world and national cultural heritage.

In her speech, Bokova stressed on the importance of education and cultural dialogue in the contemporary world and added that one of the main objectives of UNESCO was to oppose the deliberate attempts at total ruin and cultural cleansing by the destruction of World Heritage Sites.