www.coe.int/interculturalcities

A graduate of Political Science and Political Philosophy from the Universities of Sofia (BG) and York (UK), Irena has been working at the Council of Europe since 1994. Her carrier started at the Directorate of Youth and Sport where she developed and carried out a large research programme, through a transversal 3-year project on the future of democracy in Europe producing standards on e-governance and e-voting, party financing, internet literacy and an agenda for the future of democracy in Europe.

She then worked at the Private Office of the Secretary General where she was a policy advisor, and is now Head of Division at the Directorate of Democratic Governance, overseeing programmes on urban policies for intercultural integration and media and diversity.

Since 2013 she is also in charge of the organisation of the annual World Forum for Democracy organised by the Council of Europe on issues relating to democratic innovation, bringing together over 1500 decision-makers, activists, journalists and academics from all over the world.