01 « December « 2008 « Royalty in the News

Norway’s Crown Princess Wins Award For HIV/AIDS Work

Crown Princess Mette-Marit won Norway’s Plussprisen prize for her efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. The prize – announced in connection with World AIDS day – was awarded by the Norwegian group HivNorway that was formed to safeguard the rights and interests of people infected and affected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

mette-marit The princess is a goodwill ambassador for the joint United Nations program, UNAIDS.

Mette-Marit shared the prize with Ragnhild Backstrom, who has worked to prevent discrimination against HIV-positive children.

The Crown Princess spent World AIDS Day in Oslo, meeting with children and telling them to be leaders of the future. The theme for Norway’s World AIDS Day was taking responsibility for one’s actions.

“We need national and global leaders to fulfill its commitment to ensure universal access to prevention, treatment and care,” the crown princess said, according to www.side2.no. mettemarit_hugging

“But today, 26 years after the virus was discovered, we must also secure leadership for the future. We need young people to follow up and intensify effort stop and reverse the spread of HIV. In my AIDS-related work, I meet remarkable young people who have energy, courage and endurance to address the sensitive question and put pressure on? those in power,” she added.

Mette-Marit, along with husband Crown Prince Haakon, has travelled to Canada and Nicaragua as UNAIDS ambassadors. Earlier this year, Mette-Marit went to Ukraine to meet with those living with HIV, but suffered a concussion and could not carry out the plans.

Some 3,000 people live with HIV in Norway.

The Plussprisen Award has been awarded since 1997 with Britain’s Sir Elton John a recipient in 1998.

Jordanian Royals Visit South Korea

King Abdullah, and two of his siblings, are visiting South Korea this week. The trip is meant to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries – in terms of culture, trade and economics. r4182757936

The Jordanian King arrived on Sunday, and was greeted by South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak. The two then moved on to the presidential residency in Seoul for talks.

One of the things the two leaders spoke about was Jordan’s infrastructure. The King explained plans to build nuclear power plants, a waterway linking the Red and Dead seas and desalination facilities and asked for South Korean companies to take part, Lee’s office said in a statement.

“In response, Lee promised to help South Korean firms take part in the Jordanian infrastructure projects,” it said.

Lee and Abdullah witnessed the signing of memorandums of understanding on closer cooperation in atomic power generation and waterway construction.

kingabdullahiijordanvisitssouthkorea1zqdehhjceil On Monday, the President and the King went to the National Cemetary to remember Korea’s war dead.

Later on, the two leaders made another agreement: to help Jordan with its prospective nuclear energy sector.

Jordan plans to build several nuclear power plants to raise the portion of nuclear power to 30 percent of its total power generation by 2040.

“The Jordanian government wished to cooperate with South Korea for the projects as have competitive skills in these areas,” KEPCO said in a statement.

South Korea has around 20 nuclear power plants that account for about half of the country’s power generation.

Traveling with King Abdullah is his brother Prince Feisal, and his half-sister Princess Raiyah. Queen Rania is not with the King for this tour.

Royals Speak Out at Doha’s Finance for Development Conference

The King of Morocco and the Crown Princess of Holland were among the speakers at the United Nations Conference “Finance for Development” in Doha, Qatar this weekend. Both had plenty to say about the state of the global economy and its impact on poor nations. maxima_doha

First off, Maxima, the Crown Princess of Holland. The former banker gave a speech on saving and micro credit.

“My fellow advisors and I are firmly convinced that inclusive finance is the fundamental platform from which individuals and nations can achieve equitable prosperity,” said Maxima, UN Advisor and Chair of the Advisor’s Group Advocacy Committee. “‘Financial Inclusion for All’ is a call to action that we must all embrace.”

Later, the Princess presented to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon a portfolio of the Group’s key messages for promoting access to basic financial services for the world’s poor.

The full text of the UNAG key messages, as well as additional resources and information about the UNAG and inclusive finance are available at www.UNadvisorsgroup.org.

The UNAG’s recommendations note the importance of cross-sector coordination in creating successful inclusive financial systems and extending access and the opportunity it provides to the world’s poorest people.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated, “I am grateful to the UN Advisors for leading the way. Your key messages to governments, regulators, development partners and the private sector provide a tangible framework for action. I am sure that many organizations and institutions would get involved if only they knew how. These messages provide a clear direction.”

On Sunday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco called on the international community to focus its action and attention on the poorest countries, “which cannot do without official development assistance” and work so that middle-income countries can continue to enjoy the support of donor countries and international financial institutions.

Regarding Morocco’s participation in the conference, the King said that it “reflects our firm commitment to carry on with the process initiated by the [Monterrey Consensus],” noting that “the aim is to tackle the major challenges facing developing nations in the area of development financing, mainly through targeted actions and initiatives which are commensurate with the scope and magnitude of the current challenges.”

Lalla Salma in Senegal For Conference on HIV & STIs

The Princess of Morocco arrived in Dakar for the 15th annual International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA). lalla-salma_senegal

Lalla Salma was welcomed by the first lady of the Senegal, Viviane Wade, several women members of the government and Senegalese parliament, the ambassador of the Morocco to Dakar, Mr. Moha Ouali Tagma and by members of the committee of organization of ICASA.

The Princess – who is the wife of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI – will attend the opening of this lecture, that gathers eminent scientists, Nobel Prize winners and researchers that will lean themselves during several days on the means of preventing and fighting against AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.

Princess Lalla Salma will equally participate in the meeting of the first ladies of Africa devoted to the response to HIV.

Africa, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, is ravaged by AIDS and HIV. It is estimated that there are 10 million children in Africa who have been orphaned by the disease.

Morocco, meanwhile, is estimated to have 19,000 people suffering from AIDS/HIV, according to UNICEF.

On the eve of the conference, Senegal’s chapter of Save the Children urged governments to keep fighting AIDS/HIV despite the global financial crisis.

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