For the weekend, Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit took part in a few Vienna events aimed at combating AIDS. On Saturday, she attended both a UNAIDS meeting and the Life Ball, Europe’s largest AIDS fundraiser. Sunday, she was at the opening of the 18th conference concerning the disease.
REUTERS/Herwig Prammer
As special envoy for UNAIDS, it made sense for Mette-Marit to be at these functions. She is also promoting youth leadership in the fight against AIDS.
At a meeting Saturday afternoon led by UNAIDS leader Michel Sidibé, Mette-Marit was with 40 young and more established leaders. Among the topics brought up were two initiatives she was been campaigning for: a fund that provides financial support for youth led projects and a mentoring scheme between young and established leaders in AIDS work.
The Crown Princess has been a strong advocate and initiator to ensure that both initiatives have become a reality. An advisory body for young HIV-infected people is another project.
“It is important that young people lead the fight because 40 percent of those newly infected is between 15 and 24 years. It is important that young officers get the space they need to lead the fight against AIDS. They also need visibility and of course money to projects that are youth led. This is important because it is young people who live in the heart of this disease,” said Crown Princess Mette-Marit to NRK.
“The biggest challenges in AIDS work today is that there is so much competition for attention in relation to that many other important issues in the world,” she added. “It is also important now to get enough people to treatment. It is important tool to prevent new infections.”
AP Photo/Ronald Zak
When evening came, Mette-Marit had two events to go to. The first was a dinner regarding Sunday’s conference at the Austrian National Assembly, hosted by Parliament President Barbara Barges. Speakers included actress Whoopi Goldberg and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Then the Crown Princess glamed up for the Life Ball, where she was guest of honor. The fundraising event focused on the TREAT Asia (Therapeutics Research, Education, and AIDS Training in Asia) project.. The ball collected money from 25,000 donations around the world.
The next day, Mette-Marit was at the opening of the Youth Pavillion of the World AIDS conference. About 25,000 people – from scientists to youth leaders – are expected there.
Mette-Marit is expected to remain in Vienna until Monday.
The Crown Princess was appointed special representative for UNAIDS in 2006. That same year she participated at the international AIDS conference in Toronto.
Sources: NTB, AFP, NRK,
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