Haakon's UNDP visit to Guatemala
 

http://www.undp.org/

Norwegian page
http://www.undp.no/

Haakon's UNDP visit to Guatemala
 

From the 9th to the 11th Haakon will be visiting Guatemala with UNDP. Here is a thread for his visit.

a little article to remind us of Haakon's role as Global Ambassador for UNDP :

Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway
Bringing together youthful zeal and development passion

Becoming UNDP Goodwill Ambassador recently – one of the newest and youngest among these human development advocates – Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway combines youthful zeal with passion to close the gap between rich and poor worldwide. His specific concern – stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS, as set out in Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals.

"Frankness and openness about intimate and sometimes difficult issues is important if we want to succeed in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic," said Crown Prince Haakon on a visit to Cambodia in October 2004.
"Your courage is inspiring," he told youth leaders he met there. "Openness is important because it makes you understand. And what you understand you don't fear."

http://www.undp.org/goodwill/haakon.shtml

article from UNDP originally in spanish, here
here's the translated version :

Crown Prince of Norway, Haakon Magnus, visits Guatemala as Goodwill Ambassador of UNDP

In his capacity as Goodwill Ambassador of UNDP, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Norway, Haakon Magnus, initiates a visit of three days - 9,10 and 11 of May - to Guatemala.

During his stay, Prince Haakon will learn projects and programs that the Program of the United Nations for the Development, the UNDP, in support to the national efforts, develops in Guatemala directed to improve the human development in a multicultural society and to reduce the poverty, so and as it points the Objective of Development of the Millenium number 1: “To eradicate the extreme poverty and the hunger”.

According to 2002 data, 57% of the population of Guatemala live under the line of poverty and 21% under the line of extreme poverty. Between the indigenous population, these indicators rise respectively until 72% and 31%.

Prince Haakon will know projects, programs and processes that the PNUD in different scopes accompanies or executes:

- Peace, reconciliation, historical elucidation and processes of compensation. He will know the Program Dignificación and Psycho-social Asistencia the Victims of Enfrentamiento Armado (DIGAP), the Program of Participation of Sociedad Civil (PASOC), in his component of reconciliation, and the support of the PNUD to the National Program of Compensation, as well as to the process of analysis and digitalization of the historical archives of the National Police.

- National Report of Human Development. He will know, through an encounter with representatives of the civil society, the project of the National Report of Human Development, INDH, that initiated the elaboration and publication of information in 1998 like an incidence instrument. It will be centered, in addition, in the last INDH 2005 “ethnic-cultural Diversity. The citizenship in a Plural State”, that analyzes the entailment that in Guatemala has occurred historically between diversity and inequality.

- Aid of emergency and reconstruction post-Stan. The Lagoon will visit the municipality of San Marcos, in Sololá, to know the execution the Joint Program of Nations Together with in answer the tropical storm Stan, in support to the efforts of the Government. This program, among others, develops the components of temporary house, life means recovery, nourishing security and intensive manual labor.

- Citizen Participation. He will visit the Departmental Council of Development in Sololá to know in the land the Project Citizen Participation that executes the Secretariat of Planning and Programming of the Presidency (Segeplan) and the PNUD, to favor the fortification of the management capacities and agreement of the social authorities and sectors at departmental level.

- Decentralization and municipal planning. He will visit the Municipality of Chichicastenango, in which through project Promotional of Peace, executed by Volunteers of Nations Together with, VNU, technical attendance is offered the Office of Municipal Planning, accompanies to the Councils by Development municipal level and communitarian and one promotes the participation and social audit. This project executes in 30 municipalities the country.

- Local economic Development and earth. It will know projects local development economic that have received the support of the PNUD, as they are it the Chajulense Association and the Cooperative the Spring of Ixcán. In addition, one will approach the earth subject in Guatemala, and the support of the PNUD in this subject, through a meeting with Mariel Aguilar, Secretary of Agrarian Subjects.

In addition, Prince Haakon will meet with the Vice-president of the Republic, Dr Eduardo Stein in the National Palace, and will go deep in the vision of the human development in a multicultural society, by means of an encounter with Mayan leaders and spiritual guides, and a Mayan ceremony in Iximché, Chimaltenango.

Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (L) and Guatemala's Vice-President Eduardo Stein, wave at photographers at the National Palace of Culture in Guatemala City, 09 May 2006

from getty, polfoto and yahoo/ap

Norwegian prince will cross zones affected by war in Guatemala

Guatemala, 10 may (PL) In its second day from visit to Guatemala, the inheriting prince of Norway, Haakon Magnus, will today cross communities affected by the conflict armed and the passage of the storm Stan. Magnus, who is here like ambassador of Good Will of the Program of Nations United for the Development (the PNUD), will know some projects impelled by that organization in poor communities the western department Sololá.

http://www.prensalatina.com.mx/artic...C72D6E5726A%7D)

Less watermarked photo from Profimedia
Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (L) and Guatemala's Vice-President Eduardo Stein, wave at photographers at the National Palace of Culture in Guatemala City, 09 May 2006. During his three-day stay in this Central American country, Prince Haakon, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, will visit places in Guatemala's high plateau afftected by extreme poverty.
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/677...89410pr.th.jpg

1-3 : Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon visits Wednesday 10 March 2006 a school that has been rebuild after the tropical storm Stan in 2005, in Solola, around 170km west from Guatemala City, Guatemala. Prince Haakon is on a three-day visit to Guatemala as part of a United Nations programme. (ANP-EPA/Ulises Rodríguez)

4-5 : Norway's Prince Haakon laughs while talking to villagers in San Marcos de la Laguna, Guatemala May 10, 2006. The Prince, a Good Will Ambassador for the United Nations Developement Program, is in Guatemala to observe UNDP efforts to help communities affected by last year's Hurricane Stan which killed hundreds. (REUTERS/Daniel LeClair)

From VG

http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default...4841.46799.jpg

perhaps someone can give a brief translation of the following article : http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=304250

and from Polfoto
11-05-2006
Crown Prince Haakon, of Norway, speaks to journalists during a press conference in Iximche, 55 Km (35 miles) west of Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Thursday, May 11, 2006. Haakan is in Guatemala for a three-day official visit. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

The article posted by Jess says a small Maya girl sold some dolls to the Crown Prince, he did not bargain with her, he was followed by a string of UN representatives and bodyguards, several places they stopped to make some purchases, a man who sold him a bracelet decided to study the money to see it was not fake:p He also bought a bigger present that the press dont know what was but he was taking it home to Skaugum.


Today VG has an article saying Haakon has taken of the white "Make Powerty history" bracelet he has worn the last year, he said he still has it, and that he was given it by the UNDP boss in Tanzania. Fighting Powerty is one of the most important issues in the world today he says
http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=116273

I have to say I think it is sad how little attention this visit gets in the Norwegian press, I think maximum 3 press organs has sent someone on this trip, when Mette-Marit went to Geneva and Malawi almost all the press sent a representative, and when Haakon, the heir goes abroad, weather it be Guatemala or the last USA visit there is hardly anything

One more pic from VG

I'm very dissapointed as well with the coverage of this trip. It is as much important as Mette-Marit or any other royal trip. But, yes, probably with a princess travelling it would be much interesting for the press. But still, compared to how the Denmark RF dealing with their royals abroad visits coverage, the Norwegian RF has to learn a bit from them. At least when Alexandra goes on her UN visits, the DRF would sent one of the royal photographers to follow, and published some photos, or when Joachim was in Cambodia & Vietnam, there are still more photos of him there.

The Norwegian royal Court does not have a royal photographers, the situation with Alexandra is not relevant since Märtha and Mette-Marits visits are always covered well and then some, the problem is with the men. In this case Haakon, not one Norwegian press went with him in the trip to USA, which is a shame, since he is so much more capable than his wife, he is always friendly with the press and usually gives good answers. Its sort of the same with the King, his activites is hardly covered by the press, as soon as he brings his wife, there they are again...Should one judge the Kings work from pictures available one would think he hardly did anything. Its a pitty we dont have acces to the main Norwegian photo agencies Scanpix and Allover who usually cover most events.

The press has to pay for their trip themselves, and ofcourse they know that pictures of Haakon alone might not sell well enough to cover the expenses they have of sending people on such long trips. Im sure when they go to Thailand the whole crowd will be there again, the press are luxury animals as well, his trip to Japan and Expo was well covered;)

Two pictures:
kronprins haakon Guatemala | Scanpix

And an article with a picture:
Crown Prince Haakon to continue as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador « Norway.com