CP Mary as Patron of the United Nations Population Fund: 2010 - 2023


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Ellenpaddy said:
i’ve been wondering since Indonesia is quite close to Australia, will princess Mary stop over to Aussie for couple of days before flying back to Denmark
Click to expand...

Nope. She has an official event in Copenhagen tomorrow, Thursday afternoon.
 
A BB video of Mary summing up the visit to Indonesia, what the deeper purpose of the trip was and possible outcome and discreetly referring to the problems there also are in regards to women's rights there. - She referred to the progressive drives within Indonesia in contrast to the conservative movements.
- That's very diplomatically put!

The man standing next to her is the Danish Minister for Development.

She also mentioned towards the very end that she looked forward to being Rigsforstander for the first this weekend.

- An interesting thing I have noticed often before with Mary and it is evident in this video as well.
When Mary is abroad and is speaking English most of the time, that leaves a very clear mark on her Danish pronunciation.
It doesn't effect her mastery of Danish or Danish grammar like it sometimes did beforehand, but you can clearly tell that she has been speaking (and listening to) a lot of English.

https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...-til-debut-som-rigsforstander-jeg-glaeder-mig
 
Summary of article in Billed Bladet #49, 2019.
By the esteemed Ulrik Ulriksen.

Covering the first day of Mary's visit to Indonesia.
Mary took off from Copenhagen pretty much at the same time the rest of the family went to see the premiere of the ballet where QMII was the scenographer.

The purpose of the visit was to put focus sexual and reproductive rights health and rights as patron for UNFPA.
As such Mary was accompanied by Minister of Development, Rasmus Prehn and executive director for UNFPA, Natalie Kanem, who Mary know well by now.

A couple of hours after touching down in Indonesia it was off to work. Mary attended a conference where she learned about the work local activists do in regards to women's right to decide when to have sex, with who, and when to become pregnant and also with whom. Not to mention equal opportunities to live a healthy live - that is by no means a given thing!
But also sexual minorities were on the agenda. In connection with World AIDS Day Mary met a number of young activists who advocated safe sex. One of those Mary met knew first hand what he was talking about: He contracted AIDS by being a male prostitute. Mary commended him for his work.

Mary started about by attending an event focusing on healthy diet and lifestyle - with focus on Danish dairy products. (No need not to help the export while there, eh. :D)
After the usual speeches it was time for a photo session and here little Dodam, aged one year and three months ended up on Mary's arm. Where he took all the commotion in good spirits. The Minister for Development ended up with a little girl on his arm, who looked a little puzzled - and who can blame her...
The children, albeit appropriately cute, weren't just scooped off the street, their mother were present at the event as well.

The first day ended at the Danish embassy where Mary and her minister were treated to local delicacies as well as wine from Tasmania.

The temperature there was a humid 30+ degrees! And the article does manage to interject that the members of the press were pretty wasted!

But see for yourselves here: https://app.box.com/s/ma8d6wjb3p1nc6aglprfmbl8upntj5bd
 
Muhler said:
A BB video of Mary summing up the visit to Indonesia, what the deeper purpose of the trip was and possible outcome and discreetly referring to the problems there also are in regards to women's rights there. - She referred to the progressive drives within Indonesia in contrast to the conservative movements.
- That's very diplomatically put!

The man standing next to her is the Danish Minister for Development.

She also mentioned towards the very end that she looked forward to being Rigsforstander for the first this weekend.

- An interesting thing I have noticed often before with Mary and it is evident in this video as well.
When Mary is abroad and is speaking English most of the time, that leaves a very clear mark on her Danish pronunciation.
It doesn't effect her mastery of Danish or Danish grammar like it sometimes did beforehand, but you can clearly tell that she has been speaking (and listening to) a lot of English.

https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongeli...-til-debut-som-rigsforstander-jeg-glaeder-mig
Click to expand...

Being immersed in another language always effects language production; when I am in France I think in French! Bravo Crown Princess Mary for her language skills.:flowers:
 
Here we go then. ?

This is probably Mary's most "political" engagement so far. There has been a number of comments in regards to this for the DRF pretty hot and politically-loaded subject: Gender equality and women's rights in other countries and other cultures. There is some agreement among the comments that it is a big pad on the shoulder for Mary by the Danish politicians, that they let her be the front-figure in a topic that enjoy wide support across the political spectrum. But also that she is genuinely walking a very narrow path, where she can easily make mistakes or cause controversy.
The politicians wouldn't allow her to go on such political trips and actually say something, if they didn't have confidence in her abilities to handle it well.
At the same time this is clearly a topic that Mary is deeply committed to.
- Apart from that, it gives her something deeply meaningful to do,rather than just cutting ribbons ad nauseam.

This docu starts by pointing out that Mary on this trip is facing political, religious and cultural obstacles.

Indonesia is pretty big as countries go! And what is not that often noticed: It's the largest Muslim country in the world.

2:30 - Upon arrival Mary is received by the very influential head of UNPF.
The purpose of the visit is to help women of Indonesia to gain the right to decide over their own bodies and when to get pregnant and have intercourse with and with whom. - All that in a country where the body and sex are taboo.

2:45 - Mary points out that there has been progress in that regard in Indonesia, but that there are strong forces pulling in the opposite direction. (I need not mention who, do I?)
It is also a problem educating young people to avoid unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases, because you can't talk about such subjects.

3:30 - Mary is talking at the International AIDS Day. More than half a million Indonesians have AIDS and each year more than 50.000 contract HIV. But it is still not a subject to be spoken about.

4:50 - The royal reporter and political analysts, from the Conservative newspaper Berlingske, explains what a difficult task Mary has embarked on. (He is always interesting to listen to.)
While Mary enjoys a full public and political backing in Denmark on this matter, that is far from the case elsewhere in the world.
And that means Mary is moving into a hot landing zone, so to speak!

800 women die daily in connection with giving birth or complications during their pregnancy.
Each day 33.000 girls under the age of eighteen are married.
More then 230 million women do not have access to modern prevention. - (And as such must resort to all sorts of ad hoc means. One of the more remarkable I have heard about is pouring Coca Cola into the vagina after intercourse!)

6:00 - Visiting a midwife-clinic in Jakarta.
There is a huge lack of midwives in Indonesia, with often fatal consequences form some women. In fact each hour two women in Indonesia die due to complications giving birth or during the pregnancy - or 48 a day.
Prevention is taboo and almost one in two women undergo female circumcision when they are very little.
A local midwife hope Mary's visit will help put focus on these issues.

7:00 - But why has Mary committed herself to women and girls rights?
It's a strong belief that if women and girls have equal opportunities we will get a better world. (Could not agree more!)
Basically it's about fairness. (for all).
It's not fair that a mother dies giving birth, when it can be prevented.
It's not fair that a girl is not given the chance to choose who she is to marry.

8:00 - Mary's development in taking on such heavy and very political issues, since she married Frederik.

12:00 - Mary has developed from a "fashion-princess" who had yet to find her footing, to finding heavy subject she is genuinely committed to today.

13:00 - Visiting a local cafe, where an experiment is taking place.
Here a mobile health clinic has been set up and here young people can seek advise about sex, health and prevention.
There are more than 2½ million unplanned pregnancies each year in Indonesia.
In many places prevention is only an option for married women, provided they have their husbands permission.

14:30 - The Minister for Development praise Mary and emphasize what difference it makes when a royal comes in to talk about such issues. As such there is a considerable interest in her. On top of that she is a very good diplomat.
A women tells about a local superstition. Women must wash their used tampons thoroughly otherwise they will be haunted by ghosts/evil spirits.

15:45 - Why is it so important to meet the ordinary people this is all about?
It's the personal stories that enable people to feel empathy and understand the situation some people are in.
To Mary understanding is the first step in starting an efficient effort.

17:00 - 25 years after the first genuine attempt on a global scale to improve women's rights, another attempt to restart the process took place at the international summit in Nairobi, where Mary where among the figures in front.

19:00 - It's no accident that UN use royals and celebs as front-figures. They simply get more attention.
But - being a celeb or a royal isn't enough in itself. It requires talent and a diplomatic touch.

20:30 - Have You become more skilled in Your work?
She has learned more. She has become better in handling the situations. She has much more her backpack, which she can pull out when meeting people.

20:45 - The largest Buddhist temple in the world.

21:00 - How long will she carry on doing this?
We MUST carry on. Because there is much work to do, before crossing the finishing line. We have come far, but there are still girls and women who don't enjoy human rights.
She is however very pleased with being at the stage where she is now and she is proud in helping in this field.

23:00 - Now she is meeting local religious leaders.
And here Mary's diplomatic skills are tested, because the religious leaders are very influential in regards to women's rights in Indonesia.
They start by witnessing a Muslim marriage.
As in other countries, religious leaders also serve as guiders for newly wedded couples.

24:00 - There are progressive powers who wish to improve women's rights, while at the same time there are religious and political powers who wish to go the other way. How does Mary navigate such water?
By having the human rights as the starting point. To establish a mutual dialogue based on mutual respect. But also trying to understand the opposite view, otherwise it is not possible to have a dialogue.

25:00 - The DRF members, also Mary, has to be careful about not becoming too political. Because by taking a political side, they divide. And as such lose their role as a rallying point.
Mary explains that she is often traveling with a minister and they each have a role. Mary is very conscious that she is not the one to address the political issues, that's for the minister.

Many men feel that prevention is emasculating it reduce their sense of manhood.

26:45 - When you meet people face to face and on the same level, it becomes possible to talk about sensitive subjects. Without turning it into a political issue.

27:40 - But those they meet on this visit are not a problem. They are the ones who are progressive. It's those who won't talk to the UN/DK delegation who is the problem, right?
True. But it makes so much more sense to be seen working with progressive elements. Simply in order to support them.

In 2020 Mary will have been working for UNPF for ten years, and there is no indication that this will stop, nor that her travels will be fewer.

-------------

That was a pretty good docu, eh?

And now a question for our Australian members. ?
Considering that Indonesia is a neighboring country, what is Australia's involvement in Indonesia in regards to human rights issues and development?
Or does the fact that the two countries are neighbors make it more difficult for Australia to influence things in Indonesia?
 
Many thanks for this fascinating commentary, Merry Christmas ?
 
Information on Mary's meeting tomorrow.
https://kongehuset.dk/nyheder/hkh-kronprinsessens-engagement-med-fns-verdensmaal

HRH The Crown Princess participates in and speaks at the conference "A Decade of Action - 10 years back", which is held by the 2030 network - the Folketing's cross-policy network for the UN's world goals, the Finance Committee's parliamentary working group for the world goals and the 2030 panel.*The conference aims to focus on what actions are needed to meet the UN's 17 world goals by 2030
 
Today, Crown Princess Mary attends and speaks at the international conference ”A Decade of Action – 10 years left” on UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
The parliament, Christiansborg Palace:

First pictures:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhdQ_3RWkAElTeE?format=jpg&name=large
https://billedbladet-prod.imgix.net...op=focalpoint&auto=format&ixlib=imgixjs-3.4.0
https://billedbladet-prod.imgix.net...op=focalpoint&auto=format&ixlib=imgixjs-3.4.0
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhdJr94WoAEMk8I?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhdLDOrWoAAaXLE?format=jpg&name=large
https://ibb.co/Vjfs8w6

Video of Mary speaking:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6Djy7...d&ig_mid=0E99DB98-8355-4D49-AF7F-3171D95B25A8

A video from BB with part of Mary's speech today.
https://www.billedbladet.dk/kongelige/danmark/mary-i-klar-tale-corona-har-aendret-alt

Mary is a good speaker, she is pleasant to listen to. It was a international conference, but Mary spoke in (a good and flawless) Danish, and then we know from Crown Prince Frederik that his wife writes her speeches herself.

Maybe we are lucky to get the whole speech on video or at least in text for those who don’t understand Danish.
 
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Perfection.....could she get any more wonderful?!
 
CP Mary writes a nice and personal post on Instagram about her event yesterday:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6-p6LAZ_b/

"Today I participated in the conference "A Decade of Action - 10 years left" at Christiansborg. The conference was attended by representatives from the Parliament, civil society, international organizations and the business community, and the focus was on the concrete solutions needed if we are to achieve the 17 world goals by 2030. It will require innovative solutions, creativity and partnership to a degree, we have not seen before. Among the many good speeches at the conference, there were a few quotes that stood out in all their simplicity.

Chairman of the 2030 panel Steen Hildebrandt: "You can not create big changes… without big changes."
A great way of saying that we must be willing to give up something in order to achieve the world's ambitions.
World Ambassador Signe Wulff Kelstrup: "Hope is not naive - hope is necessary."

I very much agree with that. Because even though the good development right now is under great pressure, giving up is not an option. "
 
ricarda said:
[URL="https://kongehuset.dk/nyheder/hkh-kronprinsessen-indtraeder-som-medlem-af-fns-befolkningsfond-unfpas-nyoprettede-uafhaengige]https://kongehuset.dk/nyheder/hkh-k...efolkningsfond-unfpas-nyoprettede-uafhaengige[/URL]
CP Mary becomes a member of UNFPA's newly formed independent ICPD25 high-level-commission.

The first (virtual) meeting to launch this commission is today at 2pm.
Click to expand...

Adding the English version

https://kongehuset.dk/en/news/hrh-t...igh-level-commission-on-the-nairobi-summit-on
 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFQA5VOA5Ft/?igshid=90xger6gr1km

Today, I participated in the first meeting of the independent ICPD High-Level Commission, which was established by UNFPA. It was a pleasure to meet 'virtually' my fellow members - some I already am acquainted with and others I look forward to getting to know. UNFPA has done a great job in bringing together a very diverse group of people, with varied backgrounds and expertise but, all with a common conviction. ⁣
⁣
I look forward to working together with this dynamic group to ensure the world's promise to ensure respect for the human rights of girls and women, including their sexual and reproductive rights , as well as ensure equal opportunities. Said in another way - ensure the basic right to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have the information, education and means to do so. A promise worth keeping...
 
:previous:

"So here is another photo of me in front of my computer ?"

Don’t know why, but I got a smile on my face while reading that phrase from Mary in her update from her virtual meeting today. Because it's very relatable! So many people sit at home behind their computers and work day after day in these lockdown times... and what else can you post: Other than another picture of yourself behind your computer.

Besides that, it's a important case. The pandemic hits everywhere, but it hits extra hard at already very vulnerable people/places. One can fear that all the work for girls' and women's rights has gone a step back during this pandemic.
 
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For whatever reason Mary reminds me very much about Queen Silvia in these photos. Perhaps the angle?

Anyway, it is a serious subject. Because women's rights and women's right to self determination in regards to their own body and indeed life, has been rolled back during this pandemic.
Partly because the subject has received much less attention, but also because the economic consequences of the pandemic will have forced families to dispense with considerations for their daughters.

And when the coalition leave Afghanistan later this year, women's rights there will gradually and then suddenly, be reduced to next to nothing.
 
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