A bit off subject but here is a copy of the speech Princess Caroline gave at the ceremony for UNESCO
sorry it's not easy to read, it's translated from French
Speech of S. HAS. R. the Hanover Princess to the occasion of His nomination as an ambassador of Good Will of l’UNESCO Paris, December 2 2003
Misters the General Director, Excellences, Ladies, Sirs, dear friends, I thank you of all heart for this so warm welcome. Last L’an, lorsqu’il my proposed summer to become ambassador of good will and to rejoin prestigious so rows, I am myself all d’abord asked the question: why me? Because some looking at statistics I realized that I was part of the quarter of the adult women that escaped l’analphabétisme. Then, while studying the suggestions of missions that you thought to entrust me, I at length leaned myself on this one: “non definite Education and microcrédits for l’avenir of the girls and women in rural environment” And my response was: why not me? Being army of good will since not poorly d’années, so to the service of Foundation Princess Grace that of l’Amade, all two founded ones by my mother, and that work without relaxs in different domains for l’amélioration of the conditions d’existence of the children on the educational, cultural plan, morale and sanitary, an evidence s’est impose on me: All assistance to l’enfance, if she wants to be effective, depends necessarily,Help the woman, to the mother. C’est as a woman and privileged mother that I feel concerned and person in charge as for the taken charge of and the realization of this program.
there is a sentence of Joseph Conrad that can do us to smile, we other western women that saw our recognized rights and claim to be but that reflects in the remainder of the world an alarming truth: “Etre a woman is in terribly difficult reality: in fact, that consists essentially to have to deal with men”. Person does not put back in question the difference between a man and a woman; alone the positions creating controversial injustices. Because of the discriminations towards the women and the girls, these always remain deprived profit many major initiatives for the development. Consequently, their rates d’analphabétisme and unemployment very students, this that dune leaves, limit their timeliness and d’autre leaves, increases their dependance, particularly towards the men of their family. L’analphabétisme affects 860 million d’adultes of which close to the three quarters are women. This position does not represent uniquely an evident violation of the basic rights of the women and girls, she s’avère in addition extremely costly for the human development and the reduction of poverty. In fact, l’on knows that the decision strength of the women within their family increase according to their level d’éducation and their professional activity. Now, the latter factors have a certain influence on: - The reduction of the high rates of fertility to l’origine of surpopulation. - The reduction of pathologies running and mortality rate infantile. - A better information according at the disposal to take to save the children in the cases of endemic diseases or d’épidémies. The praiseworthy initiatives to educate and encourage the women to work while accepting definite employments raise nevertheless worries. The paid employments do not liberate necessarily the women of l’oppression within their family and do not give necessarily to the women checks it of their conditions, sometimes disastrous, of work. We can note an increase of the work load global of the women, especially the one of the poor women in the poor countries. But this are again the women essentially that carry the responsibility of the benefit of cares to the members of the family. They face a double loads: the one of the paid work and the one of the non paid cares benefit. The governments recognized that the non paid work, carried out by the women in the farms and the family, integrated businesses to market l’économie remains under evaluated. The family or community work paid no of the women is excluded by definition of the system of the national accounts because qu’il n’est not marketable. Therefore, pressures
s’exercent on the health of the poor women and on the one of their children; pressures s’exercent at the level of the scolarité of the girls that can be obliged d’abandonner l’école to replace their mother. But these pressures n’apparaissent not immediately in the calculations of the persons in charge of the political economical one. And l’on meet again some years later facing the same problems: déscolarisation or non-education of the girls and exploitation of the women. The exhausted women poorly placed to do voluntary work within the community NGO or to pass time to oversee the duties of their children and maintain reciprocity networks with their family and the neighbors that the economists call now “the social capital”. The programs of microcrédits became moon of the strategies keys in the fight against the poverty of the women. They target the women for cost reasons effectiveness and d’égalité, for the rates of reimbursements more students with the women. Would we be therefore not only more enduring, more workers, more liking but also more honest and more profitable! The projects of microfinancement succeeded increasing the level of the income of the women and the check of returned for them in a big party of the regions of the world. Nevertheless, the microfinancement all alone does not constitute a solution to reinforce the strength d’action of the divested women. It important qu’une put in value of the microfinancement does not create l’illusion that the divested women that about it profit have therefore less need of l’aide of the public services. It is equally important that the financial establishments macro more economical, more national and more international, work according to social criteria and not only according to financial criteria. The challenge that you propose me, Mister the General Director, fascinating east and I some am you recognizant. The objectives of the millennium for the development (OMD) and the objectives to reduce by half l’extrême poverty and the hunger as well as to realize legality of the sexes use guiding lines to the present project. Of the amount disturbing show us l’urgence dune such initiative, without wanting to enter into their detail. It is, I believe, basic to wonder: Qu’est-This qu’une woman when she n’est qu’une
slave and qu’elle is afraid? To what serves a mother if she cannot nourish, care for and protect his child? What becomes a granddaughter lorsqu’elle is sold by its parents? And at last, which sort d’homme will be the small boy that saw and lived all that? This are painful questions, but we here aujourd’hui united by the same will for qu’elles more never are not put, for I am convinced qu’éduquer a woman c’est to educate all a nation. S. has. R. the Hanover Princess President of the amade