Glamourous Royals Rania and Máxima Descend upon New York

The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands were in New York this week to participate in various panels and meetings revolving around water, sanitation and finance. On Monday, Princess Máxima took part in a panel entitled “Microcredit, Microfinance, Inclusive Finance: Building on Success for Innovative Solutions for Poverty Eradication in Africa.” Below are some highlights from her speech before the panel.

“During the International Year of Microcredit, the United Nations asked me and 24 other distinguished colleagues from a variety of professional arenas including finance, academia, development, government and the regulatory community, to become a part of a new Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors.”

“Our task was to identify and define the key issues limiting access to financial services and advise the United Nations and its member states on strategies and concrete steps to remove these constraints – a task we gladly took on.”
“Inclusive finance” is so much more than microcredit. There are more than 2.1 billion “unbanked” people around the globe - people who do not have access to even the most basic types of financial services that we often take for granted: bank accounts, insurance, savings, mortgages, money transfers and – yes—credit.”

Meanwhile, her husband, Prince Willem-Alexander gave speeches before various panels such as the Round Table on Health and Education, High-Level Event. Below are some highlights from his round table address.

“As chairman of his advisory board on water and sanitation I feel privileged that the Secretary-General offered me the opportunity to speak at one of the Round Tables, especially as he also allowed me to choose which discussion I wished to address. This shows that he shares my concern about the water and sanitation crisis, suffered by more than 40% of the World’s population.”

“You might think I am in the wrong room right now and should be speaking at roundtable number 3 on Environmental Sustainability which is where MDG 7 target 3 would seem to belong with conventional wisdom prevailing. I prefer a more unconventional out of the box approach and chose this Round Table – on Health and Education – to speak about water and sanitation because you cannot achieve the MDG’s in these areas without improving water, sanitation and hygiene. The lack of access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation causes lasting negative effects on the health and development of human lives. Those effects will only increase if we do not intervene…”

“The sanitation target is linked to health and education in so many ways. MDG 4 for instance, reducing child mortality: it is estimated that the lack of access to sanitation causes at least a quarter of all child deaths in the developing world. MDG 5 speaks of improving maternal health: the World Health Organisation calculates the impact of the lack of safe drinking water and basic sanitation to be around 529,000 maternal deaths a year. And MDG 6 is aimed at combating diseases: WHO estimates that improving water, sanitation and hygiene has the potential to prevent at least nine per cent of the disease burden.”

“Besides these synergies with health, we can see an unmistakable relationship between education and the targets on water and sanitation. To achieve MDG 2, universal primary education: by meeting the water and sanitation targets, an estimated 272 million school days would be recovered which are currently missed by school children suffering the effects of waterborne or sanitation-related diseases and related problems.”

Whilst the Dutch royals were expounding on their areas of expertise, Queen Rania of Jordan was fulfilling engagements close to her heart. She attended various panels, meetings and award ceremonies such as the Class of 2015: Education For All pledging summit , the Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Awards, the Global Campaign for Education event, the UNDP World Business and Development Awards and In My Name: MDG Call to Action event.

On Tuesday, the queen received the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award at the Synergos University for a Night event. She was recognized for her endeavors in “education, health, youth, and the environment.” Rania was also praised for her core efforts in the areas of microfinance, family issues and cultural understanding.

For more information on Synergos, visit the official website.

Photos: ANP/Rene Clement, Petra

The Prince of Orange Speaks at Conference in the Philippines

In his capacity as Chairman of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, the Prince of Orange attended the 8th Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production conference in Cebu, Philippines on Thursday. In his speech, the prince presented the goals of the United Nations to improve water resources and sanitation conditions globally and said, “water is life. There is no substitute. To achieve sustainable development, water has to be at the forefront. Water has a pivotal role in socioeconomic development and food production. Sound and sustainable management of water resources may reduce the effects of climate change.”

“What is more, water and sanitation make the greatest contribution to improving health and comprehensively reducing poverty…UNSGAB has received many positive responses to our call for action. Governments and organisations recognise water and sanitation issues and show their commitment to dealing with them by placing them high on the political agenda. This is one of UNSGAB’s most important objectives.”

The entire speech by the Prince of Orange at the 8th Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production conference in Cebu, Philippines can be read here.

For more information on the Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production, visit the official website.

Photo: © APRSCP

The Prince of Orange Attends 10th Meeting of UNSGAB in Japan

The Prince of Orange, along with Honorary President Crown Prince Naruhito, attended the tenth meeting of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation in Japan today. As chairman of the UNSGAB, the Dutch prince presented the opening remarks and said: “We have taken big strides in raising public awareness about sanitation. Now we must find ways to ensure that this increases access to safe sanitation at grassroots level. For we have only a few years to halve the number of people without access to safe sanitation, something we, the people of the United Nations, have committed ourselves to achieving.”

Tomorrow afternoon, Prince Willem-Alexander will meet with African leaders and ministers to prepare for the upcoming TICAD IV (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), the G-8 and the African Union Summit in an effort to “help prioritize the critical issues for water and sanitation.”

The entire opening remarks by the Prince of Orange at the tenth meeting of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation in Tokyo, Japan can be read here.

Crown Prince Naruhito's entire address at the opening cermony of the tenth Meeting of the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation in Tokyo, Japan can be read here.

Photo: Maya Trotz

The Prince of Orange Lauds World Water Day 2008 in Geneva

As the Prince of Orange attended World Water Day 2008 in Geneva yesterday, he repeated his message of concern regarding the billions of people lacking adequate water and sanitation. Describing himself as a traveling minstrel without the singing skill, the prince said, “sometimes I feel like a travelling minstrel, singing the same song again and again. Luckily for you I decided not to become one. To my regret, I found out when I was very young that I don’t have a great voice.”

“So don’t worry, I’ll not be singing for you today.”

“But, ladies and gentlemen, I DO have the words and I DO feel the need to tell my story. Because repetition breeds recognition, and recognition is what we need to make people act. And that’s why we have to tell our story again and again. The story is not about me, it is about 2.6 billion poor and vulnerable people who lack adequate sanitation. It is on their behalf we have to get the world moving.”

“That is why we are here today in Geneva to celebrate World Water Day 2008. I hope it will not be long before I can change my tune and we can sing another, more cheerful song about sanitation.”

“World Water Day is a special day, because we are drawing the world’s attention to the problems of water and sanitation.”

The prince challenged the audience to stay focused on the goal to provide “sanitation for all” and said, “let us end this injustice and let us join forces, because ‘Sanitation for all’ also implies ‘All for sanitation’.”

“Improved sanitation is achievable. Let’s make it reality and than we can write a real sanitation song.”

“I promise that I won’t join in the singing .... But I definitely will keep supporting and motivating you all and the rest of the world to take action for sanitation. I hope we’ll soon be singing a happier song!”

The full text of Prince Willem-Alexander’s speech in Geneva in honour of World Water Day 2008 can be read here.

Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

AfricaSan 2008 Conference Receives Videomessage Welcome from The Prince of Orange

The Prince of Orange delivered the keynote address via videomessage to the delegates of AfricaSan 2008 Conference yesterday. The 2nd African conference on sanitation and hygiene is meeting in Durban, South Africa from February 18th to February 20th.

Below is some text from Prince Willem-Alexander’s videomessage welcome to the delegates of the AfricaSan 2008 Conference.

“WE’VE GOT IT!!!! We have a dedicated AU Water and Sanitation Summit involving the Heads of States and Government of this beautiful continent. It will take place in Egypt this July, at the next General Assembly of the African Union in Sharm el Sheikh. I would like to thank everybody who helped achieve that and as chair of UNSGAB, co-host of this conference, I would have loved to celebrate it with you in Durban.”

“In my days as a pilot for AMREF/Flying Doctors I learnt firsthand that medical NGO’s were longing to shift from expensive curative healthcare to an affordable preventive system and Sanitation just happens to be the best answer in the market.”

“This AfricaSan is a cornerstone meeting in the runup to the Summit. It provides a framework for identifying key political messages and designing roadmaps so that presidents, prime ministers and finance ministers can get Africa back on track to achieve the water and sanitation MDG. And, in its slipstream, six other MDGs aimed at eradicating poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating waterborne diseases.”

“Of course, all these MDGs cannot be achieved just by providing sustainable access to clean water and sanitation. But it is crucial to their achievement.”

The full text from the Prince of Orange’s videomessage welcome to the delegates of the AfricaSan 2008 Conference can be read here.

Prince of Orange Delivers Speech in Bogotá

On November 16th, the Prince of Orange delivered a speech at the 9th Meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation Inter-American Dialogue in Bogotá, Colombia. He advised shareholders of the Inter-American Development Bank and South American representatives to work toward the millennium development goals of the United Nations and said, “July 1, 2007 marked the half way point in our pursuit of the MDGs. Over seven and a half years have passed since 2000 when countries committed themselves to improving the lives of so many still in need. That means we have less than 7 and a half years to go. Our Board is dedicated to doing everything in our power to reach the water and sanitation targets. But, of course, we can only make progress if we work in concert with you.”

The Prince of Orange’s entire speech from the 9th Meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation Inter-American Dialogue in Bogotá, Colombia can be read here.

Shanghai Meeting for The Prince Of Orange

As chairman of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, the Prince of Orange has been engaged in numerous meetings regarding the organization of the International Year of Sanitation 2008.

In relation to the Hashimoto Action Plan, Prince Willem-Alexander continued his discourse on water and sanitation measures at the start of the Asian Dialogue at the Eighth Meeting of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and said: “Our sole raison d’être is to speed up work on the water and sanitation goals. The Hashimoto Action Plan, named in memory of my predecessor, Mr Ryutaro Hashimoto, guides us in our work. It’s our first report. And our last. It is concise – just twelve pages long, with no new mandates or proclamations. Instead, it concentrates on the targets the international community has already set itself, building on knowledge that is already out there. So our message is a simple one: no more new ideas or policies. Instead, let’s implement the ones we already have. The plan’s main function is to focus on the actions that need to be taken and to challenge the people that will be responsible for turning words into deeds – this means you.”

“So today’s Regional Dialogue on Asia and the Pacific is a critical step in achieving the goals of the Hashimoto Action Plan. The UNSGAB members strongly believe that a regional approach, uniting governments, the water sector, water users and financial institutions, presents the best prospect of success.”

The Prince of Orange’s entire speech from the Eighth Meeting of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation in Shanghai entitled The Power of Numbers can be read here.

Photo: UNSGAB Secretariat