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.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
AfricaSan 2008 Conference Receives Videomessage Welcome from The Prince of Orange
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Princess Máxima Addresses VI National Conference in Moscow
As a member of the United Nations Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands attended the VI National Conference “Microfinance in Russia: Building an All-Inclusive Financial System” in Moscow yesterday. The conference encompassed the goal to “promote the role of microfinance in improving access to financial services in Russia, fostering better standards of living and regional development through consolidating the efforts of all market participants and facilitating their dialogue with government.”
Some highlights from her address are below:
"Ladies and gentlemen, as an economist and former banker myself, I am convinced that a sound financial sector is an essential part of the development process. By now, research has convincingly shown that financial development and improving access to finance not only accelerates economic growth, but also reduces poverty and income inequality."
"Access to a wide variety of financial services and products, such as loans, savings, insurance products and remittances can be a powerful tool to generate income, build capital and protect people against risk. However, world financial systems are not inclusive today: well over two billion people do not have access to basic financial services."
Princess Máxima's entire speech from the VI National Conference in Moscow can be read here.
