HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will visit Kenya 21 – 24 November on a joint royal visit, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme, the Government of Sweden and the Government of Norway.
The Crown Prince has served as a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador since 2003 and the Crown Princess is an Advocate Emerita for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During the visit, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will conduct a range of field visits and engage with young entrepreneurs, women’s groups, researchers, conservationists, Government representatives and the broader UN family with a focus on UNDP’s work ranging from plastic pollution, waste management, biodiversity conservation, economic empowerment, decentralized governance and democratic space.
The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will be accompanied by the UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy for UNDP, Ulrika Modéer, the UNDP Kenya Resident Representative, Anthony Ngororano, the Minister of International Development of Norway, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, the Minister of International Development of Sweden, Johan Forssell, the State Secretary for International Development in Sweden, Diana Janse as well as trade delegations from Sweden, Norway and Kenya.
The joint visit comes at a time when Kenya has just concluded peaceful elections, bringing hope in the region for democratic development. Kenya has made significant political and economic reforms over the past decade that have contributed to sustained economic growth, social development, and increased political stability.
Kenya is also at the forefront of innovative climate initiatives – including the world’s first blue carbon project – that involve biodiversity conservation while bringing socio-economic services to empowered communities.
Despite the growth prospects, the economy is heavily impacted by recent shocks, such as the ongoing drought, which is the worst in over 40 years, and impacts of climate change, the socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the energy and cost-of-living crisis induced by the war in Ukraine.
While poverty rate estimates reduced during 2021, 34.3% of the population are still living in extreme poverty with less than USD 1.9 per day, calling for continued strong engagement by the United Nations and the international community.
HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway was appointed a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador in 2003 and is specifically committed toward efforts to end global poverty.
The Crown Prince has taken several field visits on behalf of UNDP to experience firsthand the organization’s work around the world and plays a key role in raising awareness and mobilizing support for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a particular focus on ending poverty by 2030.
HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s commitment to environmental and climate-related issues led to the United Nation’s then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointing the Crown Princess as one of 17 Advocates during 2016-2019 for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The Crown Princess is now Advocate Emerita for the Global Goals, in which she continues to focus, in particular, on sustainability, the sea and fishing
