#usa visit

[kate-royal-style-world]

A Royal Recycling (part 370)

ME+EM

[wills-kate]

love that y’all are refusing to post pictures of Them from the visit. Will and Kate were just on a fashionable stroll at Windsor 🥰

[andiatas]

H.R.H. Princess Madeleine's speech at the UN headquarters

Deputy Secretary General, Excellencies, Distinguished guests and colleagues, including those who are joining us online from different parts of the world

Curious, resilient, and brave – these are just a few of the qualities we must protect in every child. It is our responsibility to nurture these traits as they grow and to address the challenges that threaten them.

When my mother founded the World Childhood Foundation 25 years ago, we knew far less about child abuse. But we chose to learn, speak out, and act. My mother dreamt of a world where organisations such as Childhood would no longer be needed – a world where children are truly safe. Sadly, that day has not yet come.

In this fast-moving digital age, risks to children evolve rapidly. Without listening to and learning from children’s experiences and their strategies, we cannot close the gaps that leave them exposed to harm.

We have made progress, thanks to advocacy, collective efforts, and the unwavering dedication of survivors and youth themselves. Children must be active co-creators of the solutions, and we must stand with them – because we are all in this together.

But progress alone is not enough if children remain at risk. With the momentum from Bogotá, we now have a shared vision and roadmap to guide us forward. Governments have committed to ending violence against children, and this must lead to real change.

I wish I could say Childhood’s mission is complete. Instead, I ask you to join us – and others – in turning commitment into real action.

Let us move beyond hope toward concrete steps so that every child can grow up free from violence. We can only succeed if we act – together.

Thank you.

Speech held by H.R.H. Princess Madeleine at the United Nations headquarters, New York, USA, on Nov. 14, 2024.

[andiatas]

World Economic Forum: Prince William has been helping to clean up New York’s East River. Learn more about protecting oyster reefs by tapping the link in our bio.

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H.R.H. The Crown Princess' speech at Green Transition Summit

Honoruable Lieutenant Governor, Honoruable Mayor, Minister, Nobel laureates, Ladies and gentlemen,

My husband and I are delighted to once again visit the San Francisco Bay Area. During our days here we – and the entire Swedish delegation – have received a very warm Californian welcome.

This is our last day before heading back home to a wintery Sweden. And we are very happy to be able to spend the final hours of this official visit highlighting one very important and urgent topic: the green transition.

Some may wonder if meeting in a room like this is the best idea to accelerate change. Personally, I am convinced it is more important than ever. We live in a world with wars and conflicts on the rise. We live in a world with polarising messages. In challenging times like this we must meet eye to eye. Because let’s not forget that we all share the responsibility for the future. This is a mission that unites us all, wherever we are.

Working together to accelerate the green transition and move towards a sustainable and secure future is not only important – it is of the utmost necessity. It is the greatest challenge of our time.

Ladies and gentlemen,

During our days here we have once again seen firsthand that the United States and Sweden are world-leading innovators, and it is by embracing the opportunities we’re given that we will secure our future global competitiveness.

One topic that has been vividly discussed in different forums here during our visit, is artificial intelligence and how it affects the world and us.

AI has been dreamed about, researched, and worked upon by pioneers since the 50’s and it has been used in narrow fields and for specific tasks for a long time.

But what many find so fascinating about the era we are in right now is that - just like our biological intelligence - artificial intelligence is becoming more and more general.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen AI models start to understand and pass math exams and diagnose cancer. We’ve seen them generate text, write code, render images and speech. They are truly becoming more and more general, and the pace of progress only seems to increase.

We’ve seen AI solve some of science's most long-standing challenges – like predicting how proteins fold. It used to take a PhD student many years just to crystallize and figure out how a single protein would fold. This problem is now basically solved and can be done for any protein in seconds.

Similarly, another AI model has gone through millions of potential materials to predict hundreds of thousands of new stable materials that do not exist yet, saving an estimated 800 years of research for the same materials to be discovered in the normal way. These materials may result in humanity finding super conductors, more efficient batteries, solar cells etcetera hundreds of years earlier than we otherwise would have. This might help us greatly in our fight to save the planet.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Only 10 years ago, not even the most optimistic scientists could dream about this development.

Handled correctly, the new technology may bring us to a greater future in wide ranging areas.

At the same time, many are worried about AI’s fast development. And yes, there are difficult questions related to AI that we need to address.

Nonetheless, it has been very interesting to listen to the many reflections on AI during the last couple of days. What I take with me is that – used right and not handled carelessly – artificial intelligence may be of help in advancing the green transition.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Many of you represent companies and organisations that are leading the way in new technology development. Some of you are also leaders in areas that will be key for a sustainable transformation - such as power, transport, industrial production, and tech. Your role in the green shift is more important than ever.

Having listened to many of you during the last days, my impression is that companies are not primarily concerned about the green transition going too fast, but rather about it going too slow.

From a Swedish perspective there are many reasons to be proud. The extensive green industrialisation currently taking place in northern Sweden holds enormous potential in areas such as fossil-free steel and battery technologies. This rapid transformation is also happening in many other sectors.

I am also proud to see that we have many of our leading Swedish companies on stage and in the audience today. You represent sectors ranging from sustainable transport solutions, ICT, energy efficient industry, the power sector, and others. I know many of your companies have been instrumental in pushing the green transformation in Sweden and in the EU. I am convinced that you will also be great partners to California and the US in the green transformation here.

The challenges of climate change are global and require cooperation across borders. The discussions that are taking place today pave the way for an even deeper collaboration between US and Swedish companies.

I am pleased that Sweden and the United States, and Sweden and the State of California, continue to strengthen our partnerships. It is essential that our governments in close collaboration with business stakeholders, academia and civil society continue to promote green solutions.

I am certain that the new Swedish Consulate-General in San Francisco, that I had the honour to inaugurate earlier this week, will help facilitate the important partnership between our countries.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Finally, I want to thank you all for coming here today. I hope you will have fruitful discussions and exchange ideas on how we can accelerate the green transition and meet the challenges of today and tomorrow – together, for a greener future.

Thank you.

Speech held by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria in Palo Alto, USA, on Feb. 22, 2024.

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H.M. Queen Silvia's speech at "UN meeting on travel and tourism"

Your Royal Highness Your Excellencies Ladies and gentlemen

I am delighted to be here in a room of experts on child rights.

We need many advocates because we have a big and difficult task to tackle: To keep children safe in connection to travel and tourism.

So far, we have collectively failed. Child sexual abuse and exploitation flourishes because we fail to protect the children. I founded the World Childhood Foundation, almost 25 years ago, with the vision of ending child sexual abuse. We see progress, but so much work remains.

Global travel and tourism create great value; travel connects people, builds bridges between cultures, fuels trade and exchange. But sadly, travel and tourism also expose children to great risks and exploitation. Vulnerable children and families are exploited in the fight for survival. Weak protective systems and under-resourced law enforcement makes it too easy for offenders to commit crimes. Bystanders fail to take action, blinded by misperceptions of what abuse may look like, or accepting different norms in places and cultures far away from home. But child exploitation is unacceptable everywhere.

As travel increases again after the pandemic, we have an opportunity to set things right; to shape new patterns and behaviors that keep children safe. The travel sector reaches people in so many ways – from major online platforms to the remote street on the other side of the globe. This gives many opportunities to be the eyes and ears on the ground. And it carries an obligation to ensure child safe-guarding mechanisms. Online behavior is now a fully integrated part of travel. We sadly also see how online abuse is an integral part of the modus operandi of traveling offenders. The ICT sector needs to step-up and play a key role in the protection of children.

Collectively we need to do more. We need to agree on high standards and goals. And they need to be implemented to make real difference on the ground. Together, we need to make sure that what is discussed and agreed by the international community in rooms like this, at the United Nations and by powerful leaders, actually reach all the way to the individual child at risk. That is where it matters.

That is why I am especially delighted that today’s meeting connects the different parts, from global policy makers to local and national partners in Asia and Africa, some of whom I know well from close collaboration with my own organization Childhood.

I look forward to listening and learning from the different experiences, views, and perspectives and to constructive discussions of how to move forward together to keep children safe.

Thank you!

Speech held by H.M. Queen Silvia at the UN Headquarters in New York City on October 17, 2023.

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[andiatas]

HM The Queen's speech at World Childhood Foundation USA, 25th Anniversary Dinner

Consul General, friends of Childhood, Childhood Board Members, Princess Madeleine.

When I founded Childhood, the mission was clear: to give a voice to the most vulnerable in our society— children at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation. For far too long, their voices were ignored and society turned a blind eye. But we refused to stand by. We chose to listen, to act, and to lead.

The challenge was enormous. Child sexual abuse was a subject that many preferred to avoid, yet we understood then, as we do now, that silence only shields the perpetrators. So, we took action. With the unwavering support of our co-founders, who shared our vision of a world where every child enjoys a childhood free from sexual abuse and exploitation, we launched Childhood.

Together with partners and advocates of change, we have spent the past 25 years ensuring that no child’s cry for help goes unheard. In 1999, we were breaking new ground. At that time, few were willing to confront the horrors and consequences of child sexual abuse. Yet, since then, we have invested in over 2,000 projects across 21 countries, impacting the lives of millions of children and their families. And we continue to push boundaries, pioneering new solutions to better safeguard children.

I wish I had the time to share all our projects with you. Some of you in this room have been with us from the beginning, so you know them as well as I do.

Over the past 20 years, we have helped spread the Barnahus model—a safe space where children who have been victims of violence and sexual abuse receive child-friendly, trauma-sensitive support.

Our efforts have also played a crucial role in securing the Protected Listening Law, ensuring that abused children in Brazil are treated with care and dignity.

In the United States, our Out of the Shadows Index has been instrumental in identifying the areas where urgent action is needed to strengthen child protection responses. This index has become a powerful catalyst for change and a cornerstone of our advocacy work.

However, protecting children also means preventing abuse before it occurs. That is why we have invested in initiatives like Prevent It, an online therapy programme which reaches potential offenders and helps stop them from harming children. We know that abuse can be prevented, and we are proud to be leaders in the field of perpetration prevention.

At Childhood, we have always believed in the strength of partnerships. Through our shared commitment, we have pioneered groundbreaking solutions, from technology-driven interventions to research that reveals the most effective ways to protect children.

Still, our work is far from over. We cannot stop until every child is safe.

As we celebrate 25 years of progress this year, we renew our commitment to this fight. With courage and determination, we will continue driving change. Together, we will ensure that every child can grow up in a world free from child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Thank you.

Speech held by H.M. Queen Silvia at the Swedish Residence, New York, USA, on Sep. 26, 2024.