Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is set to return home during an official visit that will take her, among other places, to her native Australia.
On Friday, 14 April, the Danish Royal Court announced that Crown Princess Mary would visit Vanuatu, Fiji and Australia at the end of the month accompanied by the Danish Minister of Development, Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jørgensen.
The visit will focus on the impacts of climate change on the Pacific region, one of the worst affected by climate change-induced natural disasters. Their first stop will be the island nation of Vanuatu, which is dealing with the consequences of two cyclones and two earthquakes.
During her visit, Crown Princess Mary will meet with staff members in crisis management areas and people involved in reconstruction efforts following natural disasters.
Another focus of the trip, still in the area of climate change, will be raising awareness of the plight of smaller nations, which are not among the big polluters but suffering the consequences of climate change disproportionately. This comes as Denmark seeks to advance its position as a candidate for the UN’s Security Council.
In Fiji, Crown Princess Mary will work on a relatively under-explored angle of the climate crisis: “How destruction and evacuations in the wake of climate change lead to an increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence, and how the health system works to protect women and girls in a vulnerable situation,” according to the Royal Court.
This work will be conducted in her role as patron of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which the Crown Princess has held since 2010. In Fiji, Her Royal Highness will meet with UNFPA Executive Director Natalie Kanem.
The trip’s last stop will be Sydney, Australia, where Crown Princess Mary will attend an event with representatives of Danish businesses working towards Australia’s green transition.
She will also visit a number of projects related to sustainable construction and transport led by Danish businesses.
The official visit will be between 23 and 28 April, with the stop in Vanuatu being scheduled for 23 and 24, Fiji between 25 and 27 and Sydney on 27 and 28 April.
