New York –  Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden visited Bangladesh in her capacity as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from March 18 to March 21. It was the first official mission since her appointment as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador in October last year.

“This is my second visit to Bangladesh, but my first as a goodwill ambassador for UNDP. My hope is that our visit has further strengthened UNDP’s, Sweden’s and Bangladesh’s joint efforts in accelerating the work on the Sustainable Development Goals.”, said the Crown Princess in her speech at the reception on last day of the visit. 

During the four-day mission, the Crown Princess spent two days in southern Bangladesh, engaging with local communities and observing firsthand the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The Crown Princess witnessed the devastating effects of climate change and observed the climate adaptation initiatives fostered by UNDP, the Government of Bangladesh and development partners like Sweden. These efforts aim to strengthen resilience for coastal communities and people internally displaced by floods, cyclones and rising sea levels.

In Koyra, a small subdistrict in southwest Bangladesh, the Crown Princess inaugurated Bangladesh first Smart Posts Centre. The inauguration highlighted the impact of inclusive digital development for reducing poverty and providing essential public services to rural communities across the country. 

"Bangladesh has made remarkable strides in economic and human development in recent decades, achieving reductions in extreme poverty, strengthening women’s rights and making significant progress in climate adaptation, disaster risk management and inclusive digitalization. However, as one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change, Bangladesh still faces several development challenges,” said Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of External Relations and Advocacy at UNDP. Modéer accompanied the Crown Princess on her visit, along with Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell.

“The visit of our Goodwill Ambassador Crown Princess Victoria has served as a unique opportunity to highlight Bangladesh’s advancements and remaining challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It also underscores the importance of adopting a systemic approach to complex development challenges, such as climate change and the Rohingya crisis,” added Ulrika Modéer.

During the visit, the Crown Princess also visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Bhasan Char and Cox’s Bazar, which shelter over one million Rohingya refugees. There, the Crown Princess gained insight into the challenges faced by the refugees and learnt about the efforts by the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to meet their immediate needs while planning for the longer-term implications of the Rohingya crisis.

The delegation’s itinerary also included meetings with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, senior government officials, young students and entrepreneurs, business leaders and representatives from the UN system and international community. 

“Our cooperation with UNDP concerns climate efforts, poverty reduction and the empowerment of women and girls. During the visit we saw impressive examples of Bangladesh pioneering, smart adaptation and resilience building. We were also able to see firsthand how Swedish development assistance is making a difference for people in Bangladesh. We will continue to develop our cooperation to demonstrate the value of multilateralism in addressing our common global challenges and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals”, said Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell.

The Crown Princess was appointed UNDP Goodwill Ambassador in October 2023. As UNDP goodwill Ambassador, Crown Princess Victoria plays a key role in promoting awareness and action towards the Sustainable Development Goals, championing a sustainable future that leaves no one behind.

 For high-quality photos and broadcast-quality video from the visit, please click here or contact Md Abdul Quayyum (md.quayyum@undp.org), Head of Communications, UNDP Bangladesh.