NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Princess Mabel of Orange Nassau attended the Women Deliver* Conference this week in Vancouver, Canada. The Conference, held every three years, unites world leaders, experts and activists to discuss issues surrounding gender equality and women’s rights. The theme of this year’s Conference was “Power. Progress. Change.”
“Let’s agree that less bad will never be good enough,” Crown Princess Mary said in a speech on Tuesday about equal rights among genders.
The release of the Equal Measures 2030 2019 Sustainable Development Goals Gender Index coincided with her speech. This Index tracks the state of gender equality in 95% of the world’s women and girls – 129 countries – and the findings are that 40% of them “live in countries failing on gender equality,” according to the Index’s website.
Crown Princess Mary said that “If you cannot see it, you cannot fix it. Data makes the invisible visible. You can’t close the gender gap without closing the data gap, and gaps in data make it difficult to monitor the progress of women and girls.”
Princess Mabel was lauded by the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, the first female Ethiopian president, for her work to end child marriage with the Girls Not Brides campaign.
“My presence here is a direct consequence of the reform agenda that has been implemented in Ethiopia,” said President Zewde.
“Forty per cent of Ethiopian girls are married before the age of 18. This is something terrible.” She continued that she was able to break free of this cycle but that if it’s going to change in her country, “the social norms must change at the base.”
Princess Mabel was active on Twitter throughout the week, tweeting and retweeting speeches and quotes, as well as facts as they were revealed by the speakers.
Women Deliver “champions gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women,” per its official website.
“Our advocacy drives investment – political and financial – in the lives of girls and women worldwide. We harness evidence and unite diverse voices to spark commitment to gender equality. And we get results. Anchored in sexual and reproductive health, we advocate for the rights of girls and women across every aspect of their lives. We know that investing in girls and women will deliver progress for all.”
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* Women Deliver is well-known for hosting global conferences that bring together people from across a multitude of sectors, issues, and cultures. Held every three years, Women Deliver conferences are fueling stations where organizations and individuals leave re-energized, knowledgeable, connected, and challenged to think outside the box.
More details on the Women Deliver 2019 Conference can be found at WD2019.org
Photo: Den Danske Ambassade