NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary has presented the Teaching Award, honouring seven Danish teachers for their services to education and their roles in inspiring their students. The presentation was made on September 30th at Denmark’s Ministry of Education and Research in Copenhagen.
“The seven award recipients have in various ways managed to renew and challenge traditional teaching methods – both when it comes to involving students, giving feedback and creating a good study environment for learning,” said Ane Halsboe- Jørgensen in a press release on the Ministry of Education’s website.
“It is important to have teachers who engage the students and pique their curiosity so that the students get even more desire for study and get even more out of it. I am sure that the award recipients will be a great inspiration for other teachers.”
According to the Royal House, the Teaching Award was created this year to honour teachers who have created “increased awareness of the teaching role in the country’s higher education and to inspire excellent teaching.” The Award was created by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Each teacher receives 500,000 Danish kroner; 200,000 of that is a personal reward while the remainder is meant to fund “activities that can help to create good and engaging teaching at the education establishment. In this way, the Teaching Award helps to focus on how important it is to have good teachers.”
Halsboe-Jørgensen said, “There must be more prestige in being a good teacher. Our skilled teachers in higher education deserve greater recognition. In fact, excellent teaching should have the same high status as excellent research in higher education.”
The seven teachers who received their awards from Crown Princess Mary are Claus Brabrand, Knud Erik Christensen, Per Hessellund, Luise Theil Kuhn, Thomas William Lee, Vibeke Røn Noer, and Per Reeslev.
Later in the day, Crown Princess Mary attended the Danish Rainbow Awards in Copenhagen.
NordenBladet – Prince Joachim of Denmark has been promoted to the military rank of Brigadier General. The event happened in a small ceremony in the Royal Danish Embassy in Paris on September 21st 2020. It was Ambassador Michael Starbæk Christensen who presented the Prince with the document confirming his new military rank.
Prince Joachim has received a permanent degree of Brigadier General, and as defence attaché, he will report to the Danish Ministry of Defence. The ambassador in Paris is still the daily commander of the Royal Defence Attaché.
Since September 2019, Prince Joachim has followed the highest-ranking military leadership training in France at the French École Militaire following on from a long career in the Danish defence. The prince began his military training in 1987 as a recruit in the Queen’s Regiment. Since then he has been a Platoon Commander in a tank squadron at the Prince’s Life Regiment, Lieutenant of the Reserve Regiments and Captain of the Reserve Regiments. In April 2015, Prince Joachim was appointed Colonel of the Danish Reserve Army.
After a difficult summer Prince Joachim, the younger son of Queen Margrethe, began his first working day as defence attaché at the Danish embassy in Paris on September 18th. The first day in the office on Friday went well. Because the Prince receives a grant from the Danish government, he will not receive a salary in his new position or be covered for housing or similar expenses, which would otherwise come with the position.
“The appointment of Prince Joachim will strengthen cooperation in the area of security policy between France and Denmark, and the position is for three years”, said the Danish Minister of Defence when the prince was announced as new Defence attaché.
Brigadier General is the lowest ranking general officer sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. Denmark, a NATO member, has for many years been following NATO standards and adapting its rank system to closely relate. As in the armies of most other NATO nations, Brigadier General is the lowest of the general ranks, usually a brigade commander.
Featured image: Prince Joachim of Denmark (Alex Berger/CC/Flickr)
NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary has joined a special high-level commission within the United Nations Population Fund to help the agency follow up on its goals from last year’s 25th-anniversary summit.
The Danish Royal House announced the news on its website Thursday, saying that Crown Princess Mary was happy to join the commission and build upon its work at the Nairobi Summit from last year, which marked the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development.
The ICPD25 Commission will focus on the UN’s Population Fund to highlight the three zeros: “Zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal mortality and zero sexual and gender-based violence,” according to the Royal House.
“Since 2010 The Crown Princess has been patron of the UNFPA and has throughout many years been a passionate advocate in the fight for gender equality and the advancement of women and girls’ rights,” the Royal House said. “The Crown Princess has also served as a member of the High-Level Task Force on ICPD.”
The ICPD25 Commission met for the first time on Thursday, holding a digital meeting with its members. The commission will be co-chaired by Jakaya Kikwete, the former President of Tanzania, and Michaëlle Jean, the former Governor-General of Canada. Other members of the commission include global representatives from academia, research, civil societies, human rights activists, private sector, parliamentarians, and youth leaders, according to the Royal House.
Crown Princess Mary attended the Nairobi Summit in Kenya last November where she spoke about building on the progress at the first International Conference on Population and Development.
“The desired outcome of ICPD was to give choice to the individual – and – choice can be very powerful. This milestone has fundamentally shaped the lives of women, men and families, and the societies in which they live. It has contributed to reducing poverty and hunger and improving education and health, globally. More girls today are attending and completing school, fewer are getting married or becoming mothers while still children, and more are gaining the skills they need to excel in the future world of work,” Crown Princess Mary said at the Nairobi Summit.
“So, in reality the ICPD Program of Action was not just a win for the individual and for families, it was in fact a precious gift to the entire world, a gift that would keep on giving.”
The Royal House noted that Crown Princess Mary’s participation will focus on continuing to be an “advocate for gender equality and support efforts that ensure a world where women and girls have equal rights and equal opportunities, to the benefit of all.”
NordenBladet – Young entrepreneurs from across Europe were honoured by Crown Prince Frederik at a lunch in Copenhagen on Monday when he met the winners of the Danish Championships and European Championships 2020 in Entrepreneurship.
The event, which took place at Industriens Hus in Copenhagen, welcomed top teams of student entrepreneurs along with judges and business partners. The team “Bubbles” from Herning, who won both the Danish and European Championships in Entrepreneurship, presented their technological system to help students with ADHD.
“Every year, thousands of students from youth educations across the country participate in the teaching program Company Program, which the Foundation for Entrepreneurship is behind,” according to the Danish Royal House. “Here, students learn, among other things, to translate ideas into practice, market research and business start-up. The most innovative student companies qualify for the Danish Championships in Entrepreneurship.”
Frederik was received at the event by CEO of DI Lars Sandahl Sørensen, CEO of the Foundation for Entrepreneurship Christian Vintergaard, and Chairman of the Board of Representatives of the Foundation for Entrepreneurship André Rogaczewski. After lunch, team Bubbles delivered their award-winning presentation to the Crown Prince.
After winning the Danish Championship in Entrepreneurship, team Bubbles represented Denmark at the European Championships in Entrepreneurship where they competed against 39 other teams. Team Bubbles was then named European Champion for their innovative technological solution for classrooms.
The product, called MotherBubble, allows children with ADHD or ADD to concentrate and follow lessons more easily by connecting “teacher and student in a noise-free communication channel, where sound-insulating headphones eliminate the noise around the student and only shut the teacher’s voice through.”
Crown Prince Frederik learned more about the system, which gives children the opportunity to concentrate better through the sound-insulating headphones while the teacher wears a microphone. MotherBubble eliminates outside distractions for children who have difficulty focusing and get distracted easily, allowing them to focus on the lesson at hand.
In addition to Bubbles, Frederik also met students from the teams Cemima, Ergonomic Comfort, Leathery, Pack Me Up and Get Up.
Featured image: Crown Prince Frederik (Mogens Engelund – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38905130)
NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary spoke at Monday’s opening of the 70th World Health Organisation Regional Committee for Europe’s session, where she discussed how COVID-19 has affected the world.
Meeting virtually due to lockdowns and restrictions, Crown Princess Mary’s remarks were delivered via video link. She told guests that COVID-19 has proven to be “a tough teacher, testing us when we didn’t expect it and making us pay for our missteps.”
She continued, “I am sure that you, as I, have experienced uncertainty, worry and sadness in recent months, as we try to find meaning in rapidly changing events, as we are unable to follow the familiar patterns of daily life, and as we are prevented from spending time with friends and loved ones.”
Crown Princess Mary also spoke of her regard for health care workers, and the spotlight they have found themselves in since the pandemic began. “[T]here can be no health care without the health workforce. Health workers are the backbone of our health services. These brave individuals have put themselves in danger to serve their fellow citizens,” she said.
“They have worked around the clock to respond to the pandemic and to keep other essential health and care services operating. They have and have earned, even more so our deepest gratitude and respect, and they deserve our unwavering support.”
And speaking of the collective response to the pandemic, Crown Princess Mary noted: “For many, the psychological, emotional, social and economic costs of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. The pandemic has made even more clear the health inequities and areas of weakness that exist in our Region. But – while we have certainly been tested and taught these past months, we have also had the opportunity to learn a great deal collectively.”
Of the work of nurses and midwives—this year being designated the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife—Crown Princess Mary said that they had been “taking on increasingly advanced and specialized roles, leading teams, conducting research, influencing and implementing policy, and educating the next generation. Through the COVID-19 emergency and beyond, we must invest in them, and support them to reach their full potential.”
Finally, speaking of her own areas of interest within the healthcare field, Crown Princess Mary spoke about maternal health and immunisations, especially the need for special care once a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes widely available.
Crown Princess Mary then ended her speech, saying:
“As this group gathers virtually to map the way forward, I hope that we all have the humility to be taught and the openness to learn – from what we have experienced individually and collectively during this pandemic, and from each other. The path ahead may seem daunting. The challenges we face are, indeed, great.
“But I have faith in the dedication and bravery of our health workers, and in the commitment and creativity of our health leaders and decision-makers – in all of you. I look forward with great anticipation to coming together at the next Regional Committee – hopefully in person – and to listening, learning and finding inspiration from each other.
“Working together to make the world a safer and healthier place for everyone is the most fitting of legacies to honour those we have lost as a result of this virus, and an invaluable gift to the children of the future.”
The 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe wraps up on today.
NordenBladet – An ice sheet measuring an area nearly double the size of Manhattan has detached from the Arctic’s largest remaining glacier, according to the Danish and Greenland Geological Survey.
The Spalte Glacier, recording at 113 km2 area, has detached from the Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier in what appears to be “progressive disintegration” of the ice sheet, according to scientists.
The ice shelf has lost 160 km2 since records began in 1999 with significant losses over the past two summers.
The atmosphere has warmed 3 degrees on average since 1980 and the region has experienced record-breaking warming these past two summers.
“We have seen a glacier that was normally locked in ice age conditions is starting to wake up and it’s of great concern because this particular ice shelf, the largest remaining in the Arctic, is connected to the largest drainage system of the Greenland ice sheet,” Prof. Jason Box, ice climatologist, told Euronews.
NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary spoke at Wednesday’s ‘A Decade Back – 10 Years of Action’ conference, discussing how to achieve a series of world goals as set out by the United Nations.
Speaking from Christiansborg, Crown Princess Mary joined in with experts assembled by the 2030 Network—a group organised by the Folketing, the Danish Finance Committee’s parliamentary working group and the 2030 Panel—to discuss how best to utilise the next decade in order to achieve the 17 world goals created by the UN’s Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In her speech, Crown Princess Mary noted the work that Denmark and the world have done to advance the goals but said that greater work that still needs to be done and that progress and development has been slow.
“Five years ago, we were all thrilled that the world agreed to adopt the world goals. We had been given a promising plan. It was not a plan aimed at developing countries like the MDGs. No, it was a plan that applies to everyone. And there was agreement on the 169 action-oriented sub-goals,” Crown Princess Mary said in her speech.
“The world goals are ‘a plan of action’. In my speeches at the time, I referred to the plan as ‘the most ambitious global vision in history’. Expectations were high. And by setting a time frame of 15 years, the world gave itself a trailing edge, and with it a necessary time pressure.
“And a lot has happened in five years, and there has been good progress in several areas. But in relation to some goals, the development is slow and in some cases, there have even been setbacks. And it is clear to everyone that development is not going fast enough.”
Crown Princess Mary continued, talking about how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted development on these goals: “According to the UN’s Sustainable Development Report 2020, the pandemic has slowed down development in many areas, and in a number of areas even decades. And the pandemic has hit the world’s poorest and most vulnerable the hardest. For example. the pandemic is projected to push 71 million people back to extreme poverty, marking the first increase in global poverty since 1998.
“One of the advances I have otherwise been so happy to see is in relation to the fact that more children have gained access to schools and more young people to education. That progress has also contributed to, among other things, reducing child marriages, and the positive development is now threatened by COVID19 – which has kept 90% of all school children out of school due to school closures. COVID19 – you could say – has made the need for a common plan even greater.”
Crown Princess Mary then spoke about Denmark’s achievements in advancing progress: “Today’s conference is about how we can best spend the next 10 years. It is about common solutions. And it is about the concrete action and the investments that are needed. And about what we can do in Denmark.
“Because the numbers look different for Denmark. And right now, Denmark is considered one of the countries closest to meeting the world’s goals – perhaps even the country closest to it, because we have a strong society that over generations has reached where we are today.
“With that comes a responsibility. The eyes of the world rest on us. And we must take that responsibility and use the Danish platform to inspire, motivate and help others reach out for the world goals. And then we have to work with the areas where we also continue to have challenges.”
The Royal House noted: “For the past five years, the Crown Princess has been deeply involved in the work for the dissemination and achievement of world goals – both in Denmark and abroad. In particular, Her Royal Highness has focused on world goal 5 on gender equality, and as patron of the UN Population Fund, UNFPA, the Crown Princess has followed and taken part in the fund’s work closely.”
Crown Princess Mary ended her speech reminding attendees that it is okay to make mistakes to advance progress and how COVID-19 has shown the world that adaptability and drive can push us forward.
“When you embark on a project worldwide such as achieving the 2030 goals, you make mistakes. But our mistakes are important if we learn from them and tell about them,” she said.
“In recent months, we have seen how Covid-19 has shut down communities – all over the world. From one day to the next. Unfortunately, as I said, it has rolled back developments in a number of important areas of the world. And it has had enormous costs for people, for the economy and for development.
“But it has also shown us that it is actually possible to change ingrained habits from one day to the next. We need to learn something from that. If we can better understand how, we can motivate people to change behavior, we can better accelerate our solutions.
“Covid-19 has shown that communities around the world are able to act together and resolutely when the problems and consequences are clear to us.
“We need this newfound drive for the next 10 years. The coming decade will define the future for all of us.”
NordenBladet – Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended Flag Day commemorations at Kastellet in Copenhagen on the first weekend of September.
Flag Day, which honours the Danish soldiers, foreign ministry and emergency services personnel who have been sent abroad for military or other missions, was established in 2009 and has been attended by members of the Danish Royal Family every year since 2011.
Upon arrival, Crown Prince Frederik inspected the troops while Crown Princess Mary walked behind. At the wreath-laying ceremony, several dignitaries laid wreathes and spoke, including Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the Minster of Defence, Trine Bramsen.
Other dignitaries who laid wreathes, according to the Royal House, included “the Folketing, the Government, the Armed Forces, the Police, the Danish Emergency Management Agency, the Defense Attachés, Danish Veterans, Danish Soldiers and Navy Associations, the Armed Forces’ Main Cooperation Committee, the Police Association and the Emergency Management Association.”
According to the Danish Armed Forces’ website, Flag Day is “the day when Denmark’s emissaries are recognised for the efforts they have made and where the fallen are remembered. The day includes everyone who is or has been sent out from the Armed Forces, the Emergency Management Agency, the Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Health Service.”
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary also observed a flypast of F-16 jets and a performance of the song ‘I Was Born in Denmark’ by singer Pernille Rosendahl. Following the outdoor service, the couple attended a church service at Holmen’s Church.
The monument at the Kastellet (or Citadel, in English), was opened by Queen Margrethe in 2011 and includes an inscription that reads “A Time— A Man— A Place.” It honours the efforts of Danish personnel since 1948 and was inaugurated on Flag Day in 2011.
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary usually attend the Flag Day service in Copenhagen, while Prince Joachim and Princess Marie attend events outside the capital city. However, since the couple moved to France, they have not taken part in events.
Flag Day also typically includes speeches from military personnel at the Christiansborg Castle Square, however this portion of the event had to be cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Instead, video greetings were pre-recorded and shared online.
Featured image: Denmark’s Crown Prince Couple (FRANKIE FOUGANTHIN (OWN WORK) VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary attended the opening of a summit in Copenhagen that brought together people and organisations with ideas of how to rebuild following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hosted at BLOX, a “national and international gathering place that engages people in architecture, design and sustainable urban development through exhibitions, events, business development and new partnerships,” the Build Back Better Summit discussed how sustainable partnerships must work together as urbanisation increases, especially now due to the pandemic, according to its official website.
Crown Princess Mary attended the Summit along with other urban development professionals to discuss sustainability. According to BLOX’s website, “In 30 years, up to 70 percent of the earth’s population will live in a big city. It creates great challenges and it requires that we think new and sustainable in our urban development. A need that COVID-19 has helped to put at the forefront.”
The United Nations introduced the idea of Build Back Better in 2015 as part of its efforts to discuss safe rebuilding following disasters. UN representatives spoke at the Summit, as well as the Director of the World Health Organization’s European branch, who told guests that “we need courage and cooperation” to rebuild, and that the necessary measures for a better future are political rethinking, sector cooperation, delivery on the Sustainable Development Goals and healthcare development.
Before the Summit began, Crown Princess Mary received a tour of the BLOX facilities, which are located in Copenhagen. The facilities provide a “national and international gathering place that engages people in architecture, design and sustainable urban development through exhibitions, events, business development and new partnerships.”
Two new partnerships were discussed at the Summit: one with Milan, Italy, and one with a number of Latin American countries.
According to the BLOX website, the main topic of discussion was how “Caring is no longer enough. We need to build better afterwards – and we need to do it together.”
NordenBladet -Denmark`s social democratic minority government presented on Monday its proposal for the Danish state budget, where an increase in the salary for the Queen Margrethe was included. The Danish government’s budget proposal for next year shows that Queen Margrethe can count on almost 90 million Danish crowns in appanage. The Danish government will give 89.3 million Danish crowns in salary to the queen. However, 1.3 million of the salary is set aside for Princess Benedikte, the Queen’s younger sister.
This is an increase from the previous year. The money will not only cover expenses for clothing and other personal expenses, but also royal banquets, state visits and the running and maintenance of several castles. However , the Queen’s salary increases have received attention. From 2005 to 2018, the appanage increased by 40 percent.
In general, however, there will be less money for the rest of the royal family. This is because Countess Alexandra, Prince Joachim’s ex-wife, no longer receives an annual benefit of 2.6 million crowns because her youngest son Prince Felix has turned 18 years old.
If you compare the costs of the Danish royal family with other European royal families, they are quite low. This has been a tradition in Denmark for a long time. At the end of the 19th century, the Danish royal family was in fact one of Europe’s poorest royal families.
The appanage to the Queen covers the Court Marshal’s and the Cabinet Secretariat’s costs for staff, operations, administration, properties and grants for the Royal Orders. According to the Civil List Act, the state makes a number of castles and equipment available to the Queen. The expenses for the state-owned castles are paid for by the state and not the royals.
Under the Royal Danish Income Tax Act, the Queen, the Crown Prince and Princess, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie and Princess Benedikte are exempt from paying income tax, and under the Motor Vehicle Registration Act, they are also all exempt from paying registration taxes and green taxes.
The Queen, the Crown Prince and Princess, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie and Princess Benedict are subject to the general rules for payment of inheritance tax and gift tax as well as property taxes.
