Queen Mathilde visits Rohingya camps

UN Secretary-General's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocate Queen Mathilde visited Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar on Tuesday.

Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, among others, accompanied the Belgian queen during her visit there.

She visited a learning center, participated in a session with women working on preventing gender-based violence, interacted with women learning new skills and joined a short briefing on the work on mental health and spoke with mental health volunteers.

She is scheduled to return to Dhaka this evening and join a dinner hosted by Parliament Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.

The UN Country Team in Bangladesh on Monday warmly welcomed Queen Mathilde.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic which stalled and reversed development progress globally, and the subsequent Russia-Ukraine war that induced a cost-of-living crisis, this visit "highlights the heightened importance of the SDGs, and also showcases Bangladesh's dynamism and commitment", said the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka.

Queen Mathilde ascended to the throne in 2013.

She is the honorary president of both Child Focus, a foundation for missing and sexually exploited children, and UNICEF Belgium.

In 2001, Queen Mathilde established the Princess Mathilde Fund (now the Queen Mathilde Fund) to promote the care of vulnerable people. As an SDG Advocate, she is particularly focused on mental health.