Online Desk: UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, together with the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell and UNDP Assistant Secretary General Ulrika Modéer, on Monday began their four-day official visit here.

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud warmly welcomed the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the morning.

During the visit, the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is expected to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and attend an iftar-dinner programme to be hosted by the Prime Minister.

She will visit Jute Diversification Promotion Centre, Khurushkul Ashrayan Housing Project Site in Cox’s Bazar and various other development projects of the government of Bangladesh and UNDP in Dhaka, Khulna, Chattogram, Noakhali and Rohingya camps in Bhasan Char.

The visit takes place on the occasion of Crown Princess’s role as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is the first visit she makes in this capacity.

The purpose is to learn about the development journey of Bangladesh and study the progress and challenges in the implementation of the SDGs, focusing on climate, gender equality, the green and digital transition and the role of the business sector, said the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka on Sunday.

The Crown Princess returns to Bangladesh almost two decades after her first visit in the country in 2005. She was appointed UNDP Goodwill Ambassador in October 2023.

The Crown Princess plays a key role in increasing awareness and engagement for the Sustainable Development Goals and a sustainable future where no one is left behind.

Sweden was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh. In 2022, the two countries celebrated 50 years of bilateral relations.

Sweden’s development cooperation with Bangladesh goes back to independence in 1971.

The ties are vibrant and multifaceted covering development cooperation, trade and investments, and people-to-people engagement.

The Swedish government is reforming its development assistance to meet the challenges of our time, where needs are extensive, and the funding gap is growing.

The new reform agenda focuses on a long-term perspective, transparency and effectiveness.

Trade, private investments, loans and domestic resource mobilisation are components necessary for countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.