Royalty and Heads of State from around the World have gathered in New York City for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week, some in their special roles as envoys and advocates for the United Nations!

Queen Máxima and the Princess of Orange with  Queen Silvia of Sweden

Queen Mathilde of Belgium with Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and the Princess of Orange

King Felipe VI of Spain and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

King Abdullah II of Jordan, joined by Crown Prince Hussein, spoke at the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.

King Abdullah II also gave a Speech at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly:

Another year, another UN General Assembly, and another occasion when I stand before you to address the same issue: the conflict in the Middle East.

Not for the first time, developments on the ground have made me question the worth and utility of words … in capturing the magnitude of the crisis. Yet, not speaking about it, would signal acceptance of the situation and abandonment of our humanity — and that, I will not do

Our UN General Assembly was born 80 years ago, pledging to learn from — not repeat — history.

The world vowed: Never again.

However, for almost as long, Palestinians have been living through a cruel cycle of ‘yet again’

Amid such darkness, there is a glimmer on the horizon. We are seeing more nations stepping up on behalf of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza that ensures release of all hostages, unhindered humanitarian aid, and support for Palestinians as they rebuild

For the past two years, we have finally seen the world’s conscience stirring… in the courage of ordinary people from every walk of life, and every corner of the globe… raising their voices as one, and declaring it has been too long

After meetings in Washington DC, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Security (UNSGSA), and the Princess of Orange attended the opening of the 80th UN General Assembly and met with government representatives from countries and development organizations on improving financial well-being.

King Felipe VI of Spain attended the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters and also met with representatives of the Spanish community in New York.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden marked the 80th anniversary of the United Nations at the General Assembly and held a reception for Swedes working at the UN in New York.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium is an advocate of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and spoke on behalf of Belgium on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Plan of Action on Women’s Rights.

Thirty years ago, we committed to taking bold action for the rights of women and girls. While progress has been made, we must acknowledge that no country has achieved gender equality. On the contrary, we are witnessing alarming regressions on equality issues and multiple crises affecting the rights of women and girls. There is a clear risk that in these troubled times, the promotion of equality for all will be sidelined, or even deliberately suppressed.

This is why Belgium cannot accept that the progress made over the past 30 years should be reversed and remains firmly committed to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as to the 2030 Agenda. Allow me to highlight two particularly important aspects.

First, the equal participation of women in decision-making. It has long been recognized that women’s participation is a prerequisite for lasting and effective solutions. Security Council Resolution 1325 thus recognizes the importance of women’s involvement in any peace and reconciliation process. The goal is clear: full and equal participation. This requires concrete actions to eliminate structural barriers, discriminatory laws, and norms that perpetuate stereotypes.

A second priority objective is to combat violence against women and girls. We cannot ignore the acts of intimidation they still face today. Unfortunately, we see that sexual violence is too often used as a weapon of war in conflict zones. Here again, the objective is clear: zero violence, zero tolerance. To achieve this, we need integrated policies for prevention, protection and support for victims, and the fight against impunity.

No custom, tradition, or religious belief can be invoked to justify these acts of violence against women and girls. Whether it be forced marriage, coercive control, domestic violence, femicide, or genital mutilation, all of these acts are intolerable; they violate fundamental human rights and our universal values of integrity and dignity. This violence against women has a specificity that justifies specific action. Beyond individual tragedies, these are symptoms of a society that fails to adequately protect 50% of its population.

Belgium calls on everyone to mobilize to build a world where no woman will live in fear.

Thank you.

Prince Albert II of Monaco also spoke at the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.