Swedish crown princess visits Khulna, talks to locals in climate-vulnerable areas

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden on Tuesday morning briefly visited the Koyra upazila in Khulna.

She landed in Koyra via a helicopter from the Bangladesh Air Force at 8am.

Upon her arrival, officials from various levels of the district administration, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury extended a warm welcome to her.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden later inaugurated the Madinabad Smart Post Centre. 

During her visit, the princess also explored six locations, including the Moheswaripur Union Council, Moharajpur Union Council, and Dinabad Digital Post Office, in stages.

Then she went to two regions of the upazila susceptible to the impacts of climate change, and talked to the locals about their lives and livelihood. 

Later, at around 12pm, she left the district via a helicopter from the Kapotakkho College ground. 

Koyra police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman said some 1,600 policemen were deployed in 500 places of the upazila. 

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden arrived in Dhaka to visit Bangladesh from Monday to Thursday as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud received the princess on Monday morning at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The princess will visit with the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell and UNDP Assistant Secretary General Ulrika Modéer.

The purpose of the visit is to learn about the development journey of Bangladesh and study the progress and challenges in implementing the SDGs, focusing on climate, gender equality, the green and digital transition and the role of the business sector, it said.

The crown princess returned to Bangladesh almost two decades after her first visit to the country in 2005.

She then spent three days primarily following up on Swedish development cooperation in the northwestern parts of Bangladesh.

The crown princess was appointed UNDP goodwill ambassador in October 2023.

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