H.K.H. PRINS JOACHIMS TALE

Dear Goodwill Ambassadors, dear Guests,

I would like to welcome you all to Amalienborg Castle. This Palace has been the residence of King Christian VIII in the 19th century. Later it was the residence of King Christian X, my Great Grand Father.

In the 1980s the palace was completely restored and it became the residence for my brother, HRH Crown Prince Frederik and me; it also houses HM the Queen's library and the museum of the Glücksburg dynasty called the Amalienborg Museum.

We are gathered here tonight to celebrate the Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassadors 20th anniversary.

The concept of the Goodwill Ambassadors and the work you do is extraordinary. Not many cities around the world are fortunate enough to have a network of volunteers working for their international promotion

To become a Goodwill Ambassador of Copenhagen is an honorable title. The work you do for Copenhagen is honorable and admirable. You give something of yourself every day to support your home country. Tonight we hope to give some of this back.

In today’s globalised world, competition is as fierce as ever. Being a small country, Denmark needs all the help we can get to stay in the game. This is why the Goodwill Ambassadors are more important than ever to Copenhagen and Denmark.

Since 1996, Copenhagen has developed, so has the world. I am pleased to see that the Goodwill Ambassadors have adapted to that development and continue to deliver a timely and relevant contribution to the Danish society, without diverting from the goal – to bring value and growth to our capital.

Part of the measures taken in order to compete on a global level is the Greater Copenhagen initiative. We hope that you will be part of carrying our brand and metropole forward internationally. Your efforts play a role in the future success and growth of Greater Copenhagen.

You are appointed ambassadors to Copenhagen, but the entity of Danes abroad counts more than 200.000 – and this figure does not include descendants of Danes. Bringing this resource in to play could be a valuable tool for Denmark to receive international publicity as well as expand our global network. This is an interesting thought that could be pursued during the coming days.

The world will not stop developing and the competition will most likely become even more intense; thus the Goodwill Ambassadors must be prepared for this constant change and keep developing along with new platforms for international promotion and growth. I hope that your 20 years of experience will guide you in the focus of your work and that you will keep bringing value to Copenhagen and Denmark. 

Tonight we celebrate the Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassadors 20 years’ existence. In this context, some of you gathered here tonight have been part of the network from the very beginning.

I would like to extend a special thanks to:

• Mr Per Troen
• Mr Peder Holm
• Mr Jørgen Guldborg Rasmussen
• Mr Jens Olesen

Finally, I want to extend a special thanks to all you Goodwill Ambassadors. Thank you for being passionate about Copenhagen and your home country.

With all of you around the world, we are able to see opportunities that are not always visible for the people living here.

That is essential for the constant development of our city.

As a network of more almost 80 ambitious Goodwill Ambassadors, you are strong and are an enormously valued resource for our capital.

Congratulations on your 20 years of goodwill endeavours.

 

H.K.H. PRINSESSE MARIES TALE

Good evening,

The first time I came to Denmark was when I visited a friend in “Fyn” many years ago. My initial thoughts were that Denmark is quite different from my own country and it made me curious and interested. After getting to know this country better, I discovered that the Danes are very welcoming, active, easy going, happy and proud people with a long history with many traditions…

Today I am a Danish citizen and my role is to represent my new country. As a member of the Danish royal family, I am patron of several organizations and institutions, spanning from humanitarian, cultural, educational and social. Together with those organizations I represent Denmark worldwide and try each time to promote Denmark’s efforts and commitment in many different causes and businesses.

I feel very lucky to be able to use my position to bring visibility and awareness on important issues. I always do my upmost to show the best possible face of our country. One should not underestimate the impact we, as citizens, have on the image of our own country.We all carry out a certain image that mirrors our culture.

I consider myself a global citizen, I have spent most of my life abroad…However, I still have a strong connection to my roots. In that sense, my life is very similar to yours.

When you meet people from different cultures and you experience new ways of thinking, you are enriched with insight and knowledge. I use that knowledge for my own development but also in my work and especially in my role as a representative for Denmark. My knowledge also gives me a global perspective on both France and Denmark. When you see the image of your country from an outside perspective, you learn to appreciate some of the values you might have taken for granted.

When I give a speech abroad and meet up with significant people, I always try to bring forward the things I have learned on my travel through life and across the world, for example that we are all human beings and need to respect each others differences. Those differences are an asset to our society.Those differences are what make us interesting!

In Denmark, we have a proud history and a long tradition of respect and it is the reason why we are where we are now on important subjects such as: equal rights, freedom of speech, tolerance or even on another level the balance between work life and family life. These are values that I always include when possible.

When I meet people outside of Denmark they often tell me positive things about our country, how safe Denmark is and that people are very friendly and open-minded. It makes me feel proud and gives me an insight in how people perceive Denmark.

I am a public figure and a representative for Denmark and you are appointed Goodwill Ambassadors, and are therefore also acting as representatives of Denmark and Copenhagen.

Our role is to promote both our capital and country and to spread the good news. It is to make people realize that our small country is valuable to the world, and that the world is valuable to Denmark.

We can’t be real ambassadors if we are not ambassadors from our hearts!

This country has a significant meaning to all of us. In fact, all Danes and especially those living abroad are ambassadors to Denmark. I find it very important that we all think about this in our daily life when upbringing the next generation. Both Danes in Denmark and Danes living abroad are privileged people and it is important to share our values with our own children as well as with people abroad. 

I believe that we make a difference to Copenhagen and Denmark, and I know that all the work YOU carry out as Goodwill Ambassadors makes a significant contribution!

Thank you