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.