Prince Albert II visits Malaysia and inaugurates Monaco’s New Consulate
Prince Albert II made a state visit to Malaysia on 28 November and inaugurated the new Consulate of Monaco in Kuala Lumpur. Sri Omar Naresh Mohan, recently appointed Honorary Consul of the Principality, helped organize the Sovereign’s visit.
King Abdullah Shah and his wife Queen Tunku Azizah invited the Prince to the National Palace, where musicians played the national hymns of Monaco and Malaysia before 21 artillery cannon shots. The Prince was greeted by troops from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment. The King and the Sovereign then symbolically planted a Pokok Keranji tree, a Malaysian tree which bears fruits used in local cuisine.
The Sovereign was then awarded the highest distinction in the country during a ceremony at the National Palace. After the ceremony, an official dinner in the presence of several hundred guests honoured the Sovereign and his delegation.
During his visit, the Prince participated in the Monaco Economic Forum in the presence of economic and business leaders from both countries, which strengthened political and economic ties between Monaco and Malaysia.
On the last day of his visit, King Abdullah Shah and his son Hassanal Shah invited Prince Albert II to the Malaysian Tiger Conservation Centre and the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre, which protect animals threatened by poachers and deforestation. There are currently only 150 wild tigers left in Malaysia.
After visiting Malaysia, Prince Albert II flew to Singapore on 30 November. He met with leaders of startups specializing in bio-technologies and pharmaceuticals. With the support of Jacky Deromedi and Jean-Marc Deromedi, Consul of Monaco in Singapore, the Prince spoke with officials from the island of Sentosa on the theme of eco-responsibility in the hotelier sector. The Sovereign also spoke with HE Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. At the end of the evening, the Prince and the Monegasque delegation left for Dubai to attend COP28.
Prince Albert II speaks at COP28 in Dubai and reveals New Climate Plans for Monaco
Prince Albert II announced his goal to strengthen the energy transition policy in Monaco during his speech on the first day of COP28 in Dubai. The Prince stated that he asked his government to increase Monaco’s climate commitment by reducing 55% of emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050, banning single-use plastics for certain food containers from 1 January 2024, incorporating 10% of biomethane in gas distributed in the Principality and more.
On Friday 1 December, Prince Albert II was welcomed to the conference by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations. In the presence of world leaders gathered in Dubai, the Sovereign Prince called for increased and rapid action to keep the increase in global temperature within 1.5 degrees. The Prince also met His Majesty King Abdullah Shah at the Malaysian Pavilion, a few days after his state visit to Kuala Lumpur, then attended a conference of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs.
The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, which takes place until 12 December, also featured a speech by King Charles III and President Emmanuel Macron.
Princess Stephanie pays tribute to AIDS victims with Ten Quilts on World AIDS Day
Princess Stephanie attended the unveiling of 10 quilts which paid tribute to AIDS victims on World AIDS Day, 1 December, created by Fight Aids Monaco volunteers. Princess Stephanie, president of the association, watched as the beautiful patchwork quilts unfurled and told the story of lives lost too soon, including five people who died between 2022 and 2023. Quilts have been stitched and unveiled every year for the past 12 years on 1 December and help remind the public that the virus is still relevant and devastating. Every year during the unveiling, an ever-growing list of names of lives lost to AIDS is read aloud.
