During an informal visit on 20 November 2012, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, the Patron of WHO/Europe, discussed areas for future collaboration with Ms Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
As Patron, Her Royal Highness advocates mother and child health, with a special focus on health promotion and disease prevention initiatives including immunization and the reduction of antimicrobial resistance.
“We value the prominence and attention to public health issues in the European Region that Her Royal Highness brings through her advocacy, and greatly appreciated her attendance and key note address to the sixty-second session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in Malta last September,” said Ms Jakab.
Most recently, the Crown Princess issued a statement supporting European Antibiotic Awareness Day, 16 November 2012, noting: “Now, in Europe and globally, we are quickly losing the ability to treat patients with bacterial infections. Resistant bacteria can spread to other people and countries, and this means that one person’s behaviour can affect the chances of another person getting well. This makes it an urgent public health problem.”
The visit also provided an opportunity for Her Royal Highness to meet WHO staff and view her portrait at the WHO/Europe premises in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Crown Princess Mary has been Patron of WHO/Europe since 2005.