HRH The Grand Duchess at 2018 Women's Forum Global Meeting; Credit: © Cour grand-ducale / Sophie Margue / tous droits réservés

Their Royal Highnesses The Grand Duke and The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg participated in the 2018 Women's Forum Global Meeting in Paris on Friday 16 November.

The day was marked by the intervention of The Grand Duchess who, on her return from her recent humanitarian trip to Lebanon, presented the actions she supports in favour of survivors of sexual violence in “fragile environments”. This will be the issue of the international conference "Stand Speak Rise Up!", at the initiative of Her Royal Highness, which will take place in Luxembourg on 26 and 27 March 2019.

At the Carrousel du Louvre, The Grand Duchess addressed the audience, followed by a "question-and-answer" session led by the Director of the Women's Forum, Chiara Corazza.
 
Since her marriage, The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg has dedicated a large part of her time and action to social and humanitarian issues: “Since my marriage in 1981, I have been aware of the privilege that it is to be in this position. That is why I have wanted to be a voice for those who are not heard, whether they live in Luxembourg or elsewhere around the globe. This has often led me to fight for difficult causes.”
 
The defence of women's rights and the fight against all forms of violence against women are some of the causes which The Grand Duchess has been committed to for years. Particularly sensitive to the distress, isolation and stigmatisation of victims of sexual violence in fragile environments, Her Royal Highness is currently working with her Foundation  on organising the international conference "Stand Speak Rise Up - to end sexual violence in fragile environments" in Luxembourg next March.
 
This is a long-standing project, which started with her first meeting with Dr Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize Winner. “I asked him how I could help the victims of sexual violence. He replied that he had just created a group of survivors and he asked me to give them a platform. I decided then, with the help of my Foundation, to hold a conference so as to give them a voice.

During her speech, The Grand Duchess stressed that "indignation is not enough" and that "action must be taken and relevant solutions found so that they can transform themselves from victims to powerful agents of change."

To bring this ambitious conference project to life, The Grand Duchess was delighted to announce both the collaboration of the Women's Forum and the two strategic partnerships with the Mukwege Foundation and the NGO We are not weapons of war. The Grand Duchess also expressed her gratitude to the Luxembourg government, which has pledged to support this initiative. 
 
The Grand Duchess, in her capacities as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children has recently travelled to Lebanon, where she visited survivors of sexual violence (refugees and displaced persons) to gather their testimonies and support them in their quest for justice and reparation. During her stay, she also took the opportunity to learn about microfinance projects aimed at improving the quality of life of people living in poverty.
 
This visit strengthened The Grand Duchess' determination to fight for the elimination of sexual violence as a weapon of war. “Rape as a weapon of war and submission is not new. It is the scale of it and it is the fact that this crime, which has already claimed millions of victims throughout the 20th century, continues to be perpetuated on a large scale in the 21st century. My thoughts are with the thousands of rape victims in Libya, Syria, Myanmar and the Great Lakes Region of Africa- to name only a few. We can no longer close our eyes or keep quiet about the suffering that women endure! We must pass from emotion to action! I am convinced that by putting them at the centre of attention, they can transform themselves from victims to powerful agents of change.”