Monaco’s youngest citizens have been treated like little princes and princesses at the annual kids Christmas bash at the Palace, a tradition started by Princes Grace more than 50 years ago.
More than 600 children, ranging in ages from five to 12 years old, were invited to the Palace on Wednesday 18th December to celebrate an early Christmas with the Sovereign Prince, Princess Charlene and Princess Stephanie’s daughter and son, Camille Gottlieb and Louis Ducruet.
The children, all adorned in white elf hats, were first treated to a show by a group of young dancers dressed in traditional Monegasque costumes with little fur trimmed capes, to add a holiday touch. Then they got to see a hip-hop dance performance in the Throne Room, a decidedly modern addition to this traditional event, which dates back to the 1950’s.
The kids moved onto the main event, where they received gifts and treats from the Sovereign Prince, the Princess, Ms Gottlieb and Mr Ducruet.
This custom is unique amongst European royals and is certainly one of the most-beloved. Princess Grace started the tradition when she was still new to Monaco and opened the Palace to underprivileged children for a special afternoon. It was a hit with the kids, no surprise there, and she and Prince Rainier III decided to make it a yearly event.
The whole Palace springs into action weeks before the event, preparing gifts and entertainment – which has progressed from Princess Grace pulling strings in Hollywood to obtain old Disney cartoons to show, to today’s live spectacles.
The Grimaldi family has also sent out Christmas cards, this year featuring Princess Charlene in a stunning red gown, the Prince looking casually smart and the twins as cherubically adorable as ever.
Jazmin Grace Grimaldi has released a new song with her rocker boyfriend Ian Mellencamp.
Prince Albert’s daughter released the duet, titled Thankful, on Monday 16th December with her longtime beau.
The holiday song features the pair singing about how thankful they are for eachother’s love. “All I need is your love on this Christmas morning,” sings 27-year-old Jazmin in her sultry jazz style.
The artwork for the song is a black and white photograph of Jazmin and her 33-year-old boyfriend cuddling.
Ian Mellencamp is the nephew of famed singer songwriter John Mellencamp. The musician and former Calvin Klein model released a new album in November titled Romance in D.
Meanwhile, Jazmin released her first single titled Fearless in October.
Monaco’s Young Chamber of Commerce (JCEM) followed up a successful first edition of its Entrepreneurship Trophies in 2018 with another this year by awarding a new host of Monegasque companies.
The event, held in the Salle des Arts at One Monte Carlo on 17th December, was developed as an extension of the Business Creation Competition hosted by the JCEM every year.
They decided that honouring only the winners from a single competition was not enough, as they reward many projects throughout the year and this event gave them the opportunity to publicly do so.
Winners from several competitions were therefore recognised as well as a number of ‘Monegasque Business Success Stories’ and projects created exclusively by the students from Monaco’s schools, namely those from Albert 1er, François d’Assise, and the Technical and Hotel Lycée.
Many local dignitaries spoke, including Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario, Minister of Finance and the Economy Jean Castellini, President of the National Council Stéphane Valéri, and President of the Education, Youth and Sports Commission of the National Council Marc Mourou.
The winners were:
Seeds of entrepreneurs: My Monaco (FANB), Easy Work (Technical and Hotel High School of Monaco), Mon’Eco (Lycée Albert Ier)
Startup Weekend Monaco: Octo’Travel – Language Courses
Business Creation Contest: World eBikes Series (Government Prize), ETYC (JCEM Prize), Sea Further (Coup de Coeur Athos Partners Prize)
James Wren, ZSL’s Executive Vice President of Global Resources and Monaco Life’s new contributor on sustainability, explains how the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has evolved from the first scientific zoo to a global conservation charity.
As we prepare to ring in the new year, the ZSL will be celebrating a phenomenal 193 years of working for wildlife.
During that time, the charity has evolved from the world’s first scientific zoo to a world-class science, conservation and education institution inspiring millions to create a world where wildlife thrives through ZSL’s two zoos, carrying out conservation in the field in more than 50 countries, and publishing ground-breaking research to help save the world’s most endangered species.
ZSL London Zoo has long been at the forefront of zoological development, home to the first public aquarium, the first reptile house, the first living hippopotamus in Europe, and in 1916 Evelyn Cheeseman became the first woman in a curatorial post.
Zoological Gardens 1836 (c) ZSL
ZSL Fellow Charles Darwin worked with ZSL London Zoo’s curator of birds to identify the individual finches he studied while researching his theory of evolution by natural selection, while Jenny, the Zoo’s resident orangutan and the first ape the biologist ever saw, played a huge part in Darwin’s conclusion that man and ape must be related.
Our commitment to learning remains as strong today as it did when the Society was founded in 1826, and we continually develop our zoos to ensure we meet the complex needs of the animals in our care and can apply our expertise to protecting their wild counterparts. More recently, researchers studied the ‘waddle’ of the zoo’s Humboldt penguins in an attempt to understand the birds’ unique gait. Using custom-designed mechanics, the birds had to simply walk over plates in the ground in order for the researchers to learn how they had evolved to move that way.
Winnie and Christopher
Over the years our zoo has been home to many famous animals, including Guy the gorilla, Obaysch the common hippo and Winnie the black bear, immortalised as one of the most famous bears in the world through A.A. Milne’s stories. Today, the London Zoo is home to a diverse array of species, ranging from tiny Partula snails to towering giraffes.
Giraffe at ZSL London Zoo (c)ZSL
Zoos are a substantial and real part of the world’s conservation movement. The many ways we provide support include contributing to research and data on animal ecology, physiology and behaviour, developing ground-breaking veterinary techniques that are directly transferred to wild veterinary teams, and engaging audiences and inspiring the conservationists of tomorrow.
As we head closer to our landmark 200th birthday, ZSL will evolve once again. Our vision, a world where wildlife thrives, is underpinned by a simple purpose: To inspire, inform and empower people to stop wild animals going extinct.
Western Lowland gorilla, Mjukuu, with baby Gernot in the Gorilla Kingdom exhibit at ZSL London Zoo.
We will focus our efforts on conservation and science on two key areas where we see exceptional pressure on wildlife, and believe that our expertise, credibility and skill – coupled with our two inspiring zoos – can have significant impact and influence: wildlife health, and the troubled relationship between wildlife and humans.
This year saw the media highlight the devastating impact single-use plastics are having on our planet, an issue we have been addressing globally for many years. While Sir David Attenborough, a ZSL Honorary Fellow, and his Dynasties documentary showed us the continuing challenges wildlife face across the world.
Sir David Attenborough at ZSL London Zoo (c) ZSL
It is issues such as these that are at the very heart of our work. This month alone at least ten tigers will be killed for illegal wildlife trade, today three rhinos will be killed for their horns and every 25 minutes an elephant is killed for its tusks. Many of these species are in danger of going extinct in our lifetime, something we are working incredibly hard to prevent by supporting rural communities to live side-by-side with their native wildlife through appeals such as our For People. For Wildlife. fundraising campaign.
Our cherished zoos will continue to be shared spaces of wonder, taking inspiration from the surprise and astonishment of a fun childhood visit. We’ll keep that front-of-mind as we develop these powerful public engagement platforms to inspire, inform and empower people through innovative and thoughtful new opportunities to see animals.
Asiatic lion at ZSL London Zoo (c)ZSL
All of our conservation projects, engagement with communities across the world, school education programmes, ground-breaking science and zoos are funded by our zoo visitors, patrons, incredible individual donors and corporate partners – none of this would be possible without these passionate supporters.
Working together, we can create a world where wildlife thrives; to find out how you can support us, please visit zsl.org to learn more.
Exclusive offer for Monaco Life readers – if you sign up as a Patron of ZSL before the 15th January 2020 you will receive an out of hours tour of London Zoo. Find out more about the exciting benefits of being a Patron and sign up https://www.zsl.org/support-us/patrons (select Monaco Life in the ‘How did you hear about us?’ section).
Top photo: James Wren (c) ZSL
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Peace And Sport International Forum sees concrete results
A number of important collaborations were secured during this year’s Peace and Sport International Forum, including deals with the International Olympic Committee and the NFL.
The 12th edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum took place in Monaco from 11th to 13th December under the theme ‘Investing in Peace, Acting through Sport’. It brought together 500 decision-makers from 90 countries, 53 high-level speakers, 10 Peace and Sport Award winners and 40 Champions for Peace, to pinpoint and share solutions to scale-up investment in longer-term efforts to transform societies and leave a sustainable legacy for generations to come.
The event began on Wednesday 11th December with three debates and a ministerial round table that allowed participants to share experiences and led to partnerships with UNESCO, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and the National Football League Alumni Association.
On 12th December – to mark the 10th anniversary of their club – the Champions for Peace launched a call for action through a 10-point manifesto in which they pledged their help to transform society. A collaboration with international organisations such as the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Olympic Committee fuelled three plenary sessions and two master-classes. A youth program fortified by partnerships with the University of the Western Cape, the Yunus Sport Hub, the Swiss Academy for Development and ENGSO Youth offered 15 young people from 13 nationalities the opportunity to express their views and make recommendations on the subject.
A press conference was held to mark the official launch of the Peace and Sport app developed by My Coach. This digital solution combines the expertise of Peace and Sport’s field programs with the digital know-how of the leading French sports app My Coach, to provide an innovative way to promote peace through evolutive, annual sports programs.
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, and Pascal Granero, Administrative and Financial Director of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, announced the signing of a four-year partnership with the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation to join efforts and contribute to the well-being and development of children regardless of their origins and conditions, through the positive values of sport, particularly through rugby and swimming.
Meanwhile, Peace and Sport renewed its partnership with UNESCO in order to fully contribute to implementing the Kazan Action Plan (KAP), which is widely recognised as essential for facilitating international convergence to integrate sport into the UN 2030 agenda. This cooperation includes several government awareness projects, including the ‘April 6’ celebration and the development of the Peace and Sport Methodology.
Siya Kolisi is presented the Champion of the Year Award
South African captain Siya Kolisi, reigning world champion and the first black captain of the Springboks, was the grand prize winner at the prestigious Peace and Sport Awards Ceremony held on Thursday night, winning the 2019 Champion of the Year Award.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene at the Peace and Sport Awards. Photo: Prince’s Palace
In the presence of Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II of Monaco – Patron of Peace and Sport – and Princess Charlene of Monaco, other organisations were also accoladed, including the FC Barcelona Foundation, the Danone Nations Cup and the Bosnia and Herzegovina National Olympic Committee with two cities – Sarajevo and East Sarajevo – for jointly organising the 14th European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (EYOF).
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, with Monaco Life Publisher Eric Brundage signing the MOU
The Forum ended on Friday 13th December with a networking session for all delegates, to encourage interaction and make contacts to generate new synergies and initiatives for peace through sport. Peace and Sport then signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Football League Alumni Association to promote sport as tool for social development, capitalising on the willingness of retired NFL players to give back to their local communities. The collaboration was facilitated by Monaco Life Publisher Eric Brundage.
“This agreement will give Peace and Sport access to NFL Alumni Association events to help spread the Peace and Sport mission in the United States, while the Alumni Association will also be making available its brand and players to enhance the Peace and Sport mission abroad,” said Mr Brundage.
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, with Monaco Life Publisher Eric Brundage
“This unprecedented edition of the International Forum demonstrated that investing in peace can have a positive impact on business whilst helping to create more inclusive societies,” said Joel Bouzou. “We’ve spent three amazing days learning and sharing. Delegates have strongly expressed their desire for change to foster peace throughout the world. I would like to thank everyone for their contribution, and I am delighted to build on the foundations that have been laid here.”
Didier Drogba, Vice President of Peace and Sport and Champion for Peace, added: “This Forum has initiated a new way of thinking and acting. It has succeeded in highlighting initiatives that, in time, will transform societies and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come. The manifesto launched by the Champions of Peace is anchored in this dynamic and has already received favourable feedback promising tangible action for peace.”
Top photo: Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport
The government has announced the trial of a free bus service throughout the Principality during the busy summer period next year. According to a recent survey initiated by the Mairie, one in two people in Monaco said they would take the bus more often if it were free.
The free service, currently earmarked for Line 4 only, will come into effect from April 2020 and run until October 2020.
The contentious issue of free public transport has been debated for six months in Monaco, with the council wanting a completely free bus service throughout the Principality. The government, however, has expressed reservations about whether a free service would be incentive enough for more people to use public transport.
At a council meeting on Monday evening, the Minister for Equipment, Town Planning and the Environment Marie-Pierre Gramaglia announced that the government would go ahead with a free experiment for six months on a popular line that crosses the Principality.
But National Council President Stéphane Valeri questioned the appropriateness of Line 4 and asked that further consultation be undertaken before the government confirms details of the trial. The government agreed.
The issue will form part of the primitive budget which will be voted on Thursday evening.
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