Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege and international lawyer Céline Bardet were guests of Grand Duchess Maria Teresa to help launch her Stand Speak Rise Up! forum.

At a press meeting in the grand ducal palace on Friday, 25 January, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa was joined by Dr Denis Mukwege and international lawyer Céline Bardet from the We are not Weapons of War initiative. Both will be guest speakers at the two-day Stand Speak Rise Up! conference in Luxembourg on 26-27 March.

Mukwege provided the catalyst to the Grand Duchess’s initiative when she invited him to the palace two years ago following a speech he made in Luxembourg. He is the world's leading expert on “repairing” the internal physical damage caused by rape. Together with his team, he has treated more than 50,000 victims in east Congo. He has since set up the Dr Denis Mukwege Foundation which has helped an international network of survivors of sexual violence in war and in situations in which refugees are vulnerable. Some 40 survivors from this network will attend the conference to bear witness and provide a voice to victims--something which the Grand Duchess says is vital and makes the conference unique.

The next edition of Delano, published on 6 February will feature more on the conference and an interview with the Grand Duchess.