Crown prince Willem-Alexander and princess Máxima have joined caretaker prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende on his trip to the United Nations in New York on Wednesday.

They will attend the meeting on the Millenium Development Goals introduced by the UN in 2000 with the aim of eradicating world poverty by 2015. Progress so far has been disappointing.
Balkenende will give a speech to the assembled world leaders on death in childbirth and equal rights for men and women. He will also address the general assembly on Saturday to talk about the role the UN can play in changing global relationships.
Willem-Alexander is to announce an initiative on sanitary facilities.