Kari Jaquesson

Kari Jaquesson is one of  Norway's leading fitness personalities. She founded Norway's first educational system for aerobic instructors and has been called "a fitness pioneer" after introducing several fitness trends to Norway.

Kari is especially devoted to making people feel good about themselves. Her motto is not "perfect body" but "healthy body". She believes that everyone can get fit, but does not believe in overdoing anything. "Your lifestyle is something to enjoy, not endure" is Kari's philosophy.

She is the mom of Ousman and Batu and feels strongly that it's every woman's right to be a mother if she wants to be, and not to be a mother if she doesn't want to. She believes in every human being's right to healthcare and, especially, in a woman's right to carry and deliver babies safely.

Articles and Activities

• February 2008
  Mother’s Day – with my head bent down in sorrow (Unofficial English translation)
  “I love being a mother, and I am delighted on Mother’s Day. I have a splendid time on Mother’s Day. So why do I bend down my head in sorrow?” asks Kari Jaquesson.
  
  November 2006
  Kari joined the three other Nordic Goodwill Ambassadors in a tour of Mozambique to learn more about UNFPA programmes and to meet some of the women, men, young people and children who benefit from the Fund’s work there. Through visiting projects dealing with HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, family planning and young people, they also gained first-hand knowledge of the measures that have been taken to improve the situation in Mozambique, one of the world’s poorest countries. The trip was widely covered by Mozambique and Nordic media.
• November 2004
  Norwegian parliamentarians held a parliamentary seminar on sexual and reproductive health and rights looking into how Norwegian MPs have contribute to ensuring that the ICPD goals and MDG commitments are met in Norway's development cooperation policy. UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, Kari Jacquesson opened the meeting and told of her first-hand experiences in developing countries.
  
  June 2002
  On her return from field visit to Nicaragua with three other UNFPA Goodwill Ambassadors, Kari interested the largest circulation newspaper in Norway to run a two-page article on her visit with particular focus on the street youth she interviewed. “Elle” magazine also covered her Nicaraguan story in its January 2003 issue.

Priorities

Gender Equality