Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to join you for this Global Town Hall.

The world – indeed – appears divided and fragile.

The recent UNDP Human Development Report shows that for the first time in over three decades, global human development declined for two consecutive years.

Risks are converging rapidly, with vulnerable and conflict-affected countries often bearing the brunt.

And the climate emergency is hitting much faster than many expected.

Even before the pandemic, it was estimated that more than 80 percent of the extreme poor would live in fragile and conflict-affected countries by 2030.

The senseless war in Ukraine is not only devastating the lives of millions of Ukrainians, it also exacerbated a food, energy and finance crisis, affecting the most vulnerable globally.

The link between peace and development is a critical opportunity for addressing these risks.

That is why we need to turbo charge our commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, which remain the most effective way to address root causes of conflict, prevent violence and build peace.

Achieving the SDGs is fundamental to the vision laid out in Our Common Agenda and must underpin the New Agenda for Peace.

Lasting peace and development can only be achieved through a people-centred, inclusive and gender-sensitive approach.

Societies that that exclude women and girls from leadership and decision-making and sideline their population will be more vulnerable to conflict and underdevelopment.

We need stronger institutions.

We need to foster engagement with civil society, particularly women and young people.

And we need to learn from each other, across the globe.

Today’s Town Hall, I hope, will contribute to this mission.

I wish you fruitful discussions.

Thank you.