Good morning and welcome to you all.This meeting is an important step in preparations for the upcoming Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, as well as for the post-2015 Summit and the United Nations Climate Change Conference later this year.

The strong engagement of the major institutional stakeholders, and of the civil society and business sector representatives here today, illustrates the unprecedented level of cooperation that has emerged in our common efforts to formulate a post-2015 development agenda.

As some of you have, I have just returned from Washington, D.C., where I attended the IMF’s and World Bank’s Spring Meeting -- and where I sensed a strong commitment to carry this collaborative spirit towards Addis and beyond.

I was very much encouraged by such strong commitment of the leaders of the world, particularly finance ministers to engage in, and lend their political and financial support to financing for development as well as climate change and sustainable development as a whole.

The Addis Conference provides a chance to devise a new international financial framework that is predictable and effective in achieving sustainable and inclusive development. 

Working together, we should seek three key outcomes in Addis:
 

First, a cohesive and holistic financing framework for sustainable development;
 

Second, concrete deliverables, particularly in crucial areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, social needs, and support for small- and medium-sized enterprises;

And third, a strong follow-up process to ensure that no country is left behind. This follow-up needs to be based on technical expertise and the participation of the institutional stakeholders gathered here today.
Excellencies,

The global economic recovery continues to be sluggish. It is has been hampered by new challenges, including a number of unexpected shocks, such as heightened geopolitical conflicts in different parts of the world.

We need to think about the right policies that can support a strong, balanced and sustainable recovery. Too much is at stake to risk the world economy falling into a stagnant growth path in the longer run.

We need to identify and tackle the root causes of high youth unemployment, which is widespread in so many countries. We need policy measures to increase formal employment and close the gender gap in labour markets.

But the challenges do not stop there. A stable, inclusive economy is necessary but not sufficient for sustainable development. We must ensure the availability of the required resources for sustainable development at all levels - national, international, public and private.
 

The Co-facilitators of the Financing for Development process have circulated the zero draft of the outcome document, which was the basis for last week’s negotiations in the General Assembly.

The draft addresses the full spectrum of issues, including resources, enabling environments, and systemic challenges.
 

It emphasizes the importance of fighting illicit flows, including through domestic reforms and international tax cooperation. The draft welcomes the work of the G20 and OECD in this area. But it also notes that these initiatives should be complemented by more inclusive deliberations at the United Nations to ensure that they benefit all countries, including the least developed countries.

The draft stresses the need for continued official development assistance, and the importance of reversing the declining trend of aid to LDCs.

The draft also emphasizes the important role of development banks, private finance, technology, capacity building  and incentives to promote greater private investment in sustainable development.

The zero draft also highlights the need for an equitable multilateral trading system, sustainable debt and more inclusive global governance for sustainable development.

The post-2015 development agenda is ambitious. The financing needs are enormous. They can be met if we work together to deliver as one. But we will not succeed without a revitalized and stronger global partnership for development. As we forge this partnership, we must learn from the lessons of the current global partnership.

ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies will continue to do their part.  Only a concerted effort by all stakeholders, especially among those gathered here today, will allow us to succeed.

We must work closely together to make this year a year of global action, one that will be remembered as the dawn of a new era of sustainable development.
Thank you.