I am pleased to send greetings to the Arab Thought Foundation’s 13th Annual Conference.  I thank His Royal Highness King Mohammed VI and the people of Morocco for hosting, and I commend the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al-Faisal as Chairman.

Your chosen theme, “Arab Integration: the Dream of Unity and the Reality of Division”, confronts the region’s difficulties and its possibilities.  Across the Arab world, we are witnessing large-scale human suffering.  In some countries where diversity had thrived for generations, tolerance has been replaced by ethnic and sectarian violence.

At the same time, we see hopeful developments.  Last month, the people of Tunisia were able to vote peacefully in their first democratic presidential election since the 2011 revolution.  The country’s commendably progressive Constitution, approved in January, provides the basis for a strong democracy.

Across the region, conflict and instability should not obscure the fundamental aspirations of the people of the Arab world for justice, dignity and freedom.  Leaders must respond to the peoples of the Arab world, whose voices will not be silenced or drowned out by extremists, dictators or others who choose to divide.

The proud heritage, values and culture that are shared from the Atlantic to the Tigris and from the Sahel to the Mediterranean have been well established for millennia. This common experience offers much to build on today.  Success will require ensuring gender equality and enabling Arab women to enjoy full human rights and realize their potential.

Earlier this year, the United Nations, through the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) issued Arab Integration: A 21st Century Development Imperative, offering a strategic vision for good governance, deeper economic integration, and cultural and educational reform.

Overcoming division to advance Arab integration has the potential to generate benefits in and beyond the region.  I wish you great success in helping to forge a regionally integrated and globally connected Arab world.