Ms. Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to greet this important global forum.  I thank the International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law for supporting the work of the United Nations. I commend the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Swedish Foreign Ministry for their support.

We live in times of unprecedented wealth and possibilities, but also of deep inequalities, transnational threats, conflict, turmoil and intolerance.

The ICNL believes rightly in the power of civil society and global citizenship to overcome these problems and to help shape our common future.

2015 is a very important year for all of us.

We will adopt a set of ambitious, sustainable development goals to be reached by 2030. We need to reach a universal climate agreement to help stop global warming.

Our aim is to build resilient, peaceful and prosperous societies. We want to ensure human dignity for everyone.

Active civil society, freedom of information, expression and assembly, and participation in decision-making are critical if we are to deliver real transformation and a sustainable future for all.

Thank you for your engagement in this crucial work.  Please accept my best wishes for a successful forum.