It is a pleasure to greet all the participants in this important global think tank summit.
I applaud the China Center for International Economic Exchanges for convening this exceptional group of experts and decision-makers from around the world.

You gather in a year of potentially transformative global action. United Nations conferences on financing for development in July, on the post-2015 development agenda in September, and the Paris Conference on Climate Change in December can help generate momentum towards a safer, more sustainable and equitable future for all.
In the months ahead it is vital for the international community to collaborate more closely than ever before to make the most of these milestone events and seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to set the world on course to reach our shared goals. This is our best chance to end poverty – and our last chance to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. 

This is a time of test for the international community.  We are in the fifth year of a devastating conflict in Syria that continues to worsen.  Humanitarian suffering in Yemen is affecting millions of people.  These and other conflicts, along with poverty, persecution and other ills, have generated nearly 60 million refugees and displaced persons – the most since the end of the Second World War.

The United Nations is working hard to address these challenges.  We are assessing the state of our peace operations in order to keep pace with changing threats, developing a plan of action to prevent violent extremism, and strengthening our efforts to act early to prevent human rights violations.

In this year in which we mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, we can look back on a record of solid achievement while acknowledging the distance still to travel in fulfilling the vision set out in the Charter, which was adopted on this Day in 1945. 

The United Nations looks forward to working with China and with think tanks across the world for progress on each of the three pillars of the UN's work, peace, development and human rights.  Thank you for your engagement in this crucial work.  I wish you a most productive forum.