Today I am pleased to announce a new initiative of the United Nations Global Compact – the world's largest corporate responsibility and sustainability platform.

We are launching what we call Global Compact Lead - a group of 54 global companies, as founding members, who have committed to be at the leading edge of addressing environmental, social, and governance issues. They are joining forces to translate the sustainable development principles of the Global Compact into business operations, and to broaden and deepen partnerships with the entire United Nations system.

The premise is simple: when companies embed human rights, labour standards, environmental stewardship and anti-corruption measures throughout their organizations, it is good for business and good for society.

More companies should take up the sustainability challenge, for their own good and the good of the world. LEAD will help make that happen.

By working together at the strategic level, as well as in concrete partnerships, we can leverage our strengths to take on some of the biggest challenges of our time. All of the members of the Global Lead have pledged to share their experiences with the broader network of thousands of Global Compact companies.

Let me turn now to a few other topics, which may be of interest [to you], and then I will be happy to take your questions.

I have dedicated much of my time here in Davos to building momentum on climate change and sustainable development. This morning we had a stimulating session on sustainable development where I called on corporate and political leaders to connect the dots between climate change and WEF – this is not World Economic Forum but that WEF stands for water, energy, and food, and I added one more W for women empowerment.

To any who might argue that time and effort spent on climate change is wasted, I would respectfully beg to differ. A climate agreement among all nations is both necessary and possible. It may not be easy, but things worth doing seldom are. I will continue to engage world leaders, just as I have been doing here in Davos, to advance climate negotiations and to make concrete progress on the ground. This is integral to our overall sustainable development agenda. As I told President Zuma yesterday, who is now the President of COP 17, I look forward to attending COP 17 in Durban this December and will do all I can to build upon recent success in Cancun. I had also a meeting with President Calderon who successfully chaired the Cancun Summit meeting last December. We will all have in concert to work together to make this climate change negotiation process progress.

Here in Davos I have also focused on global health. Two days ago I launched in Geneva a commission with President Kikwete of Tanzania and Prime Minister Harper of Canada that will ensure accountability for financial and policy commitments to the Global Strategy on Women's and Children's Health that was welcomed and adopted by all 192 UN Member States in September in New York. We have also put a spotlight on chronic diseases and will convene a summit meeting on this major challenge in New York this September.

We are also focusing on food security, particularly given the current spike in food prices – and on nutrition, especially the crucial 1000-day window from conception through age two.

The outlook for food prices remains uncertain. The impact of higher food and energy import costs threaten the economies of developing countries that are already under stress from the global financial crisis.

I want to emphasize to the world community, and especially donors, the crucial importance of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program. This is unfinished business that everyone must join together to make successful.

Tomorrow I leave for the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, where I will co-chair a high-level meeting on Cote d'Ivoire to determine next steps for a peaceful solution. Much is at stake. The longer the crisis continues, the more the security, human rights and humanitarian situation will deteriorate.

I will also have special sessions on Sudan and Somalia, on the issues of sexual violence against women, and on malaria.

Thank you very much for your attention and I will be happy to answer your questions.