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Excellencies,
I am pleased to convey my heartfelt greetings to the g7+ Ministerial meeting as you mark your 15th anniversary in Dili – where your inspiring journey began.
This city, like many of your countries, symbolizes both the wounds of conflict and the strength and resolve it takes to overcome them – and I was deeply moved by your wonderful hospitality as we marked the 25th anniversary of the independence referendum last year.
Your people understand better than most the heavy cost of fragility – and the daily work of rebuilding lives with dignity and hope.
Your organization was born from that spirit of resilience and purpose – and the shared recognition that lasting peace is the foundation of progress.
Over the years, you have championed cooperation, solidarity, and country-led solutions.
You have also made a difference at the global level – including through your leadership in helping to secure Sustainable Development Goal 16 – on peace, justice, and strong institutions.
Yet, fragilities are deepening around the world.
Protracted conflicts, widening inequalities, and a raging climate crisis are fueling displacement and instability – with your nations often bearing the heaviest burden, despite contributing least to these crises.
These plights cannot be ignored.
The world cannot let your calls go unanswered.
We need solidarity for solutions – and that is the spirit of the Pact for the Future that you helped shape.
The Pact charts a course to reform peace and security cooperation – prioritizing conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding.
It seeks to strengthen coordination, including South-South cooperation, to develop innovative approaches, and expand opportunities for women and young people.
The Pact also calls for reform of the global financial architecture through:
Bigger and bolder Multilateral Development Banks;
Effective debt relief for fragile economies;
An annual SDG Stimulus of $500 billion;
And better access to concessional finance – recognizing vulnerabilities through the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index.
We must push the world to deliver on those commitments – including at the Fourth Financing for Development Conference in June.
And we must push for climate justice.
Many of you are on the frontlines – watching as rising seas and extreme weather threaten lives and livelihoods.
As we prepare for COP30, we need to see countries turn promises into action.
Developed countries must scale-up adaptation finance. We need meaningful contributions to the Fund for loss and damage. And we need confidence the $1.3 trillion will be delivered.
Excellencies,
Your journey over the past fifteen years shows us that solidarity is a common responsibility.
As we work to tackle global challenges and implement the Pact for the Future, your voices will be vital – to strengthen multilateralism, prevent conflict, and forge a future of dignity and sustainable development for all.
Thank you.