Development, Millennium Dev. Goals

Thank you very much for your welcome, Zainab Badawi.

My thanks to all of you. I am pleased to be with such a distinguished audience of creative communications leaders.

I have heard a lot about the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. Someone told me this is the world’s biggest gathering of “Mad Men”.

I thought to myself: “You should see some of the people I have to deal with!”

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like, first of all, to thank Mr Sergey Prikhodko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, for organizing and inviting me to this very important St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. And I would like also to say thank you and welcome to all the distinguished leaders on the podium and to the distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning. [Dobry den]

I am honoured to be with you again, and I thank you for your commitment and leadership.

I also thank our generous hosts, the European Commission, represented today by the Commissioner in charge of International Cooperation and Development, His Excellency Mr. Neven Mimica.

It has been half a decade since we launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

We have already achieved a lot and built a solid foundation to achieve our objective.

Now we have 15 years to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 on energy.

I thank Their Majesties for hosting us and for being such strong supporters of the United Nations. I thank you both for the decoration you have just bestowed on me.

Queen Mathilde, we are honoured to have you on board as an Advocate for the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals. Thank you for agreeing to add your voice to keep this shared vision in focus and help ensure that no one is left behind.

I am pleased to join you today.

For 10 years, the European Development Days have fostered partnership and innovation for a better future for some of the world’s most vulnerable people and nations.

The global partnership for development was integral to the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals.

The result was unprecedented gains in health, prosperity, education and empowerment.

The MDGs made their mark on the world. But we know there is still much more to do.

Goede namiddag, dames en heren,
Bonjour, mesdames et messieurs,
(Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,)

President Juncker and I have had a wide-ranging and fruitful discussion.

I thanked him for the cooperation, commitment and support that the European Union continues to provide to the United Nations and our joint efforts.

The challenges that the EU and the international community face today require strong partnerships.

On 22 March, we grieved with Brussels as this vibrant and diverse city experienced horrific violence.

Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Initiator, Chairman and Pilot of the Solar Impulse,
Mr. André Borschberg, Pilot of the Solar Impulse,
Mr. Olivier Zehnder, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland,
Ladies and gentlemen,

What a delight to welcome the Solar Impulse to New York.

I have followed this audacious, historic and transformative expedition from day one.

In April, I also had the unique privilege of speaking with Dr. Piccard by video while he piloted the Solar Impulse across the Pacific.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. It is a great pleasure to see you all once again.

Before I take your questions, I would like to highlight three challenges that affect the wide sweep of our work today.

First, we need to keep up momentum on the development agenda and climate change.

In April, a record-number of Member States signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Now we need to bring that Agreement into force this year.

I thank G7 leaders for committing to this goal.

It is a great pleasure to be here at the first multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to ensure a life of dignity for all, with greater shared prosperity on a clean and healthy planet.

Innovation is embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals, together with advancing science and technology, as Goal 17.

But science, technology and innovation must not be limited to SDG 17. They cut across all the SDGs as an important element of implementation.

Good afternoon,

Before I begin speaking about this important DPI/NGO Conference, let me say a word about the latest deadly attack on our peacekeepers in Mali.

We are still getting details of this very serious incident. The latest report I have says that five peacekeepers were killed in an ambush.

They were heroes who had gone to Mali to make it safer and more stable for the country’s suffering people. They made the ultimate sacrifice as the world marked the International Day of Peacekeepers.