Amb. Lezarious Kapambwe,
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs,
Ms. Petra Nemcova,
Distinguished guests,
Thank you all for coming ¨D today¡¯s event has been a very memorable one.
For the fourth time in its long history, the Economic and Social Council has held a special event dedicated to strengthening the United Nations¡¯ relationship with the business and philanthropic communities.
On this day marked by partnerships, I extend my sincere thanks to our co-organizers ¨D Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵESCO, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Office for Partnership (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOP) and Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) (I hope you all understand the acronyms) ¨D as well as co-conveners for helping make it possible.
Teamwork, partnerships, working together ¨D this is what the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ stands for and today, we saw it in action.
We heard important commitments; now, let¡¯s follow up on these promises to ensure the commitments in the Chamber are translated into real change on the ground.
Those who pledged action should report ¨D freely and regularly ¨D on their progress. ECOSOC can help.
I urge the President and the Bureau to establish an informal system to make reporting back easier, one which will offer the philanthropic community a more active role in the Council¡¯s work for years to come.
I also encourage you to join ECOSOC this July, when Ministers of Education, representatives of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system and civil society actors gather in Geneva to accelerate the Education for All Goals.
Whether or not you make it to Geneva, building on today¡¯s collaboration is critical. The choice, Ladies and Gentlemen, is clear ¨D together we must, together we will, as we strive for a better world for all.
Thank you.