Mr. President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,The faultlines in our world are widening. Cracks have become canyons. Over the last decade, wars erupted with devastating consequences and dragged on with despicable cruelty.Civilians were targeted. Human rights trampled. Hunger weaponized. Humanitarians killed. International law cast aside.Geopolitical divides have deepened. Inequalities have intensified. Trust has frayed.The climate crisis went from distant warning to daily reality.And artificial intelligence moved at a speed that has blindsided even those who created it.These are not separate crises.They are chapters of the same story. The story of power. Who has it.Who is denied it. How it is used. And how it is changing.Excellencies,Power is being reshaped in three fundamental ways. First, among States. New centres of economic, political and technological influence have emerged.Second, we are witnessing an extraordinary transfer of power away from governments to a handful of private corporations and individuals.Their reach now extends across politics, economies, information flows, technological development, and the civic space on which societies depend.And, third, humans are increasingly handing power to machines – with Artificial Intelligence agents going rogue, and lethal autonomous weapons going from science fiction to military reality.Yet our institutions and systems of global governance continue to reflect the power realities and interests of a largely bygone age.That is the defining challenge before us.At the very moment when humanity faces an unprecedented convergence of threats, our mechanisms for collective action are under growing strain.Excellencies,We are clearly moving towards a multipolar world. And that movement is irreversible.But there are different ways that multipolarity can take shape.One possibility is a world of fragmentation and transactionalism. A world of rising tensions and deepening mistrust.Of fractured markets and weakened institutions.Of shrinking cooperation and zero-sum calculations.In many respects, that is the trajectory we are on today.But there is another path.A path towards networked multipolarity.A world built on interdependence – and sustained by a dense web of economic, political, social and technological connections.A world in which multiple centres of influence coexist within a common framework of international law and shared rules.Such a world can help us avoid hegemonic tendencies and also what  I have called the Great Fracture:The division of the world into two rival blocs with separate economic, technological and security systems.We must avoid them. A networked world recognizes that no power can solve today’s challenges alone.Of course, competition will remain a permanent feature of international relations.But competition does not have to mean confrontation.Healthy competition can drive innovation, strengthen resilience, and expand opportunity.But only when it operates within the frameworks that preserve stability and enable cooperation where cooperation is indispensable.Building a networked future begins with a recognition, especially by superpowers, that their power isn’t so super. Their power has limits.The events of recent years have made that unmistakably clear.Military power alone cannot secure peace.Economic power alone cannot command stability. And technological power alone cannot guarantee security.A networked multipolar world can create the conditions for more balanced and representative global problem-solving.But it requires a multilateral system centred in the UN that is balanced and representative.Strong, effective institutions that reflect the realities and the progressively changing relative weight of countries and economies in today’s world – not the power arrangements of 80 years ago.Fortunately, we are not starting from scratch.We already have a binding foundation: The Charter of the United Nations.And the principles that give it life.The primacy of international law.Upholding human dignity.And the pursuit of justice in all its dimensions. These are the backbone for the effective, legitimate and responsible exercise of power in the 21st century.Excellencies,It comes down to this: Will we act to ensure that power is governed by law or by force?By cooperation or coercion?By responsibility to young people and future generations or indifference to their fate?Because the defining challenges of our age are not separate from the question of power.They are expressions of it. And they will determine whether  we drift deeper into division and instability – or move toward cooperation, justice and collective security.Looking ahead, our future will be shaped by how we address four great tests of power: The power over war and peace.The power that concentrates wealth and drives inequality.The power fuelling climate chaos and the war on nature.And the power unleashed by artificial intelligence.Excellencies,The first great power test in the 21st century is peace and security. Peace is far more than the absence of conflict. It is the presence of restraint of power by law. It is the recognition, as enshrined in the UN Charter, that force cannot be the final arbiter of whose lives, rights and future matter. Today that principle is under profound strain. Across the Middle East, conflicts are cascading. So-called ceasefires have amounted to little more than “lesser fires” – with civilians continuing to pay the price.Enough is enough. I appeal to the leaders in this Chamber to maximize this High-Level week for de-escalation and dialogue.  Together, let's send a clear message from this Hall:The fighting must stop.Humanitarian aid must flow.And navigational rights and freedoms must be fully restored in accordance with international law. Amid the turmoil engulfing the region, we must not lose sight of the devastating situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.It is nearly three years since the abhorrent terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October.What followed was an onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza, with a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I have witnessed in all my years as Secretary-General.The International Court of Justice has issued legally binding provisional measures in the case entitled: “Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.”In an advisory opinion last year, the Court was clear that the United Nations needs to be allowed to perform our mandates in Gaza – and for our staff and humanitarian personnel to be protected.All parties must comply with international law and the Court’s orders.Meanwhile violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel in the Occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the spectre of ethnic cleansing. We cannot allow the two-State solution to disappear before our eyes. In Ukraine, Russia’s full-scale invasion has subjected a sovereign country to a brutal war in blatant violation of the Charter. Civilians continue to be killed far from the frontlines. Mainly in Ukraine, but also more recently in parts of Russia – homes, energy and water systems, and transport have come under repeated attack, threatening food and energy supply chains globally.In Sudan, a war for raw power fed by outside actors has become a war on civilians: Millions displaced.Hunger spreading.Drones striking hospitals and homes.Sexual violence and ethnically driven attacks escalating.And a country being torn apart as the world looks away.And in Myanmar, another crisis is at risk of slipping from global attention with:escalating violence;mass displacement;and expanding transnational crime.Excellencies,These and so many other conflicts show what happens when power gets out of control, force outpaces diplomacy, military budgets soar, and accountability goes out the window.The test before us is whether power will be exercised with the law – or beyond it.We must pass that test: We must defend the Charter without double standards.Protect civilians without exception.Ensure humanitarian access without obstruction.Shield humanitarian personnel without fail.Advance nuclear non‑proliferation and disarmament without delay.And demand accountability without fear or favour.We must also reform the Security Council so that it reflects today’s world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today’s challenges demand. The Security Council was designed in the aftermath of World War II.But the world has fundamentally changed since then. A change that is far from reflected in the Security Council.The most stunning example is Africa.When the UN was founded, most of Africa was still under colonial rule. Today, Africa still has no permanent representation on the Council.A 21st century Security Council without permanent African seats is unjust and indefensible.This must change.Excellences,La deuxième épreuve de pouvoir, c’est celle des inégalités.On présente souvent les inégalités comme un enjeu économique.Or, c’est un enjeu de pouvoir.Le pouvoir de décider qui a ses chances, qui a accès aux ressources, qui a voix au chapitre.Jamais l'humanité n'a disposé d'autant de richesses, de savoirs et de puissance technologique.Mais pour des milliards d’êtres humains, le progrès reste hors de portée.Ils observent la prospérité tout autour d'eux, mais pas dans leur propre vie.On leur dit que la mondialisation ouvre de nouveaux horizons – eux ne connaissent que l’exclusion.On leur promet que la technologie ouvrira de nouvelles perspectives –beaucoup redoutent qu'elle ne leur prenne leur revenu.Pendant ce temps, des milliards de personnes sont toujours privées de l'essentiel – ce que les Objectifs de développement durable visent à garantir à chacun :De quoi se nourrir.De l’eau potable.Une éducation.Un travail décent.Des soins de santé.La dignité.Excellences,Aucun pays ne devrait être privé d’un avenir durable parce qu’il se situe du mauvais côté d’un système financier profondément inégalitaire.Et pourtant, tant de pays en développement sont écrasés par une dette insoutenable.Frappés de plein fouet par des catastrophes dont ils ne sont guère responsables.Et tenus à l’écart de financements abordables.Voilà pourquoi nous avons créé de nouveaux espaces politiques pour faire avancer la réforme de l’architecture financière internationale.Ce n’est pas là un débat technique, mais une question de représentation, d’équité et de partage de pouvoir:Pour un allègement de la dette rapide, efficace et juste.Pour des banques multilatérales de développement plus grandes, plus audacieuses et mieux armées – capables de financer le long terme à un coût abordable et à grande échelle, et de mobiliser massivement les capitaux privés.Pour que les droits de tirage spéciaux bénéficient aux pays qui en ont le plus besoin.Excellencies,No discussion of inequality can ignore its most universal form:The inequality between women and men.Everywhere, women and girls continue to face discrimination, violence, exclusion and abuse.Around the world:Their rights are being rolled back.Their voices silenced.Their bodies turned into battlegrounds.And their freedoms treated as bargaining chips.This is an outrage –and a profound waste for humanity.Peace is more durable when women are at the table.Economies are more dynamic when women have equal opportunity.Societies are more resilient when girls can learn, lead and live free from fear.And institutions are more effective when power is shared equally.Over the last decade, we achieved an enormous milestone.I am proud to report to you today that the United Nations achieved gender parity for the first time in history across all senior leadership…all headquarters … and all professional staff.It happened because we removed barriers, we challenged assumptions, and refused to accept that power must look as it always has. At every step, we never compromised on quality and competence.  Equality is not a dream.  It is a decision.If the United Nations can change:So can Governments.So can Parliaments.So can businesses.So can peace processes.And so can this General Assembly.Excellencies,The third great power test is the climate crisis.In many ways, it is the most profound intergenerational power imbalance of all:One generation consuming the future of the next.One group profiting, while those least responsible suffer first and worst.Three years ago in the mountains of Nepal, I sounded the alarm on accelerating glacier melt – warning that the rooftops of the world are caving in. Some dismissed it all as overstating dangers.But – as tragic events have shown – impacts are arriving sooner, hitting harder, and spreading further than many anticipated. Now we face a near certain breach of the 1.5 degree limit, with a supersized El Niño speeding straight for humanity. The dangers are real. But so is the hope.The last decade has fuelled one of the most promising shifts in power of our time.The rise of clean energy.The sun belongs to no one.The wind cannot be embargoed.Innovation can come from everywhere.This is a profound rebalancing of power relations.Renewables are now the cheapest source of new electricity in most of the world.And the most viable path to energy security, independence and sustainable growth.Excellencies,A future beyond fossil fuels is in sight.The question is how.Will it be a just and orderly transition built on international cooperation – or chaotic and costly leaving people and countries behind?Today I call on every government to adopt a national plan to transition away from fossil fuels aligned with 1.5 degrees, with clear timelines and protection for affected workers and communities.We know that fossil fuel interests won’t step aside on their own.For decades, Big Oil has treated the atmosphere as an open sewer – and cashed in on the consequences.Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, five major Western oil companies have pocketed nearly half a trillion dollars in profits.Compare that with just 34 billion dollars in international public adaptation finance for developing countries in the latest year reported.Meanwhile, everyday people are paying more for energy, food and insurance.We have seen this kind of abuse of power before.When the harms of Big Tobacco became undeniable – governments acted.The climate crisis demands the same determination. Those who polluted the most – and profited the most – must do far more to repair the damage they caused.Polluters must  pay. And to the leaders, cities, civil society and citizens working to hold them accountable:I say, you are on the right side of history.Keep going.And governments must keep going on all fronts:To end deforestation.Invest in grids and storage.Cut methane emissions.But these actions are not enough:We need climate justice with a focus on adaptation and finance. Developed countries must respect their commitments. They must triple adaptation finance.And make the Loss and Damage Fund work at scale.The present funds available in the Loss and Damage Fund are ridiculously small. We must also ensure that the mining of critical minerals does not dig deeper into the inequities of the past.Producing countries and affected communities must retain a far greater share of the value created from their resources.No more plundering. No more exploitation.Excellencies,The fourth power test is technology, and above all artificial intelligence.For centuries, power came from territory. Then industry. Then finance.Today, power increasingly comes from data, computing capacity and algorithms.This new power is highly concentrated. It is advancing at extraordinary speed. And racing ahead of our ability to understand its full consequences.In 2017, AI was barely on the world’s radar.Yet in my first address to the opening of the General Assembly, I warned – and I quote:  “Artificial intelligence is a game changer that can boost development and transform lives in spectacular fashion. But it may also have a dramatic impact on labour markets and, indeed, on global security and the very fabric of societies.”End of quote.Here we are, almost a decade later.AI is indeed a game changer – with enormous promise to advance medicine, accelerate scientific discovery, expand opportunity, and improve lives.Make no mistake.The danger is not technology.The danger is technology without accountability:Capability without oversight. Decision-making without transparency.And that danger cannot be minimized. The very developers building these systems are now pulling the alarm.Excellencies,The first duty of government is to protect their people.Governments must assume their responsibilities.And governments with the greatest AI capabilities have the greatest responsibilities to humanity. To establish channels for dialogue, transparency, trust and cooperation.Not despite geopolitical rivalry – but precisely because of it.At a pivotal moment during the Cold War, strategic rivals came to recognize the need to manage shared existential risks. They built mechanisms to reduce misunderstandings, manage escalation, and prevent catastrophe.At that time, it was the nuclear armaments.Today, artificial intelligence demands the same clarity of purpose and sense of urgency.Those countries leading this technological revolution must share information on emerging safety risks. Cooperate on testing and evaluation. And work towards common safeguards that protect us all.  But because this affects us all, global coordination is indispensable.And there is only one place where every country has a voice in shaping our common future:And that place is the United Nations.Through the Global Digital Compact, you agreed for the first time on universal principles for AI governance.Through the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, we created a platform for governments, scientists, industry leaders and civil society to work together.Through the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, we have brought together global expertise to ensure that policy is guided by evidence.Just yesterday, the AI Scientific Panel released a thematic brief on AI safety and risks from loss of human control.Building on these efforts, we must take the next steps.  First, to advance the conditions for the responsible pacing of AI and the additional safeguards needed to address risks.Second, to work towards a multilateral AI Risk Management Framework, supported by credible and independent oversight.In all our efforts, we must ensure no country is left behind.Artificial intelligence must be shaped by humanity, with humanity, and for all humanity.And as we confront the challenges ahead, let us not retreat from two fundamental principles.Let us say with one voice: Children must never become the test subjects for unregulated systems.And let us resolve that life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines.Killer robots must have no place in our future.Excelencias:La paz y la seguridad.La desigualdad.El clima.La inteligencia artificial.Estas son las cuatro grandes pruebas del poder que definirán el futuro.Y están entrelazadas.La guerra profundiza las desigualdades, arrasa el desarrollo y propaga el hambre.La desigualdad decide quién puede afrontar el cambio climático y otras crisis, y quién queda expuesto a sus peligros.La crisis climática alimenta la inestabilidad y los desplazamientos.La inteligencia artificial podría ayudarnos a resolver todos estos desafíos – o agravarlos.Excellencies,Across all four tests, the decisive issue is power.Power over force, money, energy, technology, rules and the future.That is why the UN Charter – and the work of the United Nations – matter more than ever.The United Nations exists because power requires rules – and humanity needs a place where power answers to principle.And the Charter leaves no room for selective reading.The Charter created an Organization rooted in three pillars.Peace. Development. And human rights.These are not competing agendas.They are one reality:There is no peace without development.No development without peace. And no peace or development without human rights.To pretend that peace can be separated from dignity, opportunity and rights is an unacceptable illusion.But defending this truth does not mean defending the status quo.The Pact for the Future and the UN80 initiative always respected the principle of equality of the three pillars of the United Nations, are about making the UN:More responsive.More effective.More coherent.More transparent.More focused on results.More disciplined with resources.And more present where people need us.The world does not need a weaker United Nations. It needs a UN strong enough to face the world as it is – and determined enough to build the world as it should be.Excellencies,After ten years, I hold one conviction even more strongly than when I arrived:  The greatest power is not the power to dominate. It is the power to build a future that works for everyone.Our shared future will be forged by whether humanity can govern power wisely.By upholding the law before impunity becomes normalized.By ending wars before they consume generations. By tackling inequality before societies fracture.By accelerating climate action before tipping points are crossed.And by governing artificial intelligence before it governs us.This is the challenge before this General Assembly, the United Nations, and humanity itself.Excellencies,In the face of global catastrophe more than 80 years ago, the United Nations was created as an act of defiance.The defiance of people who refuse to surrender the future to fear.The defiance against the self-defeating notion that might makes right.The defiance of countries that know our futures are bound together.The defiance of hope. I will carry that spirit of resolve and determination through each of the 100 days I have left in office.But commitment to the values and principles of the United Nations does not begin with a mandate. And it does not end with one.They are greater than any office – and they endure beyond any title. So, on January 1st, when I am no longer Secretary-General, be sure of this: Wherever I will be, whatever I will be doing – I will keep championing the conviction that peace is possible.That human dignity is universal.That the power of law must prevail over the law of power. And that our common future is worth fighting for.I will continue to stand up for the values of the United Nations Charter.And I will never ever give up.Thank you.*****[source]

Excellencies, dear friends,The Sustainable Development Goals were not handed down from above.They are a promise – forged by Member States and adopted as a shared commitment by every government.A commitment grounded in the United Nations Charter and shaped by the aspirations of people everywhere.To build healthier, safer and more prosperous societies. Eradicating poverty and hunger. Fighting inequality and exclusion. Rooting out discrimination and disease. Protecting our planet. And leaving no one behind. Since our journey began, we have together reduced child and maternal mortality.Prevented millions of new HIV infections.And expanded access to education, social protection, safe drinking water, sanitation, electricity, renewable energy and the internet.We have also faced profound setbacks.Most notably, a global pandemic that erased years of progress and exposed deep vulnerabilities.Through every crisis, we adapted. We learned.And we kept moving forward.Progress was never automatic.It was earned through the determination of people, communities and countries. Yet today, development faces powerful headwinds.Conflicts, divisions and mistrust are weakening international cooperation.Crises in the Middle East and beyond continue to drive economic insecurity and disrupt food, energy and trade flows.The climate crisis is accelerating – bringing the 1.5 degree limit dangerously closer. The rights of women and girls are under attack.Developing countries remain trapped by debt, constrained fiscal space and inadequate investment.And the world continues to spend record sums on war while development is starved for resources.Dear friends,The promises governments made in adopting the Goals are not being kept.It is time to keep them.Let me point to four areas.First, we need to keep our promise to fight inequality.By investing in what works:Quality education.Food security.Decent work.Universal health coverage.Strong social protection systems.Access to technology and opportunity for all.We must tackle the barriers that continue to deny people a fair chance:Entrenched inequalities.Discrimination and exclusion.And conflicts that destroy development gains.And we must stand firm for human rights and gender equality.When women can fully participate, everyone benefits.Second, we need to keep our promise to our planet.Renewable energy is now the cheapest and fastest-growing source of new power across much of the world.Countries rich in renewable resources must be given the tools and the chance to become producers of clean energy, manufacturers of clean technologies, and creators of decent jobs. Critical minerals must be managed responsibly and sustainably, in a way that adds value and opportunity in producing countries.And the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy must be just – supporting communities and workers.Third, we must keep our promise to finance sustainable development.Countries have pledged to strengthen domestic resource mobilization and channel resources to the areas of greatest need.But much more is needed.The Sevilla Commitment is an important step.Multilateral Development Banks must become bigger, better and bolder.Every public dollar must mobilize far greater private investment.Developing countries must have a much stronger voice and representation in the international financial system that needs reform.And debt must serve development, not suffocate it and we need debt relief urgently.Excellences,Quatrièmement et enfin, nous devons tenir notre promesse d’accélérer les progrès au moyen des outils dont nous disposons.Des données de meilleure qualité.La prospective stratégique.La technologie et la connectivité.Une intelligence artificielle responsable.Un commerce plus libre et inclusif.Des partenariats plus solides entre les pouvoirs publics, les entreprises, le secteur financier, les collectivités locales, la société civile et les jeunes.Et surtout, des efforts renouvelés pour instaurer la paix, qui est à la fois le fondement et un levier du développement durable, pérenne et résilient.Excellences, Chers amis,Si les objectifs de développement durable sont ambitieux, c’est parce que les défis auxquels nous faisons face sont immenses.Cependant, les engagements doivent aller de pair avec des mesures porteuses de changements profonds.Telle est la promesse qu’ont faite les gouvernements.Honorer cette promesse est une obligation.C’est aussi notre meilleure chance de bâtir un monde plus équitable, plus sûr et plus durable.Je vous remercie.*****[source]

Your Excellency, President Xi Jinping.Thank you very much for your kind invitation and your warm hospitality in the wonderful city of Shanghai.Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,Artificial intelligence can be humanity’s greatest opportunity in the 21st century.It could also become one of its greatest risks.As the Conference theme reminds us, a brighter future depends on partnerships. And I thank China for bringing us together in that spirit.The launch by President Xi in 2023 of the Global AI Governance Initiative was a very strong message of Chinese commitment and leadership, and WAICO is its natural development.Partnership is also at the centre of the Global Digital Compact adopted by the UN General Assembly – with the full support of China.The Compact made it clear: Technology that will shape the future of humanity must be shaped by all humanity. It cannot be governed by a handful of countries or a handful of companies.Every nation needs a seat at the table. And the table has now been built through the Global Dialogue on AI Governance – as called in by the Compact.The first such Dialogue, held this month in Geneva – and informed by the Independent International Scientific Panel – carried an overriding message: Technology must serve people – not the other way around.Excellencies,Few areas hold greater promise for our common future than the application of AI to sustainable development.AI can accelerate medical breakthroughs.Transform education. Strengthen food systems and agricultural productivity. Spur new industries and create decent jobs.In short, AI can help usher in a quantum leap across the Sustainable Development Goals.But it won’t happen if the historical injustices of the past are repeated in the technologies of the future.And yet one-third of humanity is still offline.Many countries continue to face gaps in connectivity, infrastructure and energy access.Computing power, data resources and technical expertise remain concentrated.Hundreds of billions of dollars of private investment flood into artificial intelligence – while many developing countries receive just a trickle.AI risks pushing the world towards even greater inequalities … greater divides in income, in opportunity, in security … greater gaps between North and South.We cannot let that happen. The challenge before us is to ensure that artificial intelligence becomes a force for greater inclusion and shared progress.China has an essential role to play – and so do all of us.I am encouraged that over 20 countries -- including China -- have already responded to my invitation and nominated centres to a UN-supported Global Network for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building at the service of developing countries.And I will also soon put forward recommendations for a Global Fund for AI with the same purpose.I ask for your full support for both initiatives.As we look ahead, let me highlight three priorities to help ensure all countries can benefit from the AI revolution.First – capacity.Developing countries bring enormous assets to the age of AI.Talent.  Ideas.  Young, dynamic populations.Every country should be able to shape this technology to its own needs: with its own skills, its own data, in its own languages.At the United Nations, China helped advance the first General Assembly resolution on AI capacity-building, adopted by consensus.And developing countries deserve support to build that capacity.The platforms and tools discussed here in Shanghai show what partnership can deliver.Technology built with developing countries, for developing countries.And that means open models countries can adapt.The open source strategy of China is an enormous global success.Computing power they can afford must be provided.And training for the people who will use them.Second – safety.Systems that cross borders need standards that cross borders.We need common approaches to testing, risk assessment, and responsibility.We need governance that is inclusive, networked, and anchored in international law.Human rights must be protected.Humans must keep control over every life-and-death decision.And no AI system should be put in a child’s hands before it has been proven safe.And third – sustainability.AI can help speed the energy transition – managing grids, integrating renewables, cutting waste.But its growing demands for energy, water and land must be brought into the open.I call on every major AI company to disclose the full environmental footprint of their systems – and power them with renewables by 2030.Several countries – and mainly China – already require data centres to use more renewable power every year.I ask all governments to follow this example – and make clean power for AI part of their national energy plans.Excellencies,The defining question is not whether artificial intelligence will transform the world. It will.The defining question is whether that transformation will reduce inequalities or reinforce them.Whether it will concentrate power or expand opportunity.Whether it will bring the promise of progress for every country – or only to those already at the front of the pack.This is a test of technology – and a test of solidarity. Let us pass the test as partners for a brighter future – and make AI a force for dignity, opportunity, and sustainable development for all.And I thank you.*****[source]

H.E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of ECOSOC, 
Under Secretary-General Melissa Fleming, 
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you, President Thapa, for bringing us together this morning to discuss the final years to 2030 and beyond. The 2030 Agenda remains the most comprehensive, universally agreed roadmap the world has ever given itself. The SDGs have been transformational.At the same time less than five years left, progress is off track as we have learned through the conversations of the HLPF.The first decade of the Goals taught us profound lessons about how change happens when we invest right, and that learning is a critical element on which sustainable development beyond 2030 must be built. We have learned that transformation is not a switch one flicks to see instant change. Where I come from, we say: sannu ba ta hana zuwa – ‘going slowly does not stop the arriving’. And that’s true for the Goals.We have set foundations, and foundations take time to firm up before you can build on them. I believe the first eleven years of the SDGs have served exactly that purpose.I would like to speak about those lessons now. First, our assumptions about what progress would look like were quickly undone. Beginning with the assumption that the concept of sustainable development would be embraced by all as the new development paradigm.It hasn’t. It is still a work in progress for many.  Back in 2015 we also expected that progress towards 2030 would be linear. In eleven years that has rarely been the case. Progress has come the hard way – dynamics pushing against one another, shocks breaking our momentum, forcing us to adjust, to innovate, to course-correct again and again.This decade has thrown a pandemic at us. A climate crisis moving much faster than we feared. When the Goals were gaveled, no one imagined we would speak of overshoot a decade later. The rights of women and girls have been rolled back in many countries.More than sixty active conflicts today and humanitarian needs outpacing resources. Military spending at record highs amidst a shift towards national self-interest. Universality has taken a hit; so has confidence in multilateralism.SDG16 has faced one of the hardest tests. Democracy is under pressure, civic space has narrowed in many countries, and people's trust in their institutions has weakened.But as we pushed back against every one of these challenges, we have been building resilience – and resilience is itself a development outcome. It can be hard to perceive, but it is there. The crisis in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz is impacting people across the globe.With fertiliser affordability at its weakest in years, farmers are cutting back, some missing entire planting seasons. Families are losing out on remittances that have fallen dramatically. That said, this crisis would have been far more devastating ten years ago had the resilience not been built.And it was built because systems became the focus. When COVID hit, we set about strengthening health systems. We also learned hard lessons about production. People in the Global South were left waiting for vaccines.Now countries are building the capacity to make their own, adding value and diversifying supply chains in the process.Transforming education has become a whole-system effort, including students, families, teachers, technology. Food systems too – not an issue about agriculture and food security alone, but the recognition of the importance of social protection for small farmers, attention to women and girls, climate, and water.Crisis by crisis, sustainable development demanded that policymakers think outside their silos and in a more integrated way - across sectors, across borders and across the UN system itself. This is exactly what the Goals asked of us on the day they were gaveled: that we see them as mutually reinforcing pathways. We have learned that centralised governments alone won't cut it – science, academia, young people, civil society, local leaders and communities and the media are all necessary to the 2030 agenda. We have also learned that transformation, once it takes hold, is unstoppable. We see it in the social norms that have shifted.Leave no one behind was once a slogan, now it’s echoed everywhere, and intrinsically linked to having strong, disaggregated data.Consumer behaviour is also shifting, plastic-free and circularity now carry an appeal for many, that fossil fuels cannot match. Every single one of these learnings and shifts is a success of the SDGs, and must be put to work the final push to 2030.Ladies and gentlemen,The conversation on beyond 2030 must begin with taking this learning seriously – planning for a future that, we now know, will inevitably have uncertainty and headwinds. Some crises will be sudden and unexpected, some will be years in the making, but either way we know they will occur. We have to accelerate progress, yes – but we also need progress that can withstand shocks and protect hard won gains. Accelerating takes implementation: delivery at scale, accountability, partnerships that let us move, new players such as the private sector that we have only begun to draw in. It takes financing – and that begins with reforming a global financial architecture that is outdated and inadequate for today's realities.As ODA is falling, debt vulnerabilities are deepening, and the handshake that has long underpinned financing for development is failing.Reform will help us create fiscal space, build financing for when shocks hit and mobilise resources closer to the scale the Goals demand. The Pact for the Future gives us the blueprint, and the Sevilla Commitment the impetus to mobilise public, private, domestic and international resources. We need to lean into emerging technologies which are rewriting the development equation. The debate is no longer whether technology will transform development, but how it will serve inclusion, sustainability and equality. The Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact are guiding this work. Underpinning everything we do – towards 2030 and beyond – is a multilateralism built on solidarity and universality. 
Ladies and gentlemen,We cannot forget that the 2030 Agenda was a promise made to people – to the 1.9 billion young people who will have turned fifteen across the lifespan of these Goals, and to every person still waiting to be counted. Looking ahead to the SDG Summit in 2027, the conversations on both the final years to 2030 and the road beyond are parallel and intertwined.It will require all of us, and particularly young people.   We are not searching for a successor to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but continuing this journey with ambition, resolve and responsibility. The foundations of this past decade were hard-won. The next five years are for delivering on the promise of the SDGs and building the foundations of the future. Thank you.***[source]