World Investment Forum 2023: Grand Opening
16 October 2023
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
H.E. Mr. José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and Nobel laureate
H.E. Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Republic of Togo
H.E. Mr. Akylbek Zhaparov, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic
Honourable Manoa Seru Kamikamica, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, Republic of Fiji
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates and Speakers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am truly humbled to stand before you today at this opening Summit of the World Investment Forum 2023: a global platform where you, leaders of governments and businesses, experts, and stakeholders, converge to address the critical nexus between investment and sustainable development.
Abu Dhabi provides an ideal backdrop for our discussions with its forward-thinking policies, modern infrastructure, and strategic location, UAE serves as a beacon of progress in the region and beyond. This dynamic city is a testament to the power of visionary leadership.
I wish to express my profound gratitude to the Government of the UAE for their warm hospitality and invaluable collaboration in hosting this event. We are honoured to be their guests in this remarkable city.
Dear Friends,
As we gather here today, millions of people are suffering. Cascading economic shocks: COVID 19, unrelenting climate disasters, war geopolitics and unbearable debt burdens are crushing the very fabric of our global society.
The common agendas we draft together in 2015, in the belief that our destiny is shared, and our humanity is one, are in peril.
Only 15% of the SDGs are on target to be met by 2030, the investment gap to meet them in the developing world is growing, from 2.5 trillion dollars per year in 2015 to 4 trillion dollars today.
The SDGs are simply too big to fail. They are much more than just a set of targets. They are our last common agenda in a world that is more polarized than ever, a world in desperate need of solidarity, fraternity and multilateralism.
What we see around us is a reminder of what is at stake when we lose sight of the long term, when we leave people behind, when we each go our own way. What we see today is only a taste of what the world could look like in 2030 if we fail the SDGs. That is what is at the center of this World Investment Forum.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the coming days, in this Forum, this is our priority. We will discuss ways to close the SDG investment gap.
To mobilize sustainable finance in global capital markets.
To make sure that sustainable finance does what it promises, by working on sustainability standards.
To channel more of the funds raised to where they are needed most – to developing countries, to the least developed countries, the landlocked and small island developing States.
To support investment in key SDG sectors, such as food security, health, sustainable infrastructure, energy transition and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
It is a daunting agenda, but above all, it is a possible agenda if we can build trust and commitment between us. Because we need all of you, the private and the public sectors, policymakers from all over the world, business leaders from all sectors, finance and investment experts, the young and the women in this room, and the United Nations system to think outside the box and design a positive agenda, learning from so many good solutions that need to be put in practice at scale.
To conclude, ladies and gentlemen,
The world has given us so many examples of all we can achieve together. The technological breakthroughs we have seen in the first two decades of this century are breathtaking. The weight of responsibility is immense, but so are the opportunities. Together, with determination, creativity, and solidarity, we can uphold our promise to future generations, and pave the way forward.
We do not need to look elsewhere for the solutions we seek. The solutions are here in this Forum. They are here in the people sitting all around you. Let's make the World Investment Forum 2023 a turning point in our shared journey.
Thank you.
