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H.E. Mr. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda,

H.E. Mr. Mohamed Muizzu, President of Maldives,

Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Representatives of the Private Sector,

 It is my great honour and privilege to welcome you to the high-level closing session of the Global Business Network Forum.   

I thank the Government of Antigua & Barbuda for graciously hosting us here in beautiful St. John’s.

I thank the Governments of Denmark and Ireland for their generous support to host the Forum here.

 I also thank all our partners, distinguished speakers, and participants for their contributions.

Together, we have delivered a Forum that has been both productive and inspirational. 

We have further strengthened our network, and forged strong new partnerships to advance the SIDS priorities and agenda.

We received invaluable insights from the Governments, businesses, and investment communities.

They have shared many practical solutions to tackle the pressing challenges of the SIDS.

And we have fresh perspectives on how they can better engage to deliver the Antigua & Barbuda Agenda for SIDS-the ABAS.

In the ABAS, we have concrete goals and targets for the SIDS, their development partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders. 

We are happy to see the commitment of the private sector to support the SIDS in achieving this ambitious Agenda.

Excellencies,

 Over the last two days, we heard some recurring themes, that we now need to take forward and turn into actions.  Allow me to briefly present the key takeaways:

 First, we heard about the need to further leverage private sector innovation and financing to unlock untapped opportunities for blue and green economies in SIDS.

Here, the focus was on fostering greater integration between blue and green economies to generate more jobs and drive economic growth, while minimizing environmental impacts.

The discussions led to several concrete proposals, including the establishment of a blue-green development fund for SMEs; the creation of a SIDS investment platform; and enhanced protection of intellectual property.

To advance these initiatives, a multi-stakeholder forum was proposed, especially to promote blue-green development plans for SIDS and link them with new funding opportunities and platforms.

The need for further leveraging existing platforms and initiatives such as the “Blue Hub” supported by Portugal was also highlighted.

Secondly, we heard about the need to empower local communities to strengthen the resilience of islanders and help diversify their economies.  In any such partnerships, it would be important to harness local expertise, and value cultural context.

We need to promote local products and brands, locally-led and owned creative industries, and support digital connectivity and networking between local and global entrepreneurs.

Successful locally-led innovations, such as through the utilization of agricultural byproducts, need to be further encouraged and scaled.

And then, we also heard about the potentials of sports tourism as a catalyst for economic development. We need coordinated and multi- stakeholder efforts to enable SIDS to reap its full benefits.

Third, we heard about the potential to strengthen the enabling business environment in SIDS. This requires strengthening business support organizations, improving labor conditions, and enhancing regional collaboration.

Fourth, we discussed ways and means to attract financing and investment into businesses in SIDS.  In this context, the need for a SIDS Public-Private-Partnership Framework was highlighted. This can indeed facilitate stronger and direct collaboration between entrepreneurs and Governments.

Finally, we also discussed the potentials of the proposed Island Investment Forum under the Centre of Excellence for SIDS. There was strong support from the business community for operationalizing this important deliverable of ABAS.  

 I take this opportunity to call upon the development partners and other stakeholders to provide all necessary support in this regard.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. But just a reflection of the rich and diverse discussion we have had over these two days.

Clearly, SIDS have tremendous potential and the private sector has a crucial role to play to unleash it.   

 The key takeaways of this Forum will be presented at the Private Sector roundtable on Tuesday. 

These will also constitute important elements for the UN Secretary-General’s recommendations for the strengthening of the SIDS Partnership Framework and the SIDS Global Business Network, as requested by the ABAS.

Excellencies, Mr. Secretary General, Distinguished Participants,

 I have now the pleasure to move to our distinguished speakers on the panel, who have honored us with their kind presence here today. 

 I have the honour now to call upon the Honourable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, and President of SIDS4 Conference to deliver his remarks.

[Prime Minister Brown delivers his statement]

I thank you, Honorable Prime Minister, for your statement. I take this opportunity to thank you for your steadfast support and strong leadership to make this Forum a success.

I now have the honour to kindly request H.E. Mohamed Muizzu, President of Maldives to deliver his statement.

[President Muizzu delivers his statement]

I thank the Honorable President for his important statement, and for his kind presence today.

I now have the honour to kindly request Mr. António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General to deliver his statement.

[Secretary-General delivers his statement]

I thank you, Secretary-General, for your statement and for your continued guidance and support to strengthening private sector engagement.

I have the pleasure now to request H.E. Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, to deliver his remarks.

[Ambassador Mythen delivers his statement]

I thank you, Ambassador Mythen, for your statement and for your leadership of the Steering Committee on Partnerships for SIDS.

I have the pleasure now to give the floor to Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre.

[The Executive Director delivers her statement.]

I thank the Executive Director for her statement. I thank you for ITC’s important work, especially to support the MSMEs in SIDS. 

I have the pleasure now to request Ms. Céline Gerson, President and Group Director Americas, Fugro to deliver her statement.

[Ms. Gerson delivers her statement]

I thank Ms. Gerson, for her statement, and for presenting the voice of the Private Sector at this closing session.

Excellencies,

We have come to the closing of the GBN Forum .

I wish to thank all our distinguished speakers on the podium, for honouring us with their kind presence, and providing us with a clear vision for delivering meaningful partnerships for SIDS, as we embark on a new decade of action. 

I also thank all our participants for their active participation and contributions.

I look forward to continuing this important dialogue at the Private Sector Roundtable on Tuesday, 28 May.

 As I now bring the Forum to a close, I wish to reiterate that my Office will continue to work with the SIDS Global Business Network to further strengthen the partnership between the private sector and the SIDS in taking forward the new POA, ABAS. 

I thank you.