 Thank you very much. And good morning, of course, to everyone. And thank you for this invitation. Let me begin, of course, by congratulating the Committee on Forestry on its 25th anniversary. The EU values the central role of FAO on international forest issues and appreciates our close cooperation, including through the European Commission FAO Strategic Dialogue. Our cooperation is not new. The EU has been a member of FAO since 1991. And in 2021, we will celebrate 30 years of membership and close EU FAO cooperation. The EU and its member states have been one of the largest voluntary contributors for many years. Last year, we even doubled the FAO's operational budget, adding another 487 million euros to our asset contributions. And it may sound as if it goes without saying, but we need to keep repeating it. Forests are indispensable. They are vital to us and protecting them is essential to hold biodiversity loss and address climate change. That's why halting deforestation and restoring degraded forests are among the targets of SDG-15. COVID-19 has brought the whole world to unprecedented crisis. Our societies were not prepared for this pandemic and we need to do our utmost to prevent future ones. Tackling bubble deforestation can play an important role in this regard. There is now good scientific evidence to show that clearing forests and converting them to cropland increases the likelihood of new diseases emerging by enabling new contacts between humans and wildlife. And yet deforestation and forest degradation continue at alarming rates as we saw in 2020 report on the state of the world's forests. The EU is determined to do its part to tackle the problem. In July 2019, the Commission adopted a communication on stepping up EU action to protect and restore the world's forests with a series of actions to fight deforestation and forest degradation. More recently, the European Green Deal and the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 adopted in May have stressed the importance of tackling deforestation to fight biodiversity loss and tackle global warming. Stopping deforestation is an integral part of EU efforts to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050. In the post-COVID context, the European Green Deal remains our compass and it is now at the core of our recovery efforts which aim to make Europe a transformational sustainability leader. In her State of the Union speech, President von der Leyen put sustainability at the heart of the Commission's future work. She reminded us that COVID has brought the planet's fragility into sharper focus through images like the burning forests we see every day. She also made it clear that the Green Deal is about much more than cutting emissions. Pollution patterns and off-land use, energy use, deforestation and our consumption of raw materials that all must be addressed as well. The EU recovery package is historic in shape and size and unique in the world. It will help propel the EU out of the COVID crisis through a transition and into a sustainable future. In connection with the green recovery, I would also like to say a word on the FAOs overarching goal of food security for all. The EU fully supports this goal and is committed to joining hands-on to reach SDG2 on no hunger. But let's be clear, no SDG can be achieved in isolation. As custodian, for many indicators of the SDGs, the FAO has a key role to play in that context. We should bear in mind that forests and trees contribute to all four pillars of food security availability, access, utilization and stability. If we fail to achieve the SDG15, in particular managing forests, sustainably and halting and reversing biodiversity loss, we will also fail to deliver on achieving a world free of hunger and more generally on the 2030 agenda. So next year, the UN will host the All-Important Food Systems Summit. As you know, the EU is a firm believer and supporter of multilateralism. So we are very much looking forward to Renseville. That summit must be marked by strong multi-stakeholder engagement. And we must join forces to deliver food systems that are more sustainable. And if we fail to step up our efforts to fight the frustration, we will not be in a position to deliver on sustainable food. Ladies and gentlemen, the next few days are a vital opportunity to gather, discuss challenges and solutions for forests in the context of SDG decade of action. With just 10 years to go, there is no time for delay. We have a collective duty to take action and let's shoulder that responsibility together. Thank you very much for your attention.