 Excellencies, honorable guests, distinguished delegates, colleagues, a very good morning to you all. Allow me to welcome you to this meeting, held at an uncertain time in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prevented me from being able to join you in person, much as I would have preferred to have done so. I would like to thank the ESCAP Executive Secretary, Ibu Armeida Salsia Alice Ribana, for the dedicated support to the GCM regional review process and that of her team who have supported the organization of this meeting for ESCAP member states, partners, observers and stakeholders. Today's meeting is informed by government contributions to the voluntary regional review survey that has been shared over the past year. In addition, numerous partners, stakeholders in the lexicon of the Global Compact on Migration, have worked closely with UN Network on Migration in the lead up to this meeting, in organizing and participating in consultations geared at informing the regional review process. Your engagement is invaluable. I want to especially acknowledge the bold undertaking made by those member states that have joined the Champions Initiative, a third of whom are from Asia and the Pacific, namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines and Thailand. I applaud their commitment to lead by example and empower states through experience. I also extend an invitation to join the initiative to all states. I am grateful to the Kingdom of Thailand for being both a donor to the Migration multi-partner trust fund and joining the Fund Steering Committee and to the Republic of Turkey for their own contribution to the fund. I invite you all to contribute to the broadening as well as deepening of the donor base of the Migration NPTF as the only joint funding mechanism exclusively dedicated to migration. As we look towards the first International Migration Review Forum in 2022 and realizing the work plan of the network, I am pleased to inform you that the network will soon launch the Migration Network hub as called in the GCM. The hub is a key element of the capacity building mechanism. It will facilitate peer learning, exchanges of good practices and providing a platform for dialogues. We count on your continued support and collaboration, including in the socialization of the GCM at all levels, national, regional and global, and support for the work of the network. We value the important role you play in your respective country contexts, diplomatic missions, institutional settings and areas of expertise. Excellencies, we are at an unprecedented moment in time. In wind and through a pandemic that has shaken the international community to its very core. The pandemic has highlighted the challenges that too many migrants face and how they have often been left behind in efforts to prevent, to curb and now inoculate against the virus. As the world turns its attention to the vaccination rollout, I call on governments to ensure that non-nationals are fully included in vaccination programming, irrespective of their legal status. The contribution of migrants in many critical service areas before, during and after the worst of the pandemic waves are often instillable value, from health care to logistics, from food supply chains to agriculture and social services. Governments working alongside nationals have risen to the challenge and made a marked contribution to the communities they have joined, as well as those from which they have come. The global compact is rooted in the sustainable development goals and its commitment to leave no one behind. Evidence from across the globe has shown time and time again that migration can be a powerful driver of sustainable development for migrants and their communities in countries of origin, countries of transit and countries of destination. The Asia and the Pacific region is comprised of several distinct social, cultural, political and economic subregions, each with unique mobility and development dynamics within and between them, disparities in levels of social economic development and the existence of opportunities within countries and subregions continue to shape migration patterns and highlight the need for and value of dialogue and cooperation at the bilateral, subregional and pan-regional levels. Disasters and natural hazards which are expected to increase in scale and in intensity with climate change and environmental degradation are a constant threat to the region's population and economies. Connected to these, violence against women and girls, including gender-based violence, has been shown to increase in prevalence and severity in communities experiencing a disaster. We must do more to protect women, children from violence, especially in the context of migration, now exacerbated by the scourge of COVID-19. The region faces many endouncing challenges, but none of these are uncermontable, especially if we stay true to the call to advance our collective efforts, to work better together for safe, orderly and regular migration. Thank you.