 Excellencies dear colleagues and friends, I'm very pleased to join you today at the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders. We meet at a time of unprecedented challenge, the continuing adverse socioeconomic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, grim financial and economic prospects with rising inflation and increased unemployment. The triple planetary crisis and enduring conflicts across regions have pushed many, especially those already marginalized into extreme hardship. These multifaceted crises are compounded by growing inequalities and persistent discrimination with millions of people experiencing food insecurity and shortages of water and energy. The sharp upsurge in the urban population has increased the demand for education, housing, public services, protection of the environment, and public health infrastructure in all major cities. The human rights city's movement has shown the way to tackling these global issues anchored in local solutions. Local governments have indeed been at the forefront of combating these crises, often within severe budgetary constraints. We fully recognize the critical role local governments and cities have played in guaranteeing human rights promotion and protection against this complex backdrop of global challenges. And we remain committed to our partnership, including through our agreement with UCLG, the United Cities and local governments. Over the past decade, many local governments have introduced protection measures for the most vulnerable, including in times of crisis, from women shelters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to food security measures for those in need introduced by cities in Rwanda and Senegal. Over 700 cities worldwide have committed to reducing their carbon emissions in order to meet the international target of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees centigrade, thus contributing to the fight against global warming. Numerous local governments have shown solidarity and provided critical support to individuals and communities at risk, including civil society actors. For example, cities such as Uttaracht in the Netherlands, Krakow in Poland, San Jose in Costa Rica and Pretoria in South Africa have opened their doors to host human rights defenders at risk. Our office has been calling for solutions anchored in human rights to respond in a manner that is sustainable and inclusive to many of today's challenges. The leadership of cities and local governments has been at the forefront of developing such solutions through their knowledge of and engagement with local actors and constituencies. We are keen to contribute to these efforts, especially to continue providing normative guidance in line with the international human rights framework to help operationalize local governments' human rights commitments. Our office has developed guidance and tools on human rights-based budgeting, social protection and universal access to health. We can also support actionable analysis and recommendations from United Nations human rights mechanisms. These have developed a wealth of normative knowledge, including on the rights of children, migrants, women, youth, persons with disability and older persons, all of which can be instrumental for the design and implementation of city and local government policies and programs. The role of local governments is key to making human rights a reality for all, especially the most vulnerable, many of whom live in cities and urban settings. We are joining forces to ensure we can address global challenges from the ground up, breaking through as one. Good luck with your deliberations and thank you.