 Excellencies, distinguished speakers, and guests, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me a great pleasure to convey to you the greetings and best wishes of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed An-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Welcome to the UAE. With his support and encouragement, we welcome you again to the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi. As a distinguished group of influential political, economic, and business leaders, you honor us with your presence here today. We know that we will learn from you at this conference, just as we have already learned from your accomplishments and your vision in government, economics, business, and world affairs. Your presence in Abu Dhabi underscores the city's importance in world affairs and the global economy. It clearly reflects the prominent place of the United Arab Emirates among the nations of the world. Our greatest fortune in Abu Dhabi and the UAE has been that our leaders are people of wisdom and vision. We are deeply indebted to our founding president, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan An-Nahyan, for his great foresight and leadership. His wise and inspiring vision made the UAE a country of progress, prosperity, and stability. Our national leaders have continued to recognize the need for sustainable development and change. And especially pertinent to your gathering here today, I take special pleasure in welcoming you to a city that's moving swiftly from good to great. Abu Dhabi has sized its opportunities and became a truly global city, not only a center for finance, business, education, health, technology, and culture, but also a nurturing source of innovation and creativity that promises to benefit the whole world. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed An-Nahyan has carefully fixed the goals toward which Abu Dhabi is moving and has formulated the methods for most effectively reaching those goals. It is with his guidance that Abu Dhabi is moving forward with deliberate strategies to maintain vigorous growth, to create prosperity for all, and to bring together people, government, private, and public institutions to create a vibrant and balanced society. We are proud that this city and the country are showing the world that people from different nations, different ethnicities, different religions, and different cultures can in fact live and work together in peace and harmony. We have shown that there is a valuable dividend associated with tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Countries that value tolerance are generally more peaceful countries that have lower costs of doing business and have higher workforce moral. Those countries are also typically safer, more productive, and have more resources dedicated to useful economic activities. In addition, tolerant societies with open and welcoming attitudes to new ideas develop cultures that are conducive to innovation, creativity, and knowledge development. These societies generally make a more successful transition to the knowledge-based economy and what society demanded today. As a result of our tolerance, the United Arab Emirates enjoys unparalleled economic growth accompanied by social and political stability, while constantly bordering opportunities for our country's citizens and residents alike. It is my sincere hope to see a similar description applied to all countries of the world. Yet regional and global conditions continue to challenge this hope. The absence of tolerance persists sometimes from lack of understanding, as other times from a deliberate intent to misrepresent and mislead. We see how extremism feeds on failure and pessimism and produce intolerance, and how reform and economic prosperity inspire confidence and realistic hopes for a better future. Distinguished guests, friends, and colleagues, the agenda you have before you contains issues vital to the future, not just for those at this conference, but indeed for the whole world. I know that you will spend time considering some global, wicked problems by their nature. Wicked problems are tricky and ill-defined. Yet some of them, such as the climate change, poses existential threats to the world as we know it today. Your presence here signals your resolve to understand the enormous problems we all face. You aim to increase and deepen your knowledge. My experience tells me that the acquisition of knowledge demands awareness, understanding, interpretation, evaluation, and theorizing. We acquire knowledge because we seek meaning. Knowledge is a necessary step towards wisdom, and with wisdom we can negotiate and navigate the global society that we have become. I strongly believe that will be our knowledge and wisdom that allow us to harness the great potential of Expo 2020 Dubai that started today. We are striving to ensure that this world Expo, the first in our region, is not only spectacular event, but also a powerful unifier and an effective platform for forging international cooperation and global partnerships. Expo 2020 Dubai will be an opportunity to reinforce our conviction that the challenges facing the world are not limited by national borders. Together and through our collective knowledge and wisdom, we will promote a culture of tolerance that will unite us in the spirit of the Expo's theme of connecting minds, creating the future. It will also be the knowledge and wisdom displayed here in the World Policy Conference that will help our global communities, whether any economic, social, or political turbulence. As you expand, sharpen, and deepen your knowledge of global issues, you are developing the capacity for the wisdom that our world desperately needs. Wisdom can be ours, and it will be our wisdom that will help resolve international conflicts and disputes. It will also be our wisdom that creates a knowledge economy and a knowledge society that accounts for the well-being of all citizens, not just the enrichment of a privileged few. It will be our wisdom that improves education so that all can contribute effectively to a knowledge-based economy. It is our wisdom that recognizes the moral imperative for improving the health and safety of all communities. It will be our wisdom that helps us deal effectively with critical environmental wicked problems such as climate change, waste management, recycling, portable water, and renewable energy. It will be our wisdom that preserves the strengths of our traditional cultures and nurtures our natural moral affinities with other cultures and peoples. It will be our wisdom that allows us to accept reasonable risk as we advance scientific research and entrepreneurial innovation. It will be our wisdom that enables cooperation, creativity, understanding, and mutual support that help us face the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be our wisdom that fosters an optimistic outlook on the future of our world, a future that holds peaceful coexistence and prosperity for all, and it will also be the knowledge and wisdom shared in this world policy conference that highlights the pivotal role of leadership in building the future. Successful leaders for our successful leaders for our age must be innovative, but fair, steady, alert, courageous, knowledgeable, and wise. Together and through our collective wisdom, we must reaffirm our conviction that we all live and work in an interconnected world. We must all work together to create and preserve a world order that promotes peace, hope, understanding, stability, cooperation, and prosperity for all. I would like to extend my thanks to the marvels of it, my dear theorem, who organized this prestigious conference. The collective wisdom you are developing and sharing is important to creating a better future for all of us. Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, let me conclude by noting that the UAE is celebrating its golden jubilee this year. We are determined in the next 50 years to expand our success in bringing together private and public institutions, nationals, and expatriates alike, regional and international partners to create a vibrant, balanced, and peaceful society which is focused on improving the quality of life for all our people. We are intent on doubling our efforts of focusing on prolonged, inclusive, and sustainable development. We will emphasize the role of community leaders, thinkers, and innovators in shaping our future. We will continue with our commitment to regional and international peace and cooperation. We will always strive to integrate the knowledge and the wisdom we gain to build a better future for all. My best wishes to you for a successful and productive conference. Thank you and God bless you all. First of all, I would like to thank your excellency, your chair, Nahayan, Mubarak Al Nahayan, for your message, your message of tolerance and coexistence, which is the title of your ministerial portfolio. And I think that all the ideas you expressed are exactly those that we share in this world policy conference. So I want to thank you very much to thank the United Arab Emirates who host us for this 14th edition of the WPC and all the friends with whom we have worked for this event. And you reminded us that not only is it the opening of the Expo in Dubai, but you reminded us that it is also the 50th birthday, a jubilee of the UAE. And let me also, in the name of everybody in this audience, wish you a happy century, not only 50 years, but a whole century to come. And we need very much this wisdom you have spoken about just to survive, because it is a matter of survival. And now I would like to ask your, his Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew, to come, who is an old, if you allow me, old friend of the WPC. You have been so many times with us, your Holiness. Prime Minister Edirama from Albania who has been also with us. I think this is the second time. Prime Minister Rama, Prime Minister Patrick Ashi from the Ivory Coast, who, the Ivory Coast is also one of the countries with whom we have had regular participation. And thank you very much also, Prime Minister Ashi for being with us tonight. And Mr. Walid Elke Heridji, who is the Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, representing Prince Faisal Al-Faran Al-Saud, who could not come today, but the Deputy Prime Minister will deliver a message in his name. And after all this, I will start by my own presentation. And after that, when you have finished, you have the Ambassador, the French Ambassador, the Ambassador of France in Abu Dhabi, Monsieur Xavier Châtel will also take the floor and deliver a message. So, Excellencies, I am particularly happy that the 14th edition of the World Policy Conference is taking place in Abu Dhabi nearly two years after the 12th edition in Marrakech. The absence of the 13th edition in the WPC timeline like buildings in the United States without a 13th floor elevator stop or planes without a 13th row will always mark the year 2000 which will stand out in the history of the contemporary world. The shock of September 11, 2001, the 2007, 2008 subprime crisis by the way that was the first year of the WPC and its aftermath, the very poorly named Arab Spring early in the following decade, the COVID-19 pandemic and of course climate change whose effects are now being felt in the everyday lives of people around the world are some of the early 21st century events that recall the fragility of the human condition in both its collective and individual dimensions. Geopolitically, the fall in the international system since the fall of the Soviet Union combined with the meteoric rise of China whose ambitions are increasingly clear remind those who dreamed of a blissful age of globalization that the flat world of its ideologues was an illusion. In some respects, ladies and gentlemen, in some respects today's world resembles that of the early 20th century when the lack of any sort of global governance to use a contemporary term led to the first world war. The pandemic whose outcome is still very uncertain has accelerated technological and social transformations already well underway while the sudden hardening of the Sino-American rivalry has intensified changes in the world and the ensuing uncertainties. Many observers, even well-informed ones, have not seen or wanted to see that Joe Biden's election would not change the course of U.S. foreign policy, which now focuses entirely on China. Biden's style is certainly more traditional than his predecessors but his actions are no less abrupt and unilateral. Hopes for a return to multilateralism or at least consultation between allies in bodies like NATO have faded. The conditions in which American forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan and the announcement of a new alliance between Australia, Great Britain, and the United States occurs are two recent examples. They are unlikely to be the last. If states like Japan and South Korea have reason to believe that they are safe from Washington's about-faces, it is because U.S. interests are very important there. Many other countries feel the need to brace themselves for profound reconfigurations or even regional conflicts in which the United States would only be marginally interested, like nature, geopolitics, a boar's vacuum. This was recently seen in the Middle East under Trump's presidency when Russia and Turkey flexed their muscles. Confrontations on a more or less large scale are likely wherever the interests of the United States or China are not directly at stake. Where they are, as in Taiwan, head-on collisions are inevitable in the next few years unless the new world's two superpowers establish a dialogue comparable to the one the United States and the Soviet Union set up after the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Perhaps it would take a crisis of similar magnitude to get there. Another source of concern is the growing politicization of the economy and finance, notably through sanctions. Until now, this has mainly been an American weapon, but China can be expected to methodically resort to them. More broadly, each of the two rival superpowers intends to develop its own globalized system, which should result in two competing spheres in the cyberspace and new forms of dividing the world up into zones of influence. However, most countries do not want to find themselves having to pick sides and thereby becoming vassal states. This is especially true of the European Union in general, and its component parts in particular. Of course, Europeans have a major interest in preserving freedom of navigation in the area now known as the Indo-Pacific, and they unreservedly contribute to this. They attach great importance to deepening their relations of all kinds with India, Japan and South Korea. Naturally, the European Union's member states feel culturally and therefore politically much closer to the United States than to China. Europeans cannot show themselves to be equidistant, and they say it. And yet, their interests with regard to Asia in general and China in particular do not exactly coincide with those of the United States, far from it. They could not accept an imposed transformation pitched as preventive of the Atlantic Alliance into a de facto American organization aimed against China. Their main immediate security interests have more to do with their neighbors' instability. It would make good economic, political and geo-strategic sense for Europeans to collectively structure their ties to their southern neighbors, the Middle East, Africa and, naturally, Eastern Europe, including, and I stress this point, Russia. All of us should focus our efforts mainly on relationships with our neighbors to boost the chances of harmonious economic and social co-development, and here I speak like the Chinese, while giving ourselves the most autonomous means possible to build the collective security of this vast region whose peoples are designed by history and geography to live together. This, of course, does not mean working against the United States, but nor do we want a confrontation with China beyond what preserving our essential interests requires, for example, in the area of technological sovereignty. That said, there is a precondition for keeping the global peace in the coming decades. An understanding between the United States and China based not on a sort of division of the world, but on the contrary, on what can be called humanity's common interests, starting with health and the climate, as we are now discovering or rediscovering. If this condition goes unmet, other states will be unable to successfully meet the tremendous challenges the world can be expected to face in these areas in the coming decades. With a bit of optimism, and as you would say, excellency of wisdom, strong cooperation between the two superpowers on humanity's common good could hopefully extend to other issues. These few thoughts are not meant to be pessimistic, but lucid. More than ever, I believe in the WPC's calling, as it has been defined, its inception in 2008, medium-sized powers must work together to put across their views on the conditions required to keep the world reasonably open. That is, globalization without hegemony or any form of extremism. It seems to me that this idea is shared by the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting us today at the very time, as I recall, as your excellency recalled, when the Dubai World Expo is opening and your 50th birthday anniversary, whose symbol is precisely, I'm talking of the Expo, whose symbol is precisely balanced globalization through the smart, reasonable use of technological resources. The entire Middle East is suffering, but the region potentially has everything it takes to, again, become a place of hope and prosperity. Moreover, everyone has become aware of Africa's immense resources. Europe, if it manages to surmount the challenges inherent to its integration, could become even more of what it has been in the past decades, that is a pool of prosperity, freedom, and peace that has renounced all forms of imperialism. It is clear that in the world of shrinking distances, Europe, in the broad sense, the Middle East and Africa form a community of destinies. I thank you. And now, let me call on your holiness, Patriarch of Constantinople. My name is Patriarch of Constantinople. for our common struggle. We congratulate the organizers for preparing this conference, for ensuring the presence of many personalities, and for choosing the multidimensional and current theme. A quick and successful look at the state of the world today can only create a feeling of fear. Not only are we not completely out of the sanitary crisis, which was fought on the world more than a year and a half ago, but the new geopolitical compositions and the challenge of fundamentalism, as well as the climate and environmental crisis, are so much source of uncertainty and concern. It is not up to us, however, to play the central role, focusing solely on the difficulties that surround us. These years of crisis are a risk to the proof of our civilization. The word crisis in Greek, crisis, evokes a difficult situation, but it indicates at the same time that we will be judged, evaluated, on our reaction to the quality of our response to this challenge. The cooperation and the common action are the categorical apparatus facing the immense contemporary crisis. No state, no religion, the science alone, no institution, no leader alone could face the major problems without the collaboration of the other instances. We really need each other. We are called to work together, our future is common and the path that leads us too. The basis of collaboration is dialogue. It is a gesture of solidarity and a source of deep solidarity. It produces mutual trust and acceptance. It doesn't matter if the dialogue differs from the negotiation, the debate, the confrontation, the remontrance, etc. The definition that comes to mind is certainly this beautiful phrase by Claude Levi-Strauss. He said that there is no small world civilization in the absolute sense that is often given to this term since civilization implies the coexistence of cultures offering the maximum diversity and even consists of this coexistence. Dialogue appears as a paradoxical tension between coexistence and exposure to the maximum diversity. This lesson is also for us in the inter-religious domain where dialogue is theoretical, as well as a practice of coexistence. We hear from this that dialogue may not be designed only as a means but as an exchange of words. It is also about an end in itself which aims to meet it in its transformative capacity. When dialogue becomes transformative it is then that it takes all its density. Dialogue allows us to fight prejudices. It declines. It puts us in a relationship. It allows us to think differently about our relationship to altruism. Today, more than ever in its history, humanity really has the chance and the ability to make many changes through communication and dialogue. We have to think about what some have been calling for for 30 years. The return of the religious is not only the transposition of a much older phenomenon but also the diplomatic communism which was developed in the context of the Cold War and which aimed at enclosing the Christian prisoners on the other side of the river. The Council of Communities of the Church had, since 1948, been allowed to advance many bridges from both sides of Europe. We are reminded of the engagement of Pope John Paul II on the land of peace, especially during the first meeting of Assisi in 1986. It was the first inter-religious meeting of such an event. This same year, the United Nations had, in fact, proclaimed in 1986 as an international year of peace even though the East-West was still polarizing the planet and the war in Lebanon was raging. The year in 1986 was therefore determined on the inter-religious and international plan. Let us mention another example of the conference of the European Church, the Keck. This instance of dialogue is purely ecumenical even if it favors the approach of the Church, it does not lose sight of the importance of other religious actors. In its open letter, What future for Europe, published in 2016, the Keck insists on the importance of a positive attitude towards the adherents of different religions, cultures and visions of the world. On the subject of recognition and respect for diversity, the same document notes during its history, Europe has never been homogenous, only Christian, and the Europe of the future will also be pluralist. In the past, Islam influenced culture, especially in the Iberian peninsula, and in certain parts of the Balkans. And during recent decades, migratory waves have brought Islam and other religions into several parts of Europe. The dialogue is then a principle of inclusion, in which our Church and all religious actors are called to contribute. What is true for Europe is also for the international scene. The inter-religious dialogue is imposed as an incontournable dimension of peace processes between states and the scene of the same society. Moreover, the migratory crisis to which we are confronted makes us aware of this double dimension. The rise in power of religious fundamentalism as a phenomenon through the whole of religious traditions with specificity shared as the literal interpretation of sacred texts, moral rigorism, the political instrumentalization and finally a powerful opposition to all forms of dialogue that is human and inter-religious is a reality. Extremism and radicalization tend to privatize the truth by favoring the confrontation. The dialogue then appears as the only way to throw bridges by favoring peace and mutual understanding. To resume the words of an intervention that we proposed to the Church in April 2017 we quote For this reason the inter-religious dialogue recognizes the difference of religious traditions and favors the peaceful coexistence and cooperation between the people and the culture. The inter-religious dialogue does not want to deny its own faith but rather to change its mind or attitude towards the other. It can also heal the prejudices and contribute to mutual understanding and to the peaceful resolution of the conflict. The parties, the price and the prejudice come from a false representation of religion. By our presence today during this important conference at the Church it's been four years that we want to oppose at least one prejudice. Islam is not equal to terrorism because terrorism is foreign to all religions. That's why the inter-religious dialogue can chase fear and substance. It is central to peace but only in a spirit of mutual trust and mutual respect. End of the quote. Such is the voice of the Ecumenical Patriarchate dialogue center and promoter of dialogue between Orthodox, Christian, religious and inter-cultural. From fructious encounters with secular institutions with philosophy and science a center of ecological initiatives. It carries the dialogue project on the global scene with a lot of force. We have done it last in Bologna, Italy for a few weeks during a religious movement. All dialogues serve human dignity, peace and the future of humanity. Engaging the dialogue is a consequence of our faith which always reinforces our testimony in the world. What threatens our faith is not the opening and the dialogue but the monologue arides the social introversion the rejection of communication. Once again, through the sincere dialogue we do not lose our identity. On the contrary, we are enriched and we gain a deeper awareness of ourselves. We are convinced that the traditions of religion are very horrible and are filled with existential central truths which reveal a special meaning in our time compared to moral dilemmas and axiological reversals. The contemporary crisis interprets religions called to witness this truth by contributing to peace reconciliation between brotherhood and solidarity with respect to human dignity. Peace is not the obvious result of economic and cultural development, progress in science and technology, quality of life. Peace is always a duty. It requires vision, effort, sacrifice and patience. According to Hans Kung, a very well-known Catholic theologian, very famous, no peace between civilizations without the peace of religion. No peace of religion without the dialogue of religion. In this dialogue, does it add the fundamental moral values existing in the traditions of religion can be themed and discussed as a world ethic which supports the specific coexistence in multicultural societies and which at the same time allows the development of a specific cultural identity. That is why patriarchy and community support the importance of inter-religious dialogue. It participates in numerous inter-religious meetings. Our dialogue with Judaism officially began in 1977 and with Islam ten years later. In 1994 we started a three-part conference with Judaism and Islam and we continue to work together in cooperation with Qaïsid, Avien, with Interfaith Alliance for Safer Societies and other institutions. A decisive moment in the engagement of our church for dialogue and peace between religions was the declaration of Brussels. Peace of God in the world towards a specific coexistence and a collaboration between the three monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In December 2001, it's been 20 years, published shortly after the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001. It was a conference organized by Romano Prodi and ourselves in Brussels. We quote the articles 1 and 8 of this declaration. Article 1 The will of God is that peace of eyes reigns in the world. Peace of God is not the total absence of war. It is the gift of an abundance life. We need immediate and inseparable connections between peace and justice. That's why we constantly take for the prevalence of peace in the world and for a specific coexistence of all religions in our modern global society multicultural and multi-ethnic. Article 8 we reject unanimously the assumption that religion contributes to an inevitable war of civilization. On the contrary, we affirm the constructive and instructive role of religion in the dialogue between civilizations. The other very important intervention is the reference of the Saint and Grand Council of the Orthodox Church of June 2016 on the island of Crete. Express the common will of the 10 churches who participated and align the inter-religious dialogue as a central dimension of the search for peace. We quote a remarkable passage of the encyclical of the Council of Crete. Today, we live a recluse of the meaning of violence in the name of God. The fundamentalist exacerbations within religions risk to evaluate the idea that fundamentalism belongs to the essence of the religious phenomenon. The truth is that, as it is that knowledge does not clarify Zilos or the Pygnocene in Greek, the fundamentalism constitutes a mortal manifestation of religiosity. The true Christian faith is based on the cross of the Lord. Sacrifice without sacrifice. This is why it is the judge the most inexorable of fundamentalism, of the origin. The inter-religious dialogue contributes to the development of mutual trust in the promotion of peace and reconciliation. The church struggles to make peace on earth more tangible. The true peace is not obtained by the love that does not seek its interest in the city of Aftis. The good of faith must serve to think and to heal the old pleasures of the night and not to revive a new wave of hate. In this perspective, we look at the current world crisis opportunity for solidarity, for openness and dialogue for responsibility and common action. It is on this note that we will end this modest contribution. We thank you for your invitation dear Mr. de Montréal, once again and we rejoice in advance of participating in this debate. Thank you very much for your attention. Mr. Eddy Ramat, Prime Minister of Albania. Dear friends, as you can imagine, I am among the tallest Prime Ministers in the world. And so the temptation to talk about the world is very big. But my country is among the smallest in the world. And to speak about it is also very big. And I'll try to resist the temptation and to fulfill the need without being boring. And I hope with your patience to have a certain success. I very much believe globalization is here to stay as long as we live in the same planet as long as we are warmed by the same sun. As long the deepening of our interconnections has become unstoppable. Our genuine interest in across the board and beyond the borders cooperation is growing bigger despite reluctances and multilateralism is and should remain the instrument for cooperation. The problems we are dealing with today are every day more interrelated. Take climate change and by the way we all know that global warming is not just a climate issue. It is a development issue, a security issue, an issue that affects the strength or the weakening of world peace as a whole and of peace in various regions. An issue with long-term impact. Therefore the more effectively we deal with it the better to prevent natural disasters, fires, floods, droughts, rising water levels, loss of land, etc. It is not today the Covid-19 pandemic a global issue which has taken so many lives compared to the loss of a world war. Are we able as isolated nations to fight against this plague of modern times? We saw it and the answer is of course we are not. The same logic in my view goes for security issues, for the fight against international terrorism, for the cyber war, for supply with drinking water and food for all, for the attainment of a sustainable and long-term development with the aim of leaving no one behind and so on and so on. In these times of global challenges which are also times of trust challenges the commitment of all of us within the structures we have set up is required but for sure adopting these structures to meet today's challenges is a must and not in a hegemonic but in an harmonic way I might say. Albania believes that the renewal of a profound commitment to effective multilateralism is more necessary than ever so as to deliver on peace, democracy, human rights and development. Within this frame we strongly support the vision and ambitious reform agenda of the UN system and that of the Security Council as well. With a firm commitment to the principles of multilateralism Albania successfully chaired last year the OSCE making an enduring and long lasting contribution to peace, human rights and equality. Under our leadership the OSCE Ministerial Council agreed several new commitments on combating transnational organized crime, countering corruption and preventing torture in the OSCE region. We delivered much needed progress in all three dimensions of the OSCE security. As a believer of multilateralism on a global level Albania will be for the first time in its UN membership history a member of the Security Council of the United Nations for the term 2022-2023. Fully aware of the responsibilities trusted upon us by the United Nations family will bring to the Security Council the perspective of a small country with a constructive foreign policy and a consistent commitment to multilateralism. With a group of like-minded we have undertaken the initiative to launch a treaty against the pandemics in order to face successfully in time such kind of costly pandemic situations. We are concerned also about negative consequences of infodemic in the context of the COVID-19 which can heighten the risk of conflict, violence human rights violations and mass atrocities. We need greater integration on the sustainable development agenda with peace and security as well as human rights. Albania considers that the achievement of sustainable development goals and implementation of the 2030 agenda is a shared responsibility. We are in full truck with European Union policies and international documents and decisions to develop energy sector in full harmony and friendly with the environments. The Albanian government has started to reform the sector of electric energy since 2014 through actions undertaken to complete the legal and regulatory framework in compliance with the European Union third package of energy and in full compliance with the new directives on energy. We are focused on the diversification of the power production based always on renewables like water, sun and wind. This will reduce the high dependency on the weather conditions as currently almost all the production is based on hydro sources. The government is developing the national energy and climate plan according to the new policy guidelines and energy community agenda on urbanization in the energy sector. This plan will forecast the total power production based on domestic installed capacities for the period 2021-2013. Albania is expected to be a net exporter of electric energy within this decade. But talking about the challenges of our times in this city, I cannot avoid to speak about the role model of the UAE regarding peace, multilateral cooperation and human solidarity. The signature of the Abraham Accords between UAE and Israel was a shockingly positive development of discontinuity with ages of stalemate in one of the longest and deepest conflicts of our world. They are taking a huge step of reaching out to the historical enemy. UAE led by example towards a completely new direction of addressing the future, not by forgetting the past but by forwarding the future. And by doing so, making the future the base of dealing with the past and not let the past dictate anymore the future. This major development in the history of peacemaking, it is a true source of inspiration for the world as well as in the Balkan region, where for so long time bloody wars and conflicts have prevented people of different nations to see themselves as humans and deal with each other humanly. On the other hand, we, Albania, have experienced firsthand the UAE human solidarity after the devastating earthquake of November 2019, when 15,000 families lost their homes in less than a minute. His highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, was among the very first to weigh in among a vast number of foreign leaders who express the solidarity not just in words but also in deeds. And thanks to him and to the government of UAE whole brand new neighbourhood is being built today for families that lost everything in that tragedy. I'm very proud to conclude here by telling you that Albania has stood strong in protection of the Afghan people at risk. Following the course of events back in Afghanistan and the spirit of solidarity I talked about a little while ago we Albanian government took right away the decision to host in Albania up to 4,000 Afghan citizens. It's a very big number compared to much bigger and richer countries which contribution did not reach the bar of the challenge. And during all these days many people have asked me why. And my answer is very simple. First of all by doing so we've developed our history and our tradition. One of the pages the most beautiful page of our history being the Salvation of Jews during World War II. Albania was the only country in Europe with more Jews after the war than before the war because no one drew was given up to the Nazis. Secondly we may not be rich but our memory cannot be short. We were the Afghans 30 years ago when leaving our own hell escaping our own talibans they were not fundamentalists of Islam but they were fundamentalists of Stalinism. We had to cross the sea and to appear on the shores of Italy and Europe like aliens of which nobody knew how it looked like. And if we were not sheltered and even help and hope 30 years ago we would not have been here today a country with EU candidate status aspiring to become one of the Union's members. And thirdly, maybe most importantly we did it because we owe it to our children. They should not be erased in an environment where they are told to shut the door, to live in fear to turn the back to them in need but they should learn by deeds not by words that in this life there is a time to ask and there is a time to give. Thank you very much. I don't have to move the mic since I'm not as tall as my friend but I guess it will suit me. I will invite you to use your headphones as I'm going to deliver my speech in French. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, it's with a real pleasure and a great honour that I take part today in the name of the President of the Republic. His Excellency, Mr Alassane Wattara to the 14th edition of the World Police Conference in Abu Dhabi. I would like to first of all present the cordial greetings of the President of the Republic, his Excellency Alassane Wattara to his Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nayan for the friendship and cooperation that unites our countries as well as all the guests and participants present in our assembly of this day. I would also like to congratulate Sheikh Nayan bin Mubarak Al-Nayan for the presence and co-existence and for the quality of his intervention. I would like to express here all my gratitude to Mr Thierry de Montbrial President of the French Institute of International Relations to have once again associated with this geopolitical Senacle of the First Plan which offers the unique opportunity to the decision-makers, researchers, opinion leaders of the five continents to debate about the march of the world and to confront together their options and solutions to overcome the crisis and to improve the future. I would like to finally remind you of Prime Minister Amadougon Koulibali who has made himself known in the name of the Ivory Code to this tribe and who has left us last year and who has allowed us to give him homage. Ladies and gentlemen, the African that I am will speak to you today with his reason but perhaps even more with his heart when the challenges that the continent faces at the end of this pandemic are historic, acute and challenging. Africa remains, indeed, the world with which the future must be written for the common good of this planet that we share, for its economic and social prosperity to which African youth will contribute centrally, to the migratory stability fixed on the continent by a sustainable socio-economic insertion the most fantastic demographic growth never known in such a short time. For its natural and essential resources and essential to the march of the world by reminding that Africa is this continent that is more than 60% of the Arab lands not yet exploited. For our ecological balance with the primordial safeguard of our primary forests essential to the balance of our planet and our lives to all. But if Africa is this continent of the future it is also this continent in an emergency that must face the prodigious challenges of a world of crisis that will always be an advantage. Ladies and gentlemen, if COVID has been stopped and severely disturbed the march of the world force is to be recognized that it has also changed the destiny of the continent. In a few months, the pandemic has indeed interrupted a growth dynamic that has been set for more than a quarter of a century disorganized the value chains and caused a deep lack of inequalities. Because if the situation of the Ivory Coast appears like a flood of resilience with a growth of 2% in 2020 which shows the solidarity of the fundamentals of our birth led under the leadership of its excellence at the San Huatara, the Aryan Africa has registered according to the figures of the International Monetary Fund a recession of almost 2% in 2020 was one of the weakest rates ever raised with nearly 30 million people threatened to fall into extreme poverty. For 2021, while a growth of 6 to 7% being set at the world level the estimated potential will be only half in Africa and so, even if the continent must record a growth faster than the rest of the world it must respond to many challenges including the employment its immense and growing youth is always in demand of employment. By redesigning the trajectory of the continent the pandemic threatens not only the progress of our people but also the entire world which could lose the future key engine of the planet growth. Because let's look here at things with lucidity Africa does not have today weapons necessary to triumph alone certainly a lot has been done suspension of the service of the debt by the G20 for some countries exceptional financial aid of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank or COVAX program for vaccination but will it really be enough? We do not think so. Indeed, concerning the strategy of sanitary repose against the pandemic it seems now certain that the vaccination objective in the first dose of 40% of the continent will not be reached by 2021 end of 2021 with only 6.5% of the inhabitants of Africa having received at least one dose of vaccine at this day more than 55% in Europe and in America the great world leaders have perceived the urgency of the action it is necessary to say hello and thank you very much the recent initiatives of the American President announcing on September 22 that he was going to bring to 1.1 billion the number of doses delivered in the COVAX initiative either an additional volume of 500 million or the doubling of French donations to 120 million doses announced by the President Emmanuel Macron last month but it will be necessary to do more and faster to reach the rate of vaccination coverage defined by the center of control and prevention of diseases between 60 and 70% of the population in mid-2022 the risk must appear and spread new variants that can lead to a preventive vaccine for all ladies and gentlemen concerning the relaunch strategy allowing to face the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic when Europe and the United States deploy and with reason cumulative relaunch plans superior to 2.5 billion dollars the monetary fund estimated that the African country will need 285 billion dollars of additional funding up to 2025 knowing that it will be a minimum and that to put the African countries on the trajectory of developed countries we will need to release a real sum about two times more higher but at this point as you all know there is no relaunch plan nor any mechanism of monetary creation to mobilize such resources at the continent so even if the needs in infrastructure are linked to the rapid evolution of the population these needs have not been stopped by the pandemic and they represent a volume of 20% of the GDP if I only talk about the situation of my country the Ivory Coast it will go from about 26 to 36 million inhabitants between 2020 and 2030 with as a corollary the absolute need to create 8 million jobs up to the end of the decade to integrate this youth committed, creative and very important in the national economic fabric in order to give it a clear and durable perspective 8 million jobs in naval and everything that it supposed to do in terms of investment in educational systems health, basic infrastructure energy, transportation security and defense and of course investments to fight climate warming Yes, ladies and gentlemen on this front line of the employment of our youth this shit of all battles for Africa we have no other choice than to succeed for our nation for the sub-region for all the other continents with which we have a connected destiny let's see with franchise and responsibility things as they are in short terrorist leaders and the spectrum of massive immigration will embrace our nation So how do we do it face these threats in our sense by leading two fronts three primordial transformations the first transformation ladies and gentlemen is the financing of our economies Yes we have said it the needs are immense and the financial resources are limited leading to a return to the financial market where the cost of resources for our nation remains high especially for those whose part of the budget must be devoted to the fight against terrorism these constraints the Africa in its assembly has had a huge cost over the last decade with a public debt reaching the $1400 billion in the end of 2019 counting 650 billion in 2010 the countries of the continent are still in a post-COVID situation demanding with the lowest growth rate even though the donations and the public help have decreased and the preferential loans delivered by multilateral banks are still insufficient so we have to put and allow the African countries to access large-scale resources and low costs to allow them to invest in social sectors and infrastructure in order to create a favorable ecosystem in order to accelerate its development this is why the current issue around the DTS of the International Monetary Fund carried by the top of Paris is fundamental the current part of the continent $33 billion over the $650 will cover almost more than 10% by the developed economies of 25% of their DTS would allow to triple the envelope without affecting the level of debt of our states this is not a simple moral action or altruistic action it is a major fight for the reality of our future and therefore yours as the French president said recently and I fully share this analysis it is the investment with the highest income that can be made in the short term ladies and gentlemen the second transformation aims to make private sector a absolute priority a national emergency it is indeed the quality of the portfolio of private sector companies and the rapidity of its development that will create solutions to both major challenges of the continent on the one hand the creation of wealth and sufficient income to finance the social needs immense populations as well as the transportation infrastructure and the vision of Ivory Coast 2030 dedicated by the project of the Ivory Coast Solidarity of the President of the Republic of its excellence Alassane Wattara and which aims to double again our GDP per inhabitant in 10 years reducing half of our poverty following the dynamic to address our life expectancy of 10 years and therefore also create these 8 million additional jobs with as strategic lever the acceleration of our agricultural power and its integration in the world value chain the creation of a powerful industrial base with national champions in the agro-industry textile production, habitat pharmaceutical industry energy, mines, numeric tourism and cultural industry to reach a target contribution of the private sector to investment of more than 25% of GDP in 10 years according to the work published recently by the International Monetary Fund if the private sector African follows such a trend it will be in measure to bring each year until the end of the decade of additional funding in favour of physical and social infrastructures equivalent to 3% of the GDP of the Sub-Saharan Africa this represents 50 billion dollars per year on the basis of the GDP of 2020 and therefore almost 25% of the private investment rate today limited to 13% of the GDP in the region it will be a radical revolution to considerable training effects Ladies and gentlemen we must acknowledge the first two pre-citated transformations will not come without the commitment of a third fundamental transformation the one of the rapid adaptation of our administration and our governance it is not only about legal and fiscal reforms aimed at improving the climate no, I want to talk here about the state of mind which must change all the steps to adapt to the requirements of our ambitions of development and prosperity under the impulsion of the president of the republic his excellence the government is equipped with a full exercise minister in charge of the promotion of good governance and the fight against corruption the ambition is clear the action will be conducted and we must insist on the imperial need of a cultural transformation of our administrations to make it more and more this indispensable ally of the growth of companies and at least a few times this regulatory or human that they can incarnate today Ladies and gentlemen the moments of crisis produce a doubling of lives and men of the bright castle in these memories of where they fall I believe that the extraordinary period we are going through which imposes to Africa the continent of unknown challenges by their complexity their multiplicity and their celerity will also be the one of the doubling of ideas and commitments Yes, in this time of storms there is also this time of ambitions this time of reinventions this time of solutions for African centuries which would be worth so that they can hold all these promises for the nations of the continent for their youth their women and their active as for all the other actors of this shared earth in common and that Africa will have with its genius and its energy the heavy and delicate mission to grow and preserve it always seems impossible to say Mandela until we do it I thank you for your attention May God bless you And now I will pass the word on the excellent Deputy Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Sir, I will try to pronounce correctly Walid R. L. Not too bad Not too bad Let me start The message of Islam Peace be upon you and before I deliver the statement on behalf of His Highness the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate UAE for three occasions First their 50th National Day Anniversary and second for the integration of Expo and third for convening or hosting this conference in the capital Abu Dhabi Your Excellency Ladies and gentlemen Thank you for your kind invitation to speak at the official opening of the World Policy Conference Such an occasion represent a unique opportunity to enhance dialogue and engagement on issues regional and global concern The inside shared here work toward informing policymaking by gathering officials researchers business leaders and industry experts under the same proof A wide array of topics are under discussion from shifting state of global geopoliticals to the challenge of global health energy and climate change The variety and this intensity of the challenges facing the international community require careful attention and deliberation making matters of global governance very timely At the outst of COVID-19 pandemic the Kingdom made decision to address these challenges sustainably and inclusively The most effective method to do is by relying global efforts within multilateral frameworks This approach act as an extension of decades long diplomacy that sought to bring nation together narrowing differences in order to focus on border picture the shared challenges facing the international community In an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world the pandemic highlights our common threats and intensified shared challenges Unfortunately this was also accompanied by increased polarization around geopolitical and global hotspots Communities struggled in terms of lives and lifehoods At notice these factors increasing international cooperation and bathing the way for sustainable economic recovery became the vital path we choose Recent challenges emphasize the importance of our ambition vision 2030 the need to diversify public revenue stream develop human capital and create sustainable economics are challenges relevant to most nations We have been investing in Saudi youth with necessary skills and diverse opportunity that enhance the quality of life in our society The Venus May program such as the recently announced human capability development program and the national transportation logistics strategy help our economy to better integrate with regional and global opportunities We have also opened up new sectors for employment and investment such as tourism entertainment, technology and green solutions The Kingdom Foreign Policy is driven by dedication to this vision a commitment to regional security and deep affirmation of our mineral global partnership We believe this will act as a catalyst for transformation across the region creating an environment more receptive to the ambitions of our youth The Kingdom is equally committed to addressing challenges of energy sustainability climate change and lending a helping hand to countries in need The Kingdom proudly rank as the third most provider of humanitarian aid Both our Islamic and human values drive our solidarity with countries who are in need The main platform for our donation is the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center which supervise over 1,727 projects in more than 70 countries mounting to more than $4 billion in aid Another key provider of Saudi assistance is the Saudi Fund for Development which has been operating in Africa for the last four decades Its grant and loans amounted nearly $13.5 billion in the last 45 years in 45 countries Their projects span different areas such as food, security health and education Your Excellency Joining the world in achieving a sustainable recovery also mean working together to find creative way to tackle climate change while maintaining energy security and efficiency In addition to the Kingdom adherence to the International Climate Accord such as Paris Agreement and supporting the success of COP26 we believe we can do more Based on this conviction the Crown Prince launched ambitious projects such as Saudi and the Middle East Green initiatives Within the Kingdom we aim to reduce significantly raise our dependent on renewable and plant more than 10 billion trees We also plan on hosting a green initiative forum at the end of this month inviting our friends and partner to participate With our regional partner we are embarking on largest green project aiming to plant over 40 billion trees across the Middle East This is part of the larger commitment to cater for the need for the planet As we support innovation in renewable and green energy as well as pioneering innovation in marine and land conservation in the Red Sea and across the Kingdom In acting this ambition plan and strengthening global partnership require regional environmental that is stable and we give cooperation over tension We are keen on shifting the region toward stability, cooperation and mutual beneficial partnership Saudi diplomacy is full of example showing its dedication to seek peaceful solution to conflicts and disputes The Kingdom offered through the Friends of Sudan group to facilitate peace and transition in Sudan were vital We supported the UN integrated transition assistance in Sudan toward inclusive transition We continue to stand with the people of Sudan in maintaining state institution and supporting Sudan stability and prosperity I would like also to highlight the Al-Ula declaration which was asserted solidarity and friendship In GCC it was a landmark moment in which the region leaders close to come together choose to come together and bathe a bright future for the region We have also been advancing a peaceful solution to conflict in Yemen unfortunately the Houthi have yet to engage with our nor do they seem receptive to international pressure we call on them to case their campaign that are jeopardizing Yemen future and standing in the way of peace establishing long lasting peace and stability through the region We'll always remain a top priority for the Kingdom facilitating peace is a way forward to improving global governance and enabling more open world Your Excellency the world is undergoing profound transformation and we need to adopt if we are to raise the occasion of fulfilling the aspiration of our youth creating opportunities enhancing connectivity and strengthening partnerships should guide our path forward the Kingdom will continue to act as a strong advocate of multilateral frameworks to address common challenges and work toward building a safe and secure future for the region where this can be achieved thank you Thank you very much Mr Minister and now last but not least Mr Xavier Châtel Ambassador of France Abu Dhabi if you would like to come up here I think you will express in French I spoke French a good part of the day, that's why I wanted to counterbalance because the rule of the game is that we speak both languages In French Your Excellencies It's always delicate to be the sixth orator generally it's the orator of too much so I would be extremely brief and above all it is always dangerous to meet between an assembly and a meal so I will just read the brief message that Jean-Yves Le Drian the minister of Europe and foreign affairs asked me to address you so the French quality did not allow him unfortunately to come today he is somewhere in the air but he is in mind with us and I have to tell you how he supports the World Policy Conference he supports it first because with the changes that we see in the work in the region and beyond there is a lot to think about particularly high level it is extremely appropriate he also supports it because in the past the World Policy Conference has shown the great quality of these events and the great quality of these participants as we have seen today and finally and more locally and now it is the ambassador who is particularly happy to be able to deliver this message because the friendship between France and the Emirates is truly exceptional the minister is very happy to see it enriching a new dimension which is the common reflection on the challenges of the region and beyond I can tell you that I was able to measure myself having been in Paris at the time of the meeting between Prince Eretier, Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed and President Macron and I was able to measure the strength and confidence of the relationship between these two leaders so it is just that this strength is reflected also in the quality of the common analysis and the gold in the quality of the common action and since you offered me this tribute I cannot resist having read the message Minister to tell you that tomorrow will be the day of France at the Universal Exhibition and I would like to say again at what point all the participants were impressed yesterday by the magnificent show which was offered during the opening ceremony and I hope that you will appreciate the one that will be given during the day of France many efforts have been made those of you who are French will not regret this show and I can tell you in advance that you will have a magnificent moment and at the height of the friendship between our two countries Thank you