 May I give the floor to the distinguished representative of International Idea. Excellencies, International Idea would like to thank the co-facilitators Ireland and Qatar for convening this consultative process and welcomes the proposals put forward in the Elements paper leading to a political declaration in the margins of the SDG Summit in September 2023. The SDG Summit marking the midpoint of the 2030 agenda provides a unique global platform to catalyze development enhancing changes worldwide. International Idea believes that advancing democracy is a critical part of the changes that need to happen to achieve the 2030 agenda. Democracy guarantees basic rights to citizens, allowing them to actively participate in their communities. Through free and fair elections and the exercise of freedom of expression and association, people can debate and influence policymaking. Without a voice in decision making, the needs of the people are less likely to be effectively addressed. This is not the only reason why democracy matters for the achievement of the SDGs. We all know that the road towards the fulfilment of agenda 2030 runs through gender equality, the equal participation in all spheres of life of women and girls. International Idea has repeatedly shown that democracy achieves by far more gender equality than any other political arrangement. Saying that sustainable democracy is essential for sustainable development is not simply a normative assertion but a dispassionate description of hard facts. Even if member states of this body do not call that reality by name, let us at least agree that the achievement of agenda 2030 requires promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective and accountable institutions, which are essential pillars of democracy. Therefore, at the very least, we must all agree that SDG 16 should be emphasised in the political declaration of the SDG summit. Building progress towards SDG 16 is thus of the essence for this agenda. The SDG 16 data initiative is a consortium of 18 organisations that support the open tracking of SDG 16, provides complementary measures to assess its progress. The SDG 16 data initiative is the embodiment of SDG 17. It is a visible example of the importance of forging durable multi-stakeholder partnerships if we care about measuring progress towards realising agenda 2030 and holding governments accountable. These partnerships equip governments with crucial data that will help crafting tangible solutions for the way forward. We hope that their importance will be explicitly recognised in the political declaration. Today, agenda 2030 needs all the help and all the creative thinking it can get, the impact of COVID-19 and other current global shocks, including climate change and the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, paint a bleak picture and pose severe challenges for its achievement. Through the summit process, the global community has a distinctive opportunity to reassess established systems and propose innovative solutions to leave no one behind. Next to nothing in this agenda, from tackling poverty and reducing inequalities to confronting the climate crisis, will be achieved if SDG 16 fails. Therefore, we urge member states to focus on the achievement of SDG 16 as an enabler for the attainment of all SDGs and to consider it as a priority for debates in the summit. Thank you. I thank the distinguished representative of the International Idea.