I congratulate the Member States of the United Nations on the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the far-reaching outcome of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa.
I thank Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and President of the Conference, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Foreign Minister and Chair of the Main Committee of the Conference, for their role in facilitating this landmark agreement. I also wish to express my appreciation for the important efforts of Mr. Sam Kutesa, President of the General Assembly, and the two co-facilitators, Ambassador Geir Pedersen of Norway and Ambassador George Talbot of Guyana.
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda is a major step forward in building a world of prosperity and dignity for all. It revitalizes the global partnership for development, establishes a strong foundation for implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, and points the way for all stakeholders for smart investments in people and the planet where they are needed, when they are needed and at the scale they are needed.
The conference in Addis Ababa was the first of three milestones in the year 2015. Member States have now passed this first hurdle. Now we must work ever harder for a successful Summit on sustainable development in September in New York and for a meaningful agreement on climate change in December in Paris. Let us keep ambition high and work to realize the great potential of 2015 to be a year of transformation in leaving no one behind and ensuring lives of dignity for all.
