Prime Minister, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure I welcome you to my home.

Tonight marks the end of the second annual Global Green Growth Forum, but also the beginning of new partnerships and collaborations.

The strong international presence at the 3GF has shown that moving towards a global green economy is not only a political imperative but also an economic opportunity for businesses, communities and nations around the world.

Though many people still consider climate change a distant and intangible risk, climate changes affect the entire world from north to south and east to west. Some places the changes are more apparent and evident, as in Greenland – which I visited last month with the Korean president. However, the need for action in regions where climate change is not as visible is just as urgent as in Greenland. It’s a global challenge and every nation of the world has an obligation to step up and take their share of responsibility in securing the future in our way of living.

At the same time it is important to stress that climate challenges – if tackled the right way – can present opportunities for us to change our economy; our cities, industries, infrastructure etc. in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the carbon footprint.

By investing in sustainable solutions our planet will be much healthier, economies much stronger and our future much brighter.

I sincerely believe that the Global Green Growth Forum represents these opportunities and represents a future of strengthened public-private partnerships committed on sustainable economic growth.  

I am pleased and at the same time reassured by the fact that you as members of the 3GF Advisory Board take the climate challenge at hand seriously. With your time, energy and faith in this project you certainly have created the foundation of further developing a future of green growth.

Let me conclude with a toast to the future success of the 3GF.  Thank you.