Thank you for your very positive and accurate introduction to our debate.
Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
This past year has been unlike any other in living memory.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already taken over three million lives.
Some 131 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty.
Unemployment has soared and billions saw their livelihoods vanish overnight.
The most vulnerable in our societies â particularly women and young people â have been disproportionately affected.
Years of development progress â and in some instances decades â have been reversed, making it both more difficult and more urgent to keep the promise of the 2030 Agenda.