Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Dear friends and former colleagues, thank you very much for your invitation.

As you well know, we are living in disastrous times. In 2024, there are 122 million forcibly displaced persons, including 47 million refugees. It's important to remember that these are not just numbers. These are human beings. We're talking about families that are being torn apart and communities that are shattered. It's happening all over the world, on every continent.

In Sudan, for example, there are 8.6 million forcibly displaced people within the country, while 3.2 million have fled to neighbouring countries.

Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has displaced over 7.2 million Syrians and created 6.2 million refugees. These are extraordinary situations.

In Gaza, nearly two million people have been displaced, and more than 100,000 people have been injured or killed in the war. Unfortunately, the war continues.

Mr. Thein, whom I know well, told you about the situation facing more than one million Rohingya. People living in camps in Bangladesh face the constant risk of poverty, disease, violence and flooding.

In the Americas, we have the situation in Venezuela.

It's important to remember that displaced persons and refugees are subjected to dangerous journeys, forced to live in overcrowded camps and have limited access to basic services. They feel a constant sense of insecurity. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, forced marriage, human trafficking and exploitation. It's also important to remember that more than 7.2 million young people are not going to school.

We have our work cut out for us. Frankly, this is an unprecedented situation. The situation is worse than it has ever been in recent years.

It's also important to understand that the response to the crisis is complex and requires a multi-faceted approach.

Through our partnership with UNHCR, IOM, Canadian NGOs, international NGOs and community organizations working on the ground, we've provided over a billion dollars in humanitarian assistance since 2023. That's an unprecedented number to support those affected by conflict and natural disasters. We've also started a three-year international Together for Learning campaign that focuses on the question of what happens to kids who don't get access to education.

We're working on looking at climate finance investments. We're working with the World Bank to see what more we can do with the IMF to see how to respond to fragile states. We're supporting the integration of refugees into national systems in Colombia and other places, and we're working through the World Bank's global concessional financing facility in Jordan, Lebanon and Ecuador to help middle-income countries access concessional financing to support refugees.

Our efforts in Gaza continue at the UN on a daily basis as we call for civilian protection, an immediate ceasefire and a resolution to the conflict that continues to displace millions, unfortunately. Finally, we welcome the most vulnerable here, including women and girls, ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQI members and human rights defenders.

I can't stress strongly enough that more needs to be done. I had the pleasure of meeting with your colleagues in the other place. Their report has come out, and I'm looking forward very much to working with them given their report.

In assuming the presidency of ECOSOC this year, I've made the crisis of displacement a personal priority. We're going to work with states to ensure we promote better-managed migration systems and have strong adherence to the international protection regime. As part of its 2025 G7 presidency, Canada will continue to address the myriad geopolitical crises rocking our world. The protection of civilians, I can assure you, is going to be at the centre of this commitment.

We need to find new ways to support forcibly displaced people and their host communities, address root causes and propose durable solutions. We must ensure that our efforts are always informed by the voices of those who are displaced—by refugees and those who are displaced either within a country or beyond the borders of a country. We must listen to them, include them and make sure we amplify their voices.

Thank you so much for this chance. I look forward to answering questions.

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