Speech by

President of the Republic José Ramos-Horta

Nobel Peace Laureate (1996)

at the "10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit."

It is always a real pleasure to set foot on this land of a great ancient civilization. I first visited India on a personal basis in April 1992, having spent more than a week in Dharramsala.

In 2015, governments of all nations, civil society, and humanity as a whole took a giant stride by adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - ambitious, forward-looking, and to be achieved through partnerships and consensus - with the aim of lifting people out of poverty, reducing inequalities, and addressing other issues that limit our potential; of safeguarding our planet, our only home, from climate change and human-induced disasters; of achieving prosperity for all, reducing inequalities, rebalancing consumption patterns, promoting equity and justice so that all individuals, regardless of their circumstances at birth, can thrive and prosper; fostering peaceful coexistence and a world without conflicts; and all of this to be accomplished through partnerships – equal, respectful, without distinctions based on the size of a country, with everyone having a voice and a stake in the future.

By Damien Kingsbury