<p>It gives me great pleasure to address this commemorative round table on behalf of many parts of the United Nations system.</p>

<p class="bodytext">It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you this morning to our Round Table on International Migration and Development.</p>

<p>It is a pleasure to address the Executive Board today on behalf of the Executive Director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, who is unable to be with us today, due to circumstances beyond her control. She asked me to extend to you her sincerest apologies for not being here today and wished the Board success in its deliberations during the week.</p>

<p>It is a pleasure, once again, to be in London to share with you <i>The State of World Population 2004</i> report of UNFPA. This year’s report is entitled, <i>The Cairo Consensus at Ten: Population, Reproductive Health and the Global Effort to End Poverty.</i> </p>

<p class="bodytext">It is a great honour for me to address you again at this particular event, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of Partners in Population and Development – an intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations – and the launching of South-South Day.</p>

<p class="bodytext">I am honoured to have the opportunity to speak about an issue, which lies at the heart of the Cairo agenda, and that is reproductive health.</p>

<p>I am honoured to be here for the ninth annual board meeting of Partners in Population and Development, an intergovernmental organization with observer status in the United Nations General Assembly.</p>

<p>Two weeks ago, a Cuban woman in her 20s arrived in America packed inside a wooden crate aboard a cargo flight that landed at Miami International Airport.</p>

<p class="bodytext">Dear friends and colleagues, what an extraordinary three days we’ve had! Thank you, Amy, Jill and Steve, and to all the organizers for allowing me to help wrap up this invigorating and very productive global round table.</p>

<p> <b>LONDON</b>—Good morning. Thank you Jill for the kind introduction. It is my great pleasure to be here today with all of you.</p>

<p>I would like to start by extending my warm thanks to the people and the Government of Puerto Rico for hosting this very important meeting.</p>

<p> <b>BANGKOK</b>-It is a great honour to address all of you at the 15th International AIDS Conference in this wonderful and amazing city of Bangkok. I would like to pay tribute to all of you participating in this event—especially those of you who are living with HIV/AIDS. Together and individually you have taken many important steps. You have been courageous in speaking out, and progress has been made.</p>