H.M. Konungens tal vid Global Child Forums öppnande i Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(Det talade ordet gäller)
Your Majesty,
Your Royal Highness,
Your Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As the Honorary Chairman of the Global Child Forum it is a great pleasure for me to open the 8th International Forum on Children's rights and Sustainable Business!
The vision of our organization is a world where children's rights are respected by all actors in society. And with the business sector playing a key role.
What Global Child Forum offers is a unique platform for informed dialogue and thought leadership on how to advance children's rights. We bring experts and decision makers together. We expose leading case studies and best practice from all over the world.
Today's forum is focused on South East Asia: one of the most dynamic regions of the world.
The ten countries of the region are home to more than 600 million people. That is about the same number as the entire European Union. But the population is much younger. And increasingly digital, mobile and connected. Malaysia is a striking example of this, with one of the world's highest percentage of smart phone owners.
The region is a major economic power: Not only is travel and tourism expanding at a rapid pace. It is also home to many globally competitive companies. With its stable growth, it is projected to be the world's fourth largest economy by 2050.
Economic growth, technological progress and a young growing workforce: The future is looking bright for this part of the world!
But this development also raises some critical questions regarding children's rights:
- When business is booming – how do we ensure that children's rights are respected?
- How can new technology help advance those rights?
- And how can responsible businesses contribute?
These are some of the themes that we will discuss today.
I would like to welcome all speakers, experts, delegates, supporters and friends.
A special thank you to our regional partners for the cooperation and friendship, which makes this day possible.
I look forward to take part in today's discussions, and
I hope that we will have an interesting and productive day together!
