MEDays is today more than a forum. It is a space for strategic dialogue, a laboratory of ideas and a bridge between continents. This year's theme — fractures and polarisation, reinventing the global equation — resonates with particular intensity.

Over the past 17 years, the MEDays Forum has established itself as one of the most influential platforms for dialogue and action for the countries of the South, bringing together leaders, decision-makers, thinkers and young people from more than 100 nations.

This year's theme invites us to confront a difficult but unavoidable truth. The world is changing profoundly, unpredictably and at times uncertainly. Yesterday's certainties are giving way. New rivalries are emerging. Trust in the global system is eroding and inequalities between nations and peoples continue to widen.

The MEDays Forum is an excellent example of this commitment. Seeking to capture the views of 300 speakers from around the world is no small ambition. Engaged in this endeavour for nearly twenty years, MEDays has shown that this Moroccan institution has the capacity and experience to go well beyond simply facilitating dialogue.

From Somalia, MEDays has been a moment of deep learning and partnership. We do not come to MEDays seeking compassion; we come as partners, ready to offer ideas, cooperation and solutions. The Forum has opened the way to real opportunities, concrete commitments and effective partnerships.

I would like to thank the Institut Amadeus for the warm way in which it welcomed me and my delegation, and to congratulate it on the excellent organisation of the MEDays Forum, as well as on the persistence and continued success of this important African event.