I wish to start by expressing once again my heartfelt thanks to the Government of the Republic of Korea, for hosting a very successful Symposium. The success of the first High-level Symposium towards the 2016 DCF is manifested on multiple fronts. Most importantly, this Symposium generated a truly substantive and concrete input to the preparatory process of upcoming International Conference on Financing for Development.

Any attempt to summarize the Symposium will not do justice to the richness of your discussions. However, our colleagues have taken notes of the discussions, which are made available by the Secretariat.

I would like to take this opportunity to share some personal reflections.

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I thank all speakers and participants for their active engagement. Special appreciation goes to our moderators Ms. Melinda Crane and Mr. Henry Bonsu, who guided us through all the discussion and sometimes debates withe your professionalism, humor and great skills.

I thank the PCO team, the interpreters, the volunteers and all who worked behind the scenes for their kind support. Their professionalism and efficiency are unparalleled.

Last but not least, let me thank my Director Mr. Navid Hanif and his team for their hard work.

I wish you a safe trip home.

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