8. In his message, the Secretary-General extended his heartfelt greetings to the delegations and said that the issues to be placed before the Conference were among his priority concerns. He thanked the Government and people of the Republic of Korea and the UNESCAP for making the Conference possible.
9. The Millennium Development Goals were adopted to create an unstoppable momentum towards bringing the benefits of globalization to all. In this respect, great efforts were being made by both the public and private sectors to translate the Goals into reality for millions of disadvantaged human beings. This required developing adequate infrastructure for transport, energy, water and health services which, in turn, needed investments, goods and expertise that could not be provided by the public sector alone. As a result, Governments needed to create an enabling environment through strategic long-term planning and supportive policies as well as to work with the private sector to develop innovative solutions to financing and delivering services. In this context, PPPs enabled businesses around the world to actively and productively contribute to critical infrastructure projects.
10. Transparency and trust were vital components of PPPs. Through the United Nations Global Compact - the world's largest corporate citizenship initiative - the United Nations was working with businesses, Governments and civil society to advance notions of corporate responsibility, thereby establishing an atmosphere of accountability and trust that allowed for more collaborative solution-finding.
11. The Conference would help shape the future of a region which was home to more than half of the world's population and which accounted for a quarter of international trade. Beyond the accountability of Governments to their electorate and the responsibility of companies to their shareholders, everyone had a joint mission to give citizens of this region the tools to create their own prosperity. With this exciting challenge ahead, the Secretary-General conveyed his best wishes for successful deliberations.