I congratulate Maria Böhmer on her appointment and look forward to close and trust-based cooperation with her. I would like to thank the previous President, Professor Verena Metze-Mangold, for her dedicated and extremely successful engagement. Further, I would like to congratulate the re-elected Vice-Presidents, Professor Christoph Wulf and Professor Hartwig Lüdtke, as well as the newly elected and re-elected board members. Together we will address the urgent tasks in the area of multilateral cultural policy. These include, in addition to the important issue of dealing with cultural property displaced in colonial contexts, the reform of UNESCO.