Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Honourable Premier John Horgan,

Honourable Katrine Conroy,

Your Honours Janet Austin, Salma Lakhani and Dr Zaheer Lakhani,

Distinguished guests,

First of all, thank you for the warm welcome. It has been really nice. Thank you.

My sister Zahra and I are most happy to be with you here today, and to convey, on behalf of our father, His Highness the Aga Khan, his warmest greetings and congratulations on this important occasion.

He fondly recalls his meeting with you, Premier Horgan, during his Diamond Jubilee visit to Vancouver in 2018, when you both discussed the valued longstanding relationship between the Province of British Columbia and the Ismaili Imamat, and you committed together to strengthening it in the years ahead. And here we are.

Many of the first Ismailis to come to Canada some 50 years ago settled in British Columbia. The Ismaili Centre Vancouver, which was opened in 1985, reflects the community’s permanent presence in, and commitment to, this great province and country. During the past five decades, members of the Ismaili community from across the world have made British Columbia their home, and these individuals and families have established strong roots, contributing to the province’s pluralism, vitality, and cultural, economic and social fabric.

Likewise, the Ismaili Imamat’s relationship with British Columbia has been mutually enriching, and we are immensely pleased to formalise our partnership through today’s Agreement of Cooperation between the Ismaili Imamat and the Province of British Columbia. The agreement reinforces the Imamat’s permanent commitment to this province, and, alongside similar partnerships already in place with Alberta and Ontario, to this great country.

For more than a century, elements of the Aga Khan Development Network have worked to improve the quality of life of vulnerable peoples – irrespective of ethnicity, background, or faith – in some of the most challenging parts of the world. Canada has been a vital partner in that endeavour, over many decades. Our experiences have taught us that access to knowledge and best practice is essential to our effectiveness, and we are deeply grateful for British Columbia’s willingness to collaborate with us in our efforts.

First amongst the challenges and risks that face humanity today is the climate emergency in all its dimensions. The recent devastating floods in Pakistan, for example, illustrate the urgency of the situation. Here in British Columbia, you too experience the heavy consequences of the climate emergency, including extreme heat, wildfires and flooding. And British Columbia has become a leader in the fight against planetary breakdown. Its institutions, companies, and organisations, public and private, are creating new knowledge and identifying innovative solutions in the areas of environmental stewardship, climate adaptation, sustainability and many others.

I am pleased that our teams have already defined and agreed to immediate joint work in this area. The climate adaptation model developed by the Climate Action Secretariat of British Columbia will be used by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat to assess long-term risks and opportunities in the high mountains of South and Central Asia. The goal is to help communities, some of which have been badly affected by the recent floods, better plan their futures. In turn, we will share our field data and experience to help the Secretariat to refine its already excellent assessment tools. It is our hope that this first project, and the many others that will follow, will enable us to together identify new solutions of value and benefit to the people of British Columbia, Canada, and indeed, many other communities around the world.

British Columbia’s knowledge, combined with the Aga Khan Development Network’s field experience, will enable us to help protect our fragile world, and create a better quality of life for the many people who are already suffering from the effects of climate catastrophe.

I want to express, on behalf of His Highness, my appreciation and gratitude to the people and Government of British Columbia for the 50 years of collaboration and goodwill upon which today’s agreement is built. Accords are created by signing, but relationships are sustained by affinity and warmth. Today more than ever, it is my deep privilege to be able to call British Columbia a partner and a friend.

Thank you.