 2012 was a remarkable year for the ITU, which saw a number of major events and initiatives launched by the Union. ITU carried out its mandate as the steward overseeing the global allocation of spectrum and interconnection and standardisation of telecommunication networks. Delegates to ITU may be familiar with the sector in which they work, but in reality To carry out its mandate, each of ITU's three sectors is engaged in thought leadership and policy advocacy on complex issues and event organisation. The year got off to a flying start with the Radio Communication Assembly and the World Radio Communication Conference 2012. WRC was attended in record numbers by 3,060 participants from 165 member states and over 100 observer bodies from among ITU's private sector members and international organisations. The outcome documents tackled complex issues in frequency allocation and frequency sharing for the efficient use of spectrum and orbital resources, ensuring high quality radio communication services for mobile broadband and satellite communications, maritime and aeronautical transport as well as for scientific purposes. The Pivotal Work of BR was recognised by an Emmy Award for Technology and Engineering. The award recognised work relating to the recommendation ITUR BS1770-2 on the development of a unified worldwide algorithm for standardising loudness metering in television broadcasting. In March, the Connect Arab Summit held in Doha, Qatar included some 540 participants from 26 countries, including seven heads of state or government, 26 ministers, 18 international regional organisations and 99 private sector companies and other stakeholders. The summit was the third of its kind in a series of ITU-led Connect summits, aiming to foster mechanisms and to mobilise the resources needed to expand the scope of information and communication technology networks around the globe. In May, the World Summit on the Information Society WISIS Forum brought together nearly 1,500 key stakeholders from over 140 countries, including ministers, leading public figures and grassroots activists from the global development community to examine how ICTs can best be harnessed to help drive social and economic development around the world. The theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2012 was Women and Girls in ICT, to bring a global focus to women and girls and how the power of ICTs can be used to provide new digital opportunities to end discrimination and empower the world's women to take their rightful place as equals in the world. To emphasise the theme of WTISD 2012, ITU marked Girls in ICT Day on 26 April 2012. On July 2012, the Connect America Summit in Panama City, Panama, succeeded in its goal of helping to mobilise the resources needed to connect the unconnected and to strengthen the role of ICT as the engine of economic prosperity and sustainable development as well as poverty reduction in the Americas region. September saw the Union of the World's Telecom Regulatory Bodies in Sri Lanka at BDT's Global Symposium for Regulators to debate the hot topics and burning issues shaping the future of telecom. Telecom World 2012, hosted in Dubai by the Government of the United Arab Emirates from the 14th to the 18th of October, continued to pioneer the shift away from an exhibition-focused event towards an interactive event for dialogue and exchange. Over 230 influential speakers from more than 60 countries took part in over 50 interactive sessions, exploring the challenges and opportunities arising from the current transformation of the ICT industry from the contrasting perspectives of business strategy, government policy and technology. November saw the hosting of WTSA 2012 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. WTSA 12 reinforced ITUT's all-important work on the telecommunication networks underpinning the internet. And the year finished in style with the World Conference on International Telecommunications WICCIT 12, also hosted in Dubai, UAE. It brought together some 1,600 participants from 152 member states and 37 observer organisations. WICCIT was the most open and transparent treaty-making conference ever held. Millions of people were able to participate remotely via webcast in the six UN languages, social media and interactive briefings, and stakeholders from government, the private sector and civil society, all represented in the negotiations. All this work and much more, including the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, which met twice in 2012, continuing its work to lead the digital development agenda, ensures that ITU remains a key forum for exchange and debate of the vital issues shaping telecom and driving the future of telecommunications. ITU looks to the future and to how it can continue to serve all its membership.