 Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan, Martin, Excellencies, Distinguished Partners and their colleagues, I am delighted to join you to mark this year's World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The focus of the day on empowering the least developed countries through information and communication technologies is indeed very timely. We meet today in the backdrop of a successful LDC-5 conference. I recall the exciting and extremely useful conversations that I had with many of you during the conference, especially on the transformative role that ICT can play in the lives and livelihoods of more than 1.2 billion people in the LDCs. I am particularly encouraged by the deep interest and commitment demonstrated by some of the leading technology companies to enhance their investments in the LDCs to bridge the stark digital divide in these countries. We wish to build on this momentum to ensure full and effective implementation of the DOHA program of action, especially its second pillar, which concerns leveraging the power of science, technology and innovation to empower the people in the LDCs who are the furthest behind. To that end, I am very happy that the Partner to Connect campaign, which was launched in March last year, committed to a renewed focus on mobilizing global support and pledges towards the LDCs and other vulnerable countries. Excellencies, dear colleagues, over the past year, almost 200 pledges with a value of $12 billion were submitted to Partner to Connect, with special focus on the hardest to connect communities in the LDCs, LDCs and the SIDS. Next year, we have two important meetings coming up, the third UN conference for the LDCs and the fourth international conference on the SIDS, the other two groups of vulnerable countries. As we prepare for those two important conferences, we must make every effort to ensure that STI is also at the core of the new programs of actions for the LDCs and the SIDS. I look forward to working with ITU, Member States, the private sector and all other stakeholders to form the broadest possible digital coalition to lead this agenda. I thank you all.