 Excellencies, Mr. Secretary General, Mr. Chairman, Directors, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, first on my own behalf and on behalf of the Government of the Czech Republic, I would like to thank the Government of the United Arab Emirates and the representatives of the International Telecommunication Union for preparing and organizing this conference. The outputs of the Plenipotentiary Conference will undoubtedly constitute a major step for all the whole membership of the ITU in fulfilling the five proposed goals for the ITU. There are growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation and partnership. The Czech Republic is prepared to contribute to all of the above-mentioned goals as they are the prerequisite for creating the Digital Society worldwide. At the moment, our national goal is to change the ecosystem to create all conditions to swift transition to a digital economy and digital society. As digitalization is a horizontal goal, not only my ministry but all the Czech government and also non-governmental levels are involved in the process. Initiatives within the limits of the ITU support a similar goal and the Czech Republic stands ready to safeguard the ITU's efficiency, transparency and result-oriented approach while preferring pragmatic solutions without political prejudices. Further, the Czech Republic fully appreciates the value of regional and global cooperation towards connectivity and the peaceful use of technical achievements in the telecommunication ICT sector for the well-being of all, closing the technological gap and for the global achievement of the sustainable development goals through 2030 Agenda. As a member state that has actually been working within the ITU structures from the very beginning and is seeking to be elected to the Council at this conference, the Czech Republic comes with a practical initiative. In response to the decision of the Council No. 588, my country is contributing through sponsorship to the construction of the new building at ITU headquarters. We are sure this is not the last opportunity to dedicate of some finances to this kind of sponsorship and so we would like to call on other ITU members to follow us. Ladies and gentlemen, let me wish this plenipotentiary conference fruitful discussion and full success. Thank you very much for your attention.