 On the occasion of ITU's 150th Celebration, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the organization and its membership for achieving this important milestone. February is the month for youth and innovation in ITU's 150th Celebration. I myself have been proud to work alongside ITU in advancing these important issues. Youth remain a marginalizing group, facing disproportionate exposure to poverty and unemployment. They are also a group that offers the most potential, in terms of enthusiasm, ideas, and willingness to help others. Indeed, achieving global sustainable development will not be possible without the engagement of young people, and the same is true for sustainable digital development. We cannot overlook the role that youth lead innovations have created to embark the space of ICT in general. It's without a doubt that when provided affordable access, youth are early adopters of ICT technologies and are viewed as a driving growth and innovation in the sector. Technology plays a critical role in the lives of youth globally. ICT and innovation provided a unique opportunity to empower youth by connecting them to information, employment opportunities, means of self-imparment, and access to global community. This year, I strongly believe that access to technology and the internet is a human right. ICT is transformative and must continue to be utilized and valued as a key development tool. And I am happy to say that ICT is one of the thematic areas we will focus on with the ongoing hashtag youth now digital campaign. And we are happy to partner with ITU on that. Hashtag youth now engages a global community and the importance of investing in youth by celebrating the achievements of the World Program of Action for Youth and advocating for more investments to be made. The conversations and engagement would not be possible without ICT. I would like to commend ITU as members for their ongoing efforts to connect young people around the world to this important lifeline. An award increasingly dependent in technology, it's important that young people have access to the services and skills to be able to compete. It's vital that none are left behind. I thank you very much.