 Since its inception in 1989, it has been an exciting, successful, and rewarding journey. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Learning. Welcome to our celebration. Happy 10th anniversary from the Commonwealth of Learning. Happy birthday, Carl. I'm extremely glad to know that the Commonwealth of Learning is celebrating its 10th anniversary of existence. Congratulations on your 10th anniversary. May your efforts continue to be a fruit well into the new age of the millennium. On behalf of the University of South Africa, UNICEF, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Commonwealth of Learning on its 10th anniversary. As Prime Minister of Canada, I am very pleased to be part of this celebration of 10 years of the Commonwealth of Learning. The President of the Commonwealth of Learning, Raj Tenorajan. Welcome to our celebration of 10 years of achievement. The last 10 years has seen remarkable developments taking place in the way the world has invented and applied communication technologies for purposes of entertainment, information dissemination, and more recently, education and training. It is in this context that the Commonwealth of Learning will find a continuing role for itself in its second decade of life, as new technologies will create enormous opportunities for teaching and learning. There is definitely something to celebrate. Commonwealth of Learning, or CALL, has enjoyed a successful 10 years. The results of its work toward developing human resources through the application of distance education techniques and technologies is having an impact in every region of the globe. We have been very fortunate to be assisted by the Commonwealth of Learning. Through local adaptation and train the trainer programs, CALL has had a direct influence on the success of a variety of distance education programs. CALL meets requirements throughout the Commonwealth from basic education to vocational training to continuing professional education. The Commonwealth of Learning has been an inspiration to Contact North and a source of encouragement to share its expertise and experience with other countries in the Commonwealth. While operating out of Vancouver through the hospitality of the governments of Canada and British Columbia, information on CALL and distance education is distributed throughout the world. CALL has acted as broker for us in a number of things. A linkage between the University of the West Indies and three Canadian universities. So the Commonwealth of Learning is very important to people like ourselves. Partnerships both with local institutions and other international agencies are key to CALL success. CALL and the Commonwealth Secretariat are working with the University of the South Pacific to develop distance training programs for laboratory technicians based on materials obtained from Britain. In India, CALL is working with the Indira Gandhi National Open University. CALL awarded 100 Rajiv Gandhi Fellowships in 1996 to enable students from 19 developing countries throughout the Commonwealth to follow a Masters of Distance Education program through IGNU. 60 graduated in 1998. The Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Asia is another important resource with over 10,000 educational radio and television programs. Building on this success in Asia, a Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Southern Africa is planned. And perhaps some of its most important work has been to put developing countries in touch with each other. CALL is currently working with eight Southern African countries, upgrading secondary school teacher skills and resource materials. New members of the Commonwealth are already benefiting from CALL's rich resources and experience. With partners such as Australia and New Zealand, CALL addresses the special needs of the Commonwealth's many small island countries. One of CALL's specialties is the application of low-cost educational technologies. Much of CALL's work impacts the Commonwealth as a whole. CALL's ongoing advocacy is important as it helps build awareness of the value of distance education and facilitates the sharing of learning materials and resources between institutions. The Commonwealth of Learning's advocacy of these approaches has done much to highlight the work being done by open universities and given a boost to UNICEF and similar institutions. The transformation of educational systems throughout the world over the past decade can be credited in part to CALL's promotion and development of distance education within the Commonwealth. CALL's network of resources can be assembled to provide consultative services to other agencies and governments outside of the Commonwealth. CALL is especially committed to improving conditions for women and children to better access to education, training and technologies. Community-based non-formal education can also provide important personal improvement and health information. CALL's briefcase radio station has been installed in several locations for this purpose. CALL is helping governments meet the staggering human challenges posed by an interdependent global environment. But above all has a means for people, people everywhere to achieve their individual dreams and potential through education and training. That is what the Commonwealth of Learning is all about. Today CALL's mandate is even more crucial. CALL is now perfectly positioned to play a large role in meeting the demand for ever-widening access to educational opportunities at all stages of people's lives. During the past 10 years, CALL has played a significant role in distance education and open learning on the brink of a new millennium or looking ahead to another decade of growth and accomplishment.