 Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you today to the 28 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference. The conference this year has attracted more than 3,000 participants from all over the world and is for the first time open to the public. The first Fusion Energy Conference was held in 1961 and since then it has helped the field of nuclear fusion becoming the main platform for discussing key physics and technology issues as well as innovative concepts directly relevant to the use of nuclear fusion as a future energy source. Let me of course start by congratulating the ITER organization lead by Monsieur Bernard Bigot on the progress with ITER construction. We are very impressed. One year ago, the fusion community celebrated a historical moment. It was the start of ITER assembly after more than 10 years of complex construction phases which involved the site preparation, the design and the manufacturing of the key systems and components. ITER is proceeding at a steady pace and is a critical step forward towards this goal of harnessing fusion energy I mentioned just now. Significant strides forward will be taken in the next 5 years and continuing on to 2035 when ITER will achieve its ultimate goal to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy. Another success was the construction and assembly of the JT-60SA Tokamak in Japan which was completed in March 2020. This project started in 2007 as a collaboration between Japan and Europe and presently is the largest built Tokamak in the world. It will soon begin addressing key physics and engineering issues for ITER and the demonstration fusion power plant known as DEMO. I would like to congratulate Eurofusion and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for the progress made in the new experimental campaigns with the European Tokamak Chet. Starting in a few months, the Chet Experimental Campaign with the Turium and Tritium will be a crucial source of experimental data which will provide a unique physics and technology basis for ITER's operation. Ladies and gentlemen, 5 decades ago, an international panel of leading scientists recommended the establishment of the International Fusion Research Council within the framework of the IAA with a primary purpose to promote international cooperation in controlled fusion research and its applications. Since its creation, back in 1971, the International Fusion Research Council has been acting as an advisory body on all these matters. The International Fusion Research Council, as well as the Standing Advisory Group on Nuclear Energy in the IAEA, provide advice for the range of key activities that the IAEA conducts to strengthen international cooperation and fusion research and to contribute to enhancing the present state of the art. These activities include the development of science and technologies around ITER, facilitating the coordination of the global effort for the development of future fusion power plants and in recent years working on the production of guidelines and reference documents being used by the fusion community. Addressing matters on technology and infrastructure development and deployment including the qualification of structures, systems and components their supply chains, regulatory framework, licensing, nuclear safety, nuclear waste management, material controls, as well as human resources development and management, nuclear liability issues and economic aspects associated with the future deployment of nuclear fusion facilities cut across all of these areas, all IAEA's technical departments. So we are all invested in this. Requirements, standards and good practices relevant to the establishment of the necessary infrastructure for future nuclear fusion are developed and there are strong interdepartmental collaboration and coordination here at the agency. We all know that the concepts and designs of innovative technologies including fusion reactors are technologically diverse. Therefore, the IAEA is working on the establishment of a technology neutral framework for safety to help harmonize these different international approaches on the basis of the existing IAEA safety standards. Although fusion reactors are inherently safe, the ultimate goal when it comes to regulation remains the same. Ensuring the protection of people and the environment by minimizing the risk of radioactive releases under normal operation and accident conditions. Ladies and gentlemen, after decades of intensive research, scientists and engineers have contributed and witnessed significant steps towards making fusion energy a reality. Nowadays, while publicly funded experiments continue to progress, research, infusion science and technology is also being conducted in the private sector. The increased publicly and privately funded research and development including emerging examples of public-private partnerships demonstrate this growing trust in fusion as a promising option to provide a sustainable worldwide supply of energy for centuries to come. International collaboration is vital in developing and deploying technologies and the IAEA will continue to facilitate and work together with our member states in emerging fusion industry and the increasing number of private partners, as I'm saying, for the steps to come. With several countries and the private sector currently engaged in their individual preliminary designs of fusion energy pilot plants, the IAEA stands ready, is ready to offer a feasibility study that encompasses the full scope of fusion pilot plant criteria and produce a set of technology-neutral requirements for the safe, secure and economically sound deployment of future fusion reactors. I therefore today invite member states, sponsoring fusion programs, the emerging fusion industry and the increasing number of private partners to support and jointly participate in this international endeavor coordinated by the IAEA, leading to the best future options for fusion energy. We are going to be actively consulting with all stakeholders in the near future. Ladies and gentlemen, over the last 10 years we have seen fusion advancing quicker than ever before, opening new job opportunities and inspiring career horizons. Fusion could offer an exciting career path for young professionals and give them the chance to be a part of achieving significant milestones and breakthroughs in this field. Ensuring a talent pipeline is critically important. The IAEA is committed to achieving gender equality in nuclear sciences and applications through ongoing efforts to increase the representation of women also in this field. A virtual side event on women in fusion will feature female fusion experts on Wednesday. The IAEA fusion portal and the fusion device information system developed and maintained by the IAEA are valuable tools for you to have information on the world's fusion devices at your fingertips. The upgraded system which has been launched today includes now 119 experimental fusion facilities and devices operating under construction or being planned in no less than 27 member states as well as technical data of these facilities and country statistics. Let me assure you that the IAEA will continue fostering international collaboration and coordination to help close the existing gaps in physics, technology and regulation and move forward in developing the peaceful use of fusion energy working together with all sectors of the fusion community. As you probably know, I strongly believe that climate change mitigation remains a key potential driver for the use of nuclear power. Now that the stage has been set and we all know the common challenge is to decarbonize and to do it fast. We need all viable technologies and fusion power holds the promise of providing us with infinite clean and safe energy. So let's continue to work together towards this grand engineering challenge of the 21st century, achieving energy production from nuclear fusion. This is possible. Thank you for your attention.