 We are gathered here today because despite proven benefits of information and communication technology, universal access cannot and will not happen on its own. We'll make the world equal for opportunities. Our message has never been more urgent than right now. Let me therefore strongly encourage each and every one of you to make your voices heard louder and clearer than ever to ensure that broadband is properly recognized as a crucial element of the development process. Established in May 2010 as a joint ITU and UNESCO initiative, the Broadband Commission for Digital Development believes that expanding broadband access in every country is key to accelerating progress towards the UN Millennium Development Goals. The Commission is committed to engage in high-level advocacy to promote broadband in developing countries and underserved communities, ensuring that the benefits of broadband are realized in all societies around the globe, regardless of their social and economic standard. Originally composed of 30 commissioners, the Broadband Commission now comprises 54 industry leaders, policymakers and academia with 11 working groups focusing on key areas of importance, including health, education and youth. By the end of 2010, the Broadband Commission had presented its first report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with recommendations such as connecting broadband with the UN Millennium Development Goals, supporting wider broadband inclusion, building a global partnership for broadband development. Receiving the report, Ban Ki-moon noted the transformational power of broadband. In the coming years, robust broadband networks will be as vital to economic growth as roads and bridges and electricity. During the year 2011, the commissioners met four times, once at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, once in Kigali at the invitation of President Kagami and twice in Geneva, where they agreed on a set of four ambitious but achievable targets. This same year, the report, presented by the Working Group on Science, insisted on the importance of public involvement in technologies by implementing robust policies and regulatory frameworks, leveraging broadband e-infrastructure for public services, ensuring open access to data emanating from publicly funded research. This initiative is incredibly timely and important to the social and economic development of countries. It will contribute to liberating more and more people with access to information they have previously only dreamed of. Everyone, including the disabled and the less privileged, can be part of the Information Society. In 2012, the Broadband Commission met in Macedonia at the invitation of His Excellency Ivo Ivanovsky, Minister of Information Society, and discussed plans for outreach at other major events. These included a call to action to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio and a message to the meeting of the G20 in Mexico. The role of broadband networks in improving sustainable development was also emphasised in a dedicated report on climate change. Most recommendations called for convergence and consistency. By aligning ICT policy formulation with other policy areas such as health and education, forming partnerships across the public, private and non-governmental sectors, sharing knowledge and awareness, especially among lesser developed markets. More concrete outcomes of the Commission's work were presented in the form of a report entitled The State of Broadband, with country by country rankings on broadband access and penetration. This was followed by the Be More with Broadband Twitter campaign, encouraging the general public to lend its voice to those offline in order to achieve the Millennium Development goals. It's very important that these systems adapt to a very competitive world. The best way to help the poor is to empower them to help themselves. We must design new ways to promote media literacy. Digital education is one of the main issues in this society of knowledge. This applies both to development worlds and developing worlds, so we all can learn from each other. There is a lot of progress and a lot of barriers in health. That gap can be bridged by giving them access by telephone or by computer. We help government to set up e-service like e-house. Children are every country's hope for a brighter future. Those kids need a lot and demand a lot from us. We need to further coordinate our efforts to invest in this generation of young people. Broadband development also has the potential to improve environmental sustainability. Speed and scale will lead to sustainable development. In March 2013, the Broadband Commission gathered in Mexico at the invitation of Mr Carlos Slim and agreed on a fifth target designed to spur female access to ICTs following Hollywood actress Gina Davis' call to action. The time for change is now and powerful agents of change are in this room. During its New York meeting in September, the Commission presented its second state of broadband report. The same year, both the Working Group on Education and the Working Group on Gender launched their reports. All of them highlighted the importance of creating a relevant broadband network that is adapted to specific concerns by introducing and developing national broadband plans, stimulating the creation of content adapted to local contexts, bridging the technological divide between and within countries, initiating an action plan to achieve gender equality in access to broadband by 2020. It is very important to address the digital gender gaps. Some 200 million less women than men have access to the internet. If we're saying the internet and broadband is a means for national socio-economic development then we need to get more women on the internet. Because when women use information and communication technologies, the whole family benefits much more. Broadband is absolutely vital, particularly in the developing world. Penetration of broadband begins to touch on fundamental economic issues. When you think about it, all societies have really expanded their overall standard of living when they've been able to connect with other societies. The most important feature of telecommunications is the way that they are used to transform lives, our societies, our economies at every moment. We want to give every person in the country the same and equal access to the internet. The important thing is to transform the life rather than make money out of it. In 2014 the Broadband Commission gathered at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos and held its ninth meeting in Dublin at the invitation of Mr Dennis O'Brien where the commissioners reiterated their call to recognize the transformational potential of high-speed networks in the post-2015 horizon. In just five years the work of the Broadband Commission has contributed to reshaping the world by embracing a range of different perspectives in a multi-stakeholder approach to promoting the rollout of broadband as well as providing a fresh approach to UN and business engagement The Broadband Commission for Digital Development has made substantial inroads to ensure a future based on broadband.