 ITU turns 150 this year. So why does that matter to you? Nowadays, telecommunications are an essential part of our lives. They are how the world connects and does business. But for information and communication technologies to work, they need to overcome multiple barriers. And our crucial mission started 150 years ago. When the telegraph was invented, service providers and countries had to agree on protocols to be able to communicate across borders. And that's how ITU was born, uniting key players to connect the world. The arrival of telephone and radio confirmed that international harmonization was truly needed. And we were there to make it happen. We joined the United Nations family and continued our vital work to ensure that satellites communicate without frequency interference. The digital revolution brought about new technical challenges overcome with the standards we developed. The new millennium saw an explosion of mobile technologies. The way they worked together made possible thanks to ITU, broken global agreements, allocating spectrum and opening up the telecom's market to all. As we face our biggest opportunity, universal digital inclusion, our role has never been more relevant, expanding broadband access and preparing the ground for future ICT innovations. The networking needed for the Internet of Things, mobile money, eHealth, intelligent transport systems, MLearning, promoting Cybertrust as well as green and smart technologies and connecting remote areas. ITU keeps advancing global innovation by providing a neutral collaboration platform to our members, the key players in the ICT ecosystem. We've been working behind the scenes for 150 years and we'll continue connecting the world together with you and for you. ITU innovating together.