 Good evening. It's such a pleasure to be here as a 21st century, the only 21st century UN organization which is UN Women. At that too, on something that the 21st century is going to really harness for gender equality and women's empowerment that's technology and ICT. So we are celebrating all of these and the coming together of these two big force multipliers and game changers for sustainable development. Allow me to welcome you dignitaries, leaders, movers and shakers and partners to this second annual GemTech Awards. Organized jointly with our partners ITU and this year with the mayor's office of the city of New York. I just want to also say that we have a partnership UN Women, the only UN organization to do that with the city of New York and MOU for cooperation in all the different areas of gender equality and women's empowerment and the mayor so passionately shares this commitment with UN Women. We are also here to celebrate the hard work of the winners and global achievers for the second GemTech Awards. This year's celebration is organized in the context of the 20th anniversary of the Beijing platform for action which is the gold standard on gender equality commitments and objectives of the international community and also the commission on the status of women which adopted a political declaration also highlighting the importance of ICT, of technology and of media because these are the three really living forces for change. 20 years ago the platform of action stressed until women participate equally in both technical and decision-making areas of communications and mass media including the arts they will continue to be misrepresented and awareness of the reality of women's lives will continue to be lacking. This was 20 years ago still so real. Furthermore the framework stressed that the media have a great potential to promote the advancement of women and the equality of women and men by portraying women and men in a non stereotyped diverse and balanced manner and by respecting the dignity and worth of the human person. So today these words of wisdom are more relevant than ever before as ICT has become a dominant medium for conveying messages for conveying images for conveying information and knowledge but equally wisdom. So we have to make sure that this medium is not only accessible to women and girls because I think some of our sponsors referred to that but that it is an issue where the content of what is transmitted through these waves are actually empowering to women and girls. So today we also need to synthesize the motivation behind and the justification for tonight's event. This joint ITU UN Women Award ceremony recognizes the critical work that is taking place around the world to ensure that girls and women achieve digital equality and honors exceptional projects and advocacy work linked to advancing gender equality and women's empowerment through information and communication technologies. This historic year has seen seismic shift in the way gender equality and women's empowerment is centered and prioritized in sustainable development in peace and security in humanitarian action and of course in human rights and the adoption of agenda 2030 has been really a game-changing commitment at the highest levels undertaken universally by all member states and within that goal five STG five and I always say high five to STG five because that's a goal for to achieve not just promote to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and within that goal there is a specific means of implementation five B which really recognizes the power of ICT to bring about gender equality and women's empowerment. So we really now have a solid you know a tool in our hands a commitment in our hands to hold governments accountable but also this agenda is about holding the private sector accountable they have to be partners all state or the civil society and so this is what we really need to capitalize on the big opportunity moment for bringing together gender equality and women's empowerment and ICT. So harnessing technology for gender equality and women's empowerment including through women's full and equal access to and participation in our digital society is seen as both integral to the realization of women's rights in the 21st century as well as the realization of a just inclusive and rights based information society and that's why we have all worked with ITU with all of you to make sure that the WSIS process plus 10 process is fully engendered. Business as usual will not get us to our collective goals and today is also about celebrating how business unusual technology unusual communication unusual will help us establish the new normal in gender equality and women's empowerment. So we must make deliberate efforts to ensure that technology is inclusive responsive that women and girls have the ability to use technology but also to drive it and be leaders and decision makers in the digital world which carries influence in so many aspects of society economy daily life and the mind for changing the mind it's really the biggest biggest tool. So let me we are very happy let me also then felicitate to all of us for bringing together tonight this inspiring community of individuals and organizations Minerva and Michelle are winners our global achievers her excellency Anusha Rehman Khan her excellency ambassador Hama Motu and Nancy Hafken all of them and also our winners our tech showcase partners and the sponsors I want to thank them all very much apart from sponsoring today's event many of them are very close and I should say like-minded partners really committed to the cause that we are also seeking to say these are our change makers the shakers and movers and the role models for millions of talented women and girls to springboard to the top of the career ladder in the ICT sector and fully benefiting from our digital society that is what that is what we want to see more of and where greater investments need to be made I really want to also emphasize the point about investments that and this is something agenda 2030 and financing for development outcomes also recognize that there is need to make and there is a commitment to significantly increase investment to close the gender gap because it is also as much a gender financing gap as the gender gap so let us also resolve all our sponsors all our companies I would very much like to also acknowledge Switzerland the government of Switzerland for their support which has been very steadfast and it's also identifying to see the level of enthusiasm from those gathered here tonight and for the commitment of our sponsors Mozilla the government of Switzerland Microsoft Facebook Verizon and Civic Hall with your support and under the gem tech initiative you and women will also continue to patronize the work of the current past and future winners and really ground it scale it up replicate it so that it becomes a movement this is what we want to drive we thank you for joining us in recognizing the achievement made by gem tech honorees giving them and the rest of us the necessary motivation and encouragement and inspiration to do even more to further a common agenda I thank you