 International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in April each year to encourage more female students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and to consider careers in information and communication technology. Since the first Girls in ICT Day five years ago, this important day has now been celebrated in over 150 countries around the world through more than 5,300 events, helping to empower over 177,000 girls and young women in 2015 alone. More than 66,000 girls and young women took part in over 1,800 celebrations of International Girls in ICT Day in over 130 countries worldwide. This year, we look forward to seeing even more events celebrated around the world. International Girls in ICT Day reminds us that ICTs help to improve the lives of people everywhere through better healthcare, better environment management, better communications, and better educational systems that transform the way children and adults learn. ICT professionals get to work on some of the most exciting projects imaginable on the cutting edge of all kinds of research. With the global technology sector continuing to expand rapidly, there is a predicted global shortfall of 2 million tech sector jobs that need qualified people to fill them. This means girls with ICT skills can expect to earn higher salaries and to always enjoy plenty of career opportunities. Let me therefore encourage you not just to celebrate International Girls in ICT Day with us on April 28, 2016, but also to spread the world as widely as you can. ICTs represent a great future for girls everywhere.