 I'm Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of Telecommunications Development at ITU. As the UN Agency for Digital Technologies, ITU's work is all about bringing the transformational power of digital innovation to people everywhere. I'm really pleased to join you for this conference on Women in Industry and Innovation, because it is well known that right now the tech sector has a diversity problem. The need for more women to get involved in shaping our digital future is what drove the creation of the Equals Global Partnership to bridge the digital gender divide. Since we launched in 2015, Equals has grown to more than 100 organizations around the world, working in three key areas, women's access, digital skills, and leadership opportunities. One flagship activity that falls under the Equals banner is our annual Girls in ICT Day, a global event that's now celebrated in over 170 countries worldwide every fourth Thursday in April. To date, I'm proud to say that we've reached hundreds of thousands of girls and young women through 11,000 events. We've also focused on building professional tech skills through our Girls Can Code programs, which already organize workshops for young women in Africa and the Americas, and we will also be rolling out to other regions in the coming months. Supporting girls and women to become digital innovators and entrepreneurs is one important focus. Last year, we brought 26 talented young women to our ITU telecom event in Budapest to help them pitch and promote their projects, benefit from mentorship opportunities, and network to make new contacts. Our work in this area is vitally important because equality of opportunity lies at the very heart of a truly equal society in which everyone can flourish and realize their full potential. The tech sector may be one of the world's most innovative, but it has not proved very disruptive when it comes to overturning old-fashioned prejudices. In Silicon Valley, research indicates that women currently occupy just one in 10 senior positions and only 2% of venture capital funding for startups goes to female founders. Melinda Gates famously noted that the number of women in AI is so small, it's unbelievable. Why does this all matter? It matters because digital technologies are profoundly reshaping the world that we live in and the world that our children will inherit. As our digital ecosystems grow and become increasingly complex, the foundational choices we make today will be with us for many generations to come. And it matters to every tech company looking to build a market niche because research overwhelmingly shows that a gender-balanced boardroom and diversity within teams delivers better corporate results. We've just launched this year's Equals in Tech Awards, which reward groundbreaking work in promoting gender equality in digital access skills, leadership, and research. With the COVID crisis dramatically underscoring the vital role of digital networks and services, it's more important than ever to celebrate success stories and recognize the champions around the world that are helping women and girls leverage the transformational power of digital. We hope you can join us for this exciting event and help us make women's rights and gender equality an integral part of our digital age.