 Madam Irina Bokova, Dr. Hamadun today, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, it is a real pleasure to be with you today representing Mr. Carlos Slim, co-chair of this commission. Let me begin by expressing his deep regrets for not being able to attend this meeting. He has requested me to emphasize his continuous commitment to the commission and his satisfaction with the intense work conducted by this group over the last few months. Rest assured that Mr. Slim will be following personally the results of our meeting and will continue his support. Allow me to express an opening thought on his behalf. Following our tradition, this September meeting will review the results that we have achieved this year. Today's agenda is mostly focused in the outcomes of the different working groups of the commission which have produced new reports. These reports highlighted broadband is a means of transformation to achieve the sustainable development goals and gender equality. They emphasize the need to continue advancing reforms to promote investment and finance in broadband. And they present innovative ideas on how to achieve broadband for all. I am sure that the messages highlighted in the new reports will get the right attention by leaders from the public and private sectors as well as from the media. But the focus of our meeting will not only be reviewing the results of our work. Today we will also look beyond the present and reflect on how a broadband future should look like by 2020 and, most importantly, how to get there and what this commission can do to lead us there. As we all know, the world is changing rapidly. Many changes are occurring with profound implications for our work. Socially, most of the world's population growth is taking place in the developing world almost 97%, so the majority of the younger population is and will be situated there. They should be insured digital opportunities. They should also have the chance of being digital natives. And there is, of course, what has been called the most exciting emerging market in the world, which is the tremendous potential of women incorporated to the online global economy. Also, productive life expectancy is increasing, requiring adaptation to technological change if these generations are to remain competitive within a cohesive society. But it is not only a place of birth, gender, or an age factor which defines our challenges. All around, the labor market pyramid has been inverted towards the majority in the services sector with the necessary re-engineering of ICT skills for the labor force. And other markets, goods, services, and financial, have historic levels of integration with the support of telecommunications, giving competition a global dimension. Those more connected will get greater shares. As we all know, 21st century education is going through a revolution in teaching content and in hybrid procedures with the use of ICT, requiring adaptation of our learning systems. Why dissemination of innovations has increased people's expectations for a better tomorrow. And time use of citizens in this century is having a dramatic transformation like never before, fueled by ICT, and touching the very essence of our societies. Political challenges are also unprecedented, with ecological accounts showing strong depletion of environmental assets up to 25% of GDP in some cases, with an impact on climate change and on the welfare of future generations. Fulfilling social cohesion, expectations, and sustainability is a collective challenge. And ICT and Broadband have a crucial role in this task. Furthermore, preserving peace and security is now a global concern and demand. Diploma-CVIA social networks and ICT for citizen security are also valuable instruments to confront these challenges. It is clear, now we are all interdependent, and Broadband can and should transform our development outcomes. If we are to fulfill the enormous potential of Broadband, then this should be the decade of Broadband. A broadband that is universal, affordable, and with relevant applications to help us face the enormous challenges of our world. 21st century interconnectivity should be an asset to address our 21st century interdependencies. Telecommunications are amazing technologies. They're based on fascinating scientific principles. They surprise us every day with innovation. But without a doubt, their most important feature to note is the way they can transform our lives, our society, and the world as we saw in the video at the beginning of this meeting. Dear colleagues, this commission has been and can continue to be a strong advocate to move forward the Broadband agenda to make things happen, to achieve a fully connected society. But we need collaboration from all stakeholders based on the common goal of building a better society for all and a better collective future. I am sure that today we will hear how to achieve this and how to link our work with the ongoing discussion on the global development agenda post-2015. Let's have a productive meeting for the attainment of the noble goals that we all share. Thank you for coming to New York and thank you for your valuable participation in this commission and for your strong commitment. Thank you so much for being here.