 I'm delighted to have the pleasure this morning of talking to Mr. Kofi Anand, former Secretary General of the United Nations, and now one of the world's most prominent youth activists. Thank you for joining us, Mr. Anand. Thank you very much. Welcome to the studio. You know, the first time you and I met was back in Tunis for the press conference at the World Summit on the Information Society. Whereas you and Secretary General, you presided over the launch of the famous $100 laptop that was developed by Nicholas Negroponte and his team. That was really a groundbreaking device, wasn't it? It was designed specifically as a learning aid for children and was a completely different way of looking at computers. Do you think this was the first time we really understood the power of technology to transform lives and particularly the lives of young people? Yeah, I think Negroponte managed to shift our mindsets that laptops can be fun, can be used by children. It doesn't have to be complicated and one should not see it as something done only for business people or for researchers. And in fact, at the time when he announced the $100 laptop, many other governments were saying we would do it at $200, $250. And so it was quite a revolution. And it did open the eyes of people and also reinforced the possibilities that schools and educational institutions can have for computers. Since then we've really seen technology take off in ways that we couldn't have imagined even just eight years ago. And we know that young people are by far the most enthusiastic adopters of these new devices. Do you think we're doing enough to leverage the power of technology to drive global development, especially among the young? We've done a lot, but we can do more. I see it on my continent what computers have done for development, whether in areas of agriculture or given information to fishermen for them to know that the weather would be bad. In the Lake Victoria area, for example, about 5,000 fishermen lost their lives because they would take out to fish without knowing the weather. Now you can share information. Farmers are using it to share information on prices, on production. And young people are using it to exchange information and for their studies. And in fact, when you look at electronic education, lots of students and young people who would not have access to the University of Education now can join in through online teaching. Later today the Kofi Annan Foundation will be launching an initiative called Kofi Annan Dialogues Live. Could you tell us a little bit more about this? What does it entail and what does it hope to achieve? Basically, I want to engage young people. I want to find out what's on their mind, what their concerns are, and I want to share some of my experience with them. We, in my generation or at the leadership level, claim we do a lot for the young, but we never consult them. It's quite remarkable, actually, if you think about it. If you need a legal opinion, you go to a lawyer. If you need an accountant, you get one. But when we are talking about youth, we don't talk to them. No, it's amazing how many youth conferences we have with no young people present. This is it. And really this is to give them the chance to speak up, to share their ideas, to take responsibility and begin to lead. And I keep reminding them that you don't have to be old to lead. This is their world. They are going to inherit the future and they should begin getting engaged and taking responsibility now. And so I hope this dialogue will not only encourage them to exchange ideas, but also put forward the concerns as they see them and what changes they think we can bring about. What theme will you be addressing in the first dialogue later today? We'll be discussing youth and leadership. And I think that's an important topic for them. Later on we will tackle other issues, whether it's elections or environmental degradation. So it will be a series. Here in Geneva this week, ITU is hosting the WISIS Forum event and among other things that we'll be looking along with other UN agencies that the WISIS Plus 10 Reviews are 10 years on from the First World Summit on the Information Society. Do you think we're working hard enough and perhaps more importantly, effectively enough to extend connectivity to underserved communities, especially the next generation? I think we've made quite a lot of progress, but there are regions where we need to do more, where some of the young people are not connected and they are often the most vulnerable and the most exposed. I mean, another project that I've been quite involved in is the elimination of polio. And when you talk of vaccination of all children, the children who are left out are the ones who are on the margins, where there's no information, where there's no connectivity. And in fact Bill Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are so quite engaged in this. So with the new approach and the new effort to end polio, we are using technology, mapping GPS systems to map, to find out where these people are and how one can reach them. So there are also creative ways that one is using to reach them, but I think we can do more and we should continue pressing ahead. That's been actually one of the world's great success stories. We're almost there, aren't we, in terms of polio eradication? Absolutely. I heard also during the WISIS Forum event this week that the Korean manufacturers are now looking at a $50 smartphone, which they think could be the tipping point for a lot of developing countries in enabling broadband, mobile broadband. That would really help and make a difference. I mean, on my own continent, it's been amazing how people have embraced this new technology. In almost every village, you see them. Even though they don't have electricity, they find some means of charging them is quite remarkable. Finally, do you have a message that you'd like to share with young people? Why should they join the online dialogue initiative? I think today we live in an interconnected world. And what happens in one country has an impact on others. And we should really be aware of what's happening around us beyond our own community and beyond our own countries. And the young people today are, I think, much better connected than any generation before them. And I keep telling them that, yes, they need to take action. They need to take action locally, but they should think globally because of the interconnectedness and the impact of one action, one's action on others. And I am pleased to say that the young people I know have embraced this approach in an unimaginable way. And I travel around. And they share with me similar information, similar reactions to situations. And some are incredibly aware. They have lots of information, but we need to work with them to have the judgment and the maturity to use that information effectively. Kofi Annan, thank you very much for joining us. Best of luck with the start of the global dialogue series. And we hope to chat with you again on the occasion of ITU's Global Youth Summit in September this year. I hope when we meet in 10 years time to look at the BSIS 20 years on, you will have some exciting things to share with me. I hope so too.