 Mae COVID-19 has put huge emphasis on using digital technologies but not everyone has access to these technologies and we risk growing inequality. During 2021 we explored different ways to overcome this digital divide. Hello everyone and a very warm welcome to today's IIE debate Our webinars and online conferences drew audiences from around the world. For a debate on the gender gap in digital youth, we brought together communication specialists from Uganda and Kenya. Great, so I'll start with a big picture, despite increases in overall connectivity, mobile phone ownership among adolescent boys continues to significantly outstrip girls, girls living in rural areas are the most disadvantaged amongst all 15, 24-year-olds in Kenya today and while less than a third of adolescent girls living in rural areas have access to smartphones, that trend risks worsening. Many international negotiations have shifted online. We highlighted how an online format can disadvantage participants who have limited internet access and we also provided practical support to negotiators from the least developed countries. Some of the LDC participants in the negotiation still don't have smartphones and some of them cannot afford the internet costs. When I mentioned that I had a problem of connectivity and as a leading negotiator for LDC I needed to be constantly and consistently online to make sure that I presented and supported the interests of the LDC. IIE managed to fund my purchase of a booster and also a router and this went a long way in improving my connectivity. Marginalised communities must be able to innovate and share their skills and experience. For a series of webinars on food systems we worked with local partners to set up live links to indigenous communities in remote locations. This project demonstrated the power of peer-to-peer learning. This showed us that when the effort is made to design solutions with equity in mind technology can unify rather than exclude. We also collaborated to achieve system change including through getting scientific information to people in rural areas. With partners we developed a climate resilience planning tool for India's Ministry of Rural Development. This digital application delivers climate risk and early warning information to help rural communities take prompt action. As we've adjusted to the new emphasis on digital communications we've realised that we must work harder to make sure that everyone is able to join the conversation. We learned a lot during 2021. In 2022 we will continue to find new ways to forge meaningful connections and play our part in making sure everyone who wants to can get involved.