Ladies and Gentlemen, Honorable Guests,

The year 2010 marks the halfway point between the successful conclusion of the WSIS in 2005 and 2015, the year by which world leaders committed to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and WSIS targets.

This opening High-Level Plenary Session of the WSIS Forum 2010 is going to solicit the views and feedback from participants on how far we have come in turning targets into action. Access to ICTs, and broadband in particular, could help facilitate the achievement of many of the education and public health goals contained in the MDGs. This Plenary Session provides the possibility of discussing if the WSIS targets are on track to be achieved by 2015, and whether the WSIS targets can facilitate progress towards the MDGs, especially in view of the severe repercussions and detrimental impact of the recent financial crisis on developed and developing countries alike.

As the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, I would like to stress that although ICTs are becoming the most important determinant of socio-economic growth, we need real action and real implementation in order to generate necessary impact and realize the full potential of ICTs.
In one week’s time in India the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference, is going to discuss priorities for ICT development at an international level. We hope to see many of you there as well.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me welcome you all to Geneva one more time. I wish you productive discussions on effective implementation of the WSIS outcomes.

Geneva 5/10/2010