H.E. Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General,
H.E. Majed Al Mesmar, Chairman of the Plenipotentiary Conference 2018,
Your Excellencies,
Heads and members of delegations,
Distinguished guests, 

We have spent a productive and beautiful time together.

We have had three weeks full of work and accomplishments, and today, as we stand at the last stop of the journey, we would like to tell you that we have had the honour and the pleasure to host you.  As the ends are integral parts of our lives, our consolation is that you have come as guests, and became our friends. As of today, you will be in our memory as dear ones with whom we have had wonderful moments here in Dubai and the UAE. 

You have accomplished a lot during these memorable days. You have elected your leaders, adopted highest strategy documents, and taken the decisions, plans and recommendations that the whole world has been waiting for at this stage as a turning point in human history. Congratulations for your success at this session of the Plenipotentiary Conference, led efficiently by my colleague and brother H.E. Engineer Majed Al Mesmar. 

I seize the opportunity to thank again the ITU for their valuable trust in the UAE, exemplified by convening the Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai. I would also like to thank all the delegations for their attendance and active participation in the conference meetings. I would like to thank the Arab Group for their active and effective coordination before and during the conference. 

Special thanks to all the countries that have elected the UAE for the ITU Council membership. I assure you that, under the guidance of our wise leadership, we will continue to believe, in word and deed, in the vital role of the telecommunications sector, as a main driver of sustainable development, and a factor of prosperity that will contribute to transferring humankind to an honorable and happy future. 

I would also like to thank our partners in sponsoring and hosting this conference, the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (du), Huawei, Ericsson, Nirvana and Gulf Business Group. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Today, we conclude the 20^th Plenipotentiary Conference with one agenda, entitled “humanity”. An agenda that focuses on The UN Development Goals, hoping that by 2030, the aspirations of humanity for peace, stability, development and security would have been realized. 

We have four years of work ahead on what has been decided in this esteemed conference, in the most important pillars agreed upon by all delegations.  These pillars include digital divide, social integration, gender balance, digital literacy, enhanced international collaboration, digital commerce, electronic security, emerging technology and others. 

I hope that by our next meeting in 2022, we would have achieved many of our goals in these pillars and others, and we are capable to do so through what we have showed during this session of cooperation and joint action to reach approaches that take into account everyone’s interest. 

Before concluding, allow me to thank the colleagues, the brothers and sisters in TRA. I tell them you have done well. You have represented the UAE in the best way possible. Each one of you have been a distinguished ambassador of the country, for this, I thank you with all my heart, and I wish you all success. 

Al Salamou Alaykom.