H.E. Mr Chuti KRAIRIKSH Minister of Information and Communication Technology As a long-standing Member State of the ITU for 127 years, Thailand has always attached great importance to our participation in the Plenipotentiary Conference. We are conscious that through the deliberations and decisions taken during the Conference, the future role of the ITU will be established and the foundation laid for the work of the Union for the next four years. In recognition of ITU’s pivotal role in bringing about global telecom and ICT development, Thailand pledges our full support for ITU activities in all the three sec-tors. Our dedication to contribute to the fulfillment of the mandate of the Union are demonstrated by our involvement in several ITU initiatives and our co-operation in organizing important events such as ITU Telecom Asia and the Global Symposium for Regulators and Global Industry Leaders Forum 2008. In the area of human capacity building, we offered to host the busi-ness management node under the framework of ITU Mr. Chairman, Asia-Pacific Centres of Excellence. Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour for me to address this eight-eenth Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Please allow me to turn to another matter of great im-portance on the agenda of this Conference - the elec-tion Plenipotentiary Conference of the ITU on behalf of ITU Council members. I wish to take this oppor-tunity to gently remind you that Thailand is standing of the Royal Thai Government. I would like to, first of all, congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on your election to the Chair. Under your capable chairmanship, I am confident that this Conference will proceed to a suc-cessful for re-election to the Council. We would like to reiter-ate our commitment to respond to the needs and aspi-rations of the entire Membership of the Union. conclusion. I also wish to convey my profound From our experience as a Council member during the last four years, we have learnt that the ITU is suffer-ing gratitude to the Government of Mexico for hosting this Conference and for the warm hospitality extended to all of us. And Thailand Team is excited to be here to celebrate 200 years of Independence of Mexico. from budgetary constraints that have been affect-ing the implementation of projects and programmes 40