translators, who are working overtime to ensure that we have it available in the other five official languages before the end of the Conference. we also undertook a number of important initiatives in response to Membership’s requests that we take more active steps in addressing issues such as the dig-ital divide, cybersecurity, climate change and the provi-sion of ICTs during emergencies and disasters. We would like to recommend this report as a reference document for all Member States, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the two Co-chairs, HE Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and Carlos Slim Helú, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso, as well as my Co-vice-chair, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and of course all of the Commissioners, some of whom are present or will be present with us in Guadalajara for this Conference. In 2007, we launched the ITU Connect series of events, starting with the hugely successful Connect Africa event in Kigali, Rwanda, which brought in an unprec-edented USD 55 billion in ICT development pledges for Africa over a seven year period. In the first two years since then [2008 and 2009], an impressive USD 21 billion was spent on ICT infrastruc-ture investment in Africa, and we confidently expect They include Senator Stephen Conroy of Australia and United States FCC Chairman Mr Julius Genachowski. the final total to exceed USD 70 billion – demonstrat-ing the true power of partnership and business-friend-ly initiatives which serve real people in developing A separate information note on the Broadband Commission is available to delegates as part of the PP- 10 documentation. countries. A second successful ITU Connect event – Connect CIS – was held in Belarus in 2009. Ladies and gentlemen, Another initiative where we have been very active late-ly – and which also addresses the digital divide – is the Broadband Commission for Digital Development. This was launched by ITU, in partnership with UNESCO, in May this year, in response to the UN Secretary-General’s call for renewed efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. This is an opportune moment for me to say one or two words about ITU’s relationship with the rest of the UN system, which it would be no overstatement to say is better than it ever has been before. I would like to thank the other members of the UN Chief Executive Board, the CEB, some of whom are also Broadband Commissioners. Since then, we have held two very successful meet-ings, I can proudly say that we are acting as one under the visionary leadership of Mr Ban Ki-moon, who has truly lent his support to ITU whenever needed. Members will also be aware of the Global Cybersecurity Agenda which was launched in 2007 and which is now in its operational phase, with a physical home in Malaysia at the headquarters of IMPACT – the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Threats. one in July in Geneva and the second in New York just last month, ahead of the 2010 MDG Summit. At this second meeting we presented the Commission’s report to Mr Ban Ki-moon, and he was very positive in-deed about ITU’s work. This report has only just been published and is cur-rently available in English; I ask your indulgence of the 222