Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,


It is a tremendous pleasure to be with you here this afternoon for the launch of this excellent initiative, the TECNOBUS.


I would like to offer my congratulations to the co-developers of the TECNOBUS, which include PANIAMOR, Banco Nacional and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunication.


I am confident that the TECNOBUS will encourage the safe, responsible and productive use of ICTs, and will also help to strengthen Digital Citizenship and build inter-generational bridges across ICTs.


It really is immensely satisfying to see how Costa Rica, under the leadership of President Laura Chinchilla, is taking this issue seriously, and ensuring that different actors at the national level are involved, including civil society, the private sector, parents, children, and policy makers.


We are very proud to have President Chinchilla as the patron of the ITU Child Online Protection initiative, and let me take this opportunity to express our gratitude to her in acting as a model for other countries.


The TECNOBUS demonstrates the clear synergy and benefits of public-private partnerships, and how different expertise can be merged for the benefit of a unique and valuable purpose: to protect and educate children.


The TECNOBUS is a mobile hotspot, fully-equipped with cutting-edge technology and 24/7 connectivity, and staffed with a highly-trained professional team.


It will bring knowledge and action on the subject to disadvantaged communities, and particularly those with high population densities and wide cultural diversity, and also those with significant challenges in terms of social exclusion and violence.


This is a fresh and innovative way of reaching out to local communities and bringing knowledge to where it is most needed, on the ground.


In closing, therefore, let me urge other countries to look at this great example, and to explore ways of recreating this excellent initiative.


Thank you.