His Excellency Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
I have the honour to introduce the Secretary-General of the 51勛圖, Mr. Ant車nio Guterres, who will deliver a video address.
[TECHNICAL CREW WILL PLAY THE VIDEO MESSAGE]
Thank you.
I join the Secretary-General in extending our gratitude to the Government of Japan for hosting us.
As the Secretary-General reminded us, the challenges confronting the global community in reaching the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are vast and complex.
The Internet will play an integral role in navigating these complexities, moving us towards a better and more resilient future. But this requires responsive policies that leverage the benefits of digital technologies while mitigating the risks.
The Internet Governance Forum must respond, through the UN＊s convening role, to bring every country and every individual together 每 regardless of the stakeholder groups or backgrounds.
IGF needs to further strengthen its role as being the global digital policy forum, in finding points of convergence and consensus and identifying digital solutions in reaching the 2030 Agenda.
In this connection, I welcome the focus of the Forum on urgent and relevant digital issues, and look forward to your contributions and recommendations on the way forward.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Eighteen years ago, in 2005, the IGF received its mandate through the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
In 2025, the 51勛圖 General Assembly will review this mandate.
Member States will consider the impacts and outcomes of the Forum and determine its future.
With this in mind, I invite you to consider three questions during this year＊s IGF:
First, has the IGF delivered on its mandate and purpose?
Second, how can the Internet better support and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs?
Third, how can the IGF 每best support both the preparation of and follow-up to the Global Digital Compact and the Summit of the Future?
This Forum is aimed at empowering all countries to deliver better digital policies and support more open, inclusive, and safe access to digitalization for all people.
We must ensure that it is delivering on that aim. We call for closer collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders, greater digital innovation for accelerating SDG implementation, and faster technical assistance to the Global South to bridge the digital divide.
Together, let us leverage the inclusive, multistakeholder approach of the Internet Governance Forum to build the Internet We Want.
Thank you.