ITU is deeply honoured by the presence of the Heads of State and Ministers assembled here during this High-Level Segment over the last two days.

I wish to express my personal gratitude to you for your time and insights sharing the approach and experience in your home countries, as well as your views on these two vital issues that are of such importance to us, and the world at large, at the present time.

I wish to note my deep, personal satisfaction at the success of this High-Level Segment in furthering dialogue and this exchange of insights. For it is only by listening, and sharing, and learning from each other, that we can hope to combat the growing challenges facing us. That is why I am taking this opportunity to issue my Declaration emphasizing the importance I attach to these two issues.

As we have heard, the rapid growth of ICT networks has enabled opportunists to exploit online vulnerabilities and attack countries’ critical infrastructure. Spam is a constant and growing problem that threatens to stretch the capacity of the Internet to transport data to the fullest, while phishing and malware affect computer systems around the globe. The costs associated with cyber-attacks are real and significant – not only in terms of lost revenue, breaches of sensitive data, cyber-attacks and network outages, but also in terms of lives ruined by identity theft or debts run up on plundered credit cards or the online exploitation of children. Our very trust in the online world is at stake – jeopardizing the future of the information society, which is in danger from these growing cyberthreats.

That is why, under my leadership, ITU has taken a leading role in promoting cybersecurity and trying to combat the growing tidal wave of cyberthreats. On the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2007, ITU launched the Global Cybersecurity Agenda. The High-Level Experts Group (HLEG) has spent the last year reviewing the issues and developing proposals for long-term strategies to promote cybersecurity; I am pleased to confirm the publication of the outcomes of this Group online, an achievement which I have honoured with the award of an ITU Silver Medal to the Chair of the HLEG, Chief Judge Stein Schjolberg.

The GCA is now moving into its operational phase and ITU is undertaking a vital partnership in conjunction with IMPACT hosted by the Government of Malaysia, which will put a global early warning system at the disposal of all Member States. The Child Online Protection (COP) initiative is another vitally important project that will protect one of the most vulnerable groups online by providing valuable guidance on safe online behaviour, in conjunction with other UN agencies and partners. In establishing the COP initiative, I knew that only a concerted global effort would ensure that the virtual world becomes a safer place for young people to work, learn and play. The virtual world may offer unlimited opportunities in some regards, but in the fight against online child exploitation, the virtual world is just like the real world - it is only as strong as its weakest link. This initiative will help ensure that our children can explore the online world safely, free from worry or concern.

I am much encouraged by the outcome of this High-Level Segment. We have witnessed how countries stand united in their determination to combat the growing menace of cybercrime and the risks posed by new and emerging cyberthreats. The online world is evolving fast, but we are catching up with the cybercriminals – thanks to the GCA, and with the strong endorsement of the GCA during this High Level Segment, we now have the broad framework for international cooperation needed to combat the international network of cybercriminals and address a wide range of other threats to the information society.

Climate change is a profound challenge that is at work, changing the shape of the world around us as I speak. Whatever the underlying cause, at current rates of extinction, scientists predict that two-thirds of all bird, mammal, butterfly and plant species will be extinct by the end of the next century. In the time I have taken to make this statement, another species has disappeared irretrievably off the face of the earth forever. Not only the species, but the very survival of the world we live in and the planet itself, is now in jeopardy.

As a father, and grand-father, I understand that it is the heritage we leave to our children in the world around us that is at stake. I have said it before, and I say it again: climate change is a global challenge that we simply cannot afford to lose – not for our sake, but for the sake of our children. As Secretary-General of the ITU, I am overseeing the mainstreaming of this major issue into our regular work programme. It is vital that we make progress on how ICTs can help prevent and avert climate change, and it is vital that we achieve progress now.

I foresee a strong role for ITU in standards for energy efficiency of the ICT networks and equipment on which our digital economy depends. ITU has always taken the lead in setting high standards for telecommunications and ICTs, and this is another key area in which ITU can make a real difference.

The WTSA Resolution passed recently at the WTSA in Johannesburg encourages ITU Member States to work towards reductions in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions arising from the use of ICTs, in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. I am delighted to confirm that ITU aims to achieve climate neutrality for its operations within three years, and ITU is at the forefront of this progress, compared with many other international organizations.

In the global effort to combat climate change, ITU is continuing to help developing countries to mitigate the effects of climate change, including the use of emergency telecommunications and alerting systems for disaster relief. ITU in collaboration with its membership, is identifying the necessary radio-frequency spectrum for climate monitoring and disaster prediction, detection and relief, including a promising cooperation with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in the field of remote-sensing applications.

ITU will continue to join efforts in the context of the UN system, in order to "deliver as one" with a principal focus on ICTs and climate change. In 2000, UN Members adopted the Millennium Declaration as a renewed commitment to human development, including the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, climate change impacts will tend to offset progress being made to meet the MDGs by 2015, so it will be crucial to empower developing countries by facilitating their access to the ICTs needed for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

I am much heartened by the commitments we have heard during this High-Level Segment, because I see that, on this point, we are very much in line with the needs and priorities of our Member States in the vital importance of taking action to combat climate change.

Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

This High-Level Segment has reaffirmed the importance our Member States give to the challenges of promoting cybersecurity and combating climate change. In this respect, as Secretary-General, I am delighted that ITU’s work on these two vital challenges responds directly to the needs and priorities of our Member States.

Thank you.