en http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091118_Closing_IGF "I believe this has been a good opportunity for us to come together and express our views on the many challenges we face in Internet governance. With each meeting of the Internet Governance Forum we have seen progress as we build our shared understanding and knowledge of Internet-related issues. Athens, in many ways, was an experiment. Rio, as our Brazilian friends put it, was ‘Athens plus’, just as Hyderabad was ‘Rio plus’. Each time, the IGF matured and allowed for constructive discussions in a way that was not possible before..." http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091118_Opening_IGF "As you are all aware, Heads of State and Government in Tunis in 2005 gave the IGF a provisional lifespan of five years. The Tunis Agenda specifically called on the Secretary-General “to examine the desirability of the continuation of the Forum, in formal consultation with Forum participants, within five years of its creation, and to make recommendations to the UN membership in this regard”..." http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091118_IGF "We are gathered here in the Internet Governance Forum to exchange ideas and knowledge as we strive to build the foundations of the information society. The United Nations seeks to enhance digital opportunities for all, and find innovative ways for technologies to advance economic and social development..." http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091113_symposium_Vienna "We have come to the end of a very substantive and stimulating symposium. I thank all of you for your engagement and for the frank analysis and wealth of lessons learned that you have shared. Many ideas and recommendations have emerged. I would like to highlight some of the messages I will take back from our debate..." http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091115_IGF "It is clear that we share a common understanding: as we progress in bridging the digital gap and building the foundation for an emerging information and knowledge society, the way we deal with the Internet will become increasingly important..." http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091112_symposium "The global financial and economic crisis has compounded the major challenges in energy, food security and climate change. A slowdown of progress toward the Millennium Development Goals is expected..." http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091023_technology_transfer "I am happy that, as indicated, the conference will continue, in future, as a platform to build consensus on issues of climate change technology development and transfer, in cooperation with DESA..." http://www.un.org/esa/desa/ousg/statements/2009/20091103_parliament_conference "The United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union came together in 2005 to launch the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament. An alliance of many partners, the Global Centre serves as a powerful catalyst for legislatures wishing to exchange experiences and measure their progress among peer institutions..."