Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to welcome you to United Nations Headquarters for the Social Innovation Summit.

I thank Landmark Ventures and all our other partners for organizing this event and for bringing together so many leaders to discuss innovation and social transformation.

Your presence is another sign of the commitment of the United Nations to engage more actively with the public and private sector and with civil society.

Partnership is the path to sustainable solutions to today’s global challenges.

This afternoon we will launch an exciting new initiative: “The Foundation for a Digital United Nations”.

The goal of the Foundation is clear: to provide advice and resources that will enable the United Nations to harness the power of information and communications technology.

ICT is a high priority for the United Nations.

It is helping us better serve the global public, from health to humanitarian assistance, from environmental protection to disaster risk reduction.

ICT is also strengthening and streamlining our internal management.

I am grateful to all those present here today for understanding the importance of ICT to the United Nations and to the world in general.

I look forward to working with all of you to make a digital United Nations a reality in building a better world for all.

Thank you.