VII Internet Governance Forum kicked off in Baku today. Speaking in the opening ceremony, UN Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo thanked President Ilham Aliyev for high level organization of the event. Wu Hongbo said Baku`s hosting the VII Internet Governance Forum, co-organized by the United Nations and the Azerbaijani government, testifies to favorable conditions created for rapid development of information and communication technologies in the country. Minister of Communications and Information Technologies Ali Abbasov read out the congratulatory message of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the forum participants. Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Hamadoun Touré stressed the importance of forum in terms of the participation of the representatives of global information society and fruitful discussions. Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov said that holding such an important event in Baku is a clear manifestation of attention paid to the country's ICT development. Then, a film about Azerbaijan was demonstrated. The international event will continue its work until November 9.