I would like to begin by commending you, Sir, for having organized this very important meeting at the beginning of the new year, 2012.
At the outset, I would like to welcome most warmly the delegations of Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo, which have joined the Security Council as t…
I am here to thank all delegations. I am here to thank them for their dedication, their flexibility and their hard work. Above all, I am here to thank them for solidifying, with me, our compact to make the most of our resources, to cut fat and to continue fulfilling every one of the critical global …
I am pleased to attend this meeting on Somalia and to have this opportunity to share with the Security Council my perspectives on the situation based on recent developments and on my own visit to Somalia last Friday.
I travelled to the region from Durban. As the Council discussed climate change in …
I thank the Portuguese presidency for focusing the Security Council’s attention on three of the defining challenges of our times: transnational organized crime, pandemics and climate change. I also thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Portugal for taking the time to preside over this very impor…
I thank Portugal for convening today’s debate on the protection of civilians. I very much welcome the presence here today of His Excellency President Mr. Aníbal António Cavaco Silva — a clear sign of the commitment of Portugal to this very important issue.
All of us share a fundamental responsibili…
I commend Nigeria’s choice of theme for today’s debate, and I thank the President and Council members for agreeing to start earlier than usual to allow me to participate in this very important meeting.
The Security Council has emphasized repeatedly that involving women in conflict prevention and me…
I would like to commend Nigeria for initiating this timely discussion.
Since Under-Secretary-General Pascoe briefed the Council last August, the threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has continued to grow. New cases of piracy and armed robbery aboard vessels along the West African coast are being …
Preventive diplomacy’s time has come once again. I am grateful to the presidency of Lebanon and to President Sleiman for this opportunity to take stock and chart the way forward. I also want to thank Nigeria, which helped re- energize and refocus our discussion on this issue during its presidency in…
Late next month a child will be born — the 7 billionth citizen of our planet Earth. Let us assume this child is a girl. Most likely, she will be poor. She may, or may not, grow up to be healthy and strong. If she is especially lucky, she will be educated and go out into the world, full of hopes and …
Before I pay tribute to the late Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the Assembly. At this historic time, I am sure the Assembly will benefit from your sound wisdom, your extensive experience and your able leadership. As you know, I…
Let me begin with an update on the terrorist attack on United Nations House in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. We have all condemned this terrible act. As many of us have noted, it was an assault on those who have devoted their lives to helping others. This has been the second major terrorist attack …
I thank the Government of India and Ambassador Puri for their leadership and initiative in scheduling this debate on peacekeeping.
But let me begin with this morning’s most immediate developments. As members of the Council know, United Nations House in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, was struck by a c…
I would like to express my greatest appreciation to, and deepest admiration
for, His Excellency Joseph Deiss and his stewardship of the General Assembly over the past year. Mr. President, you did a superb job during an especially challenging year, helping to show the role that the General Assembly…
Let me briefly add a word about President Harri Holkeri, who passed away last month. Mr. President of the General Assembly has just eloquently explained his achievements as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session.
As Secretary-General, I and many of the United Nations staff als…
Let me first share my shock over the terror attack in Norway on Friday. I condemn such violence in the strongest possible terms. I am particularly saddened that the murderer singled out young people keen to engage meaningfully in the future of their country. That atrocity stands in stark contrast to…
I thank the German presidency of the Security Council for having organized this very important meeting at this juncture.
When the Security Council first took up the issue of climate change in 2007 (see S/PV.5663), the debate was preceded by a vigorous exchange about whether such consideration was a…
At this moment, in this place, the world gathers to say in one voice, “Welcome South Sudan. Welcome to the community of nations”. Just days ago, I was honoured to attend the independence ceremony in Juba. I felt the energy, the potential and the pure joy of the world’s newest nation. In my eyes, the…
I want to congratulate the Security Council on having taken another important step on the historic journey of nationhood for the Republic of South Sudan. We are on the eve of welcoming our 193rd Member State to the United Nations.
Let me just say very quickly how proud I was to attend the Independe…
I thank Germany for having organized this open debate, and I thank the Council for its sustained commitment to the protection
of children affected by armed conflict. I should like to thank in particular the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany for taking the time to preside over this meeting and…
With the members’ decision this afternoon and with their warm words, they do me a very great honour, one beyond expression. Standing in this place, mindful of the immense legacy of my predecessors, I am humbled by members’ trust and inspired by our sense of common purpose.
This solemn occasion is s…
