I am privileged to introduce this important debate on the report on Africa that I submitted to the Security Council last April and now present to the General Assembly. I am also very pleased to witness the seriousness with which the Assembly is treating the questions posed in the report, for it refl…
Today it is my great honour to commemorate with the Assembly the fiftieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping — the fiftieth anniversary of the year when soldiers were sent onto the battlefield under a new flag, with a new mission: a mission of peace.
It would be no exaggeration to say that …
It is with great pleasure that I join you for this second ministerial meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Africa. Our meeting is the fruit of your determination to make a difference for peace and for prosperity in Africa. It is an expression of the political will that I called for in…
It is my great pleasure and privilege to welcome you all to this fifty-third session of the General Assembly. I believe this could be a singularly inspiring and forward-looking session. Indeed, it could open new vistas for the Organization, and even for the world, provided we have the courage to con…
Mr. President, Excellencies and friends, ladies and gentlemen, there can be no subject more important than the one you have been discussing here for the past two days. Nor could your meeting be more timely. I am only sorry I was not able to be with you throughout the discussions. As you know, the da…
The nuclear tests in India and Pakistan are unquestionably disturbing developments with far-reaching consequences for the region and for the international community. They affect the peace and stability of South Asia, a region that has been one of the
It is significant that the Security Council, whi…
It gives me great pleasure to come before you again to discuss the reform and renewal of the United Nations. Much has happened since we last gathered, in world affairs and in the ways of this
Last July, I proposed to you that we begin a quiet revolution to transform the United Nations: its leadersh…
On 25 September 1997, the Security Council convened at the ministerial level to consider the need for a renewed and concerted international effort to promote peace and security in Africa. The Council requested that I submit a report on the sources of conflict in Africa and how they may best be addre…
I wish to thank and commend the members of the Security Council for the action they are about to take in relation to the agreement that I secured last week from the Government of Iraq. If respected, if honoured, and if sustained, this agreement could constitute one of the United Nations most importa…
On 12 November 1997, the General Assembly adopted a consensus resolution welcoming those elements of my reform package that fell within my jurisdiction as Secretary-General. Today, the Assembly is about to adopt a second draft resolution, this time endorsing many of my proposed reforms concerning el…
We gather on Africa Industrialization Day to raise public awareness and harness international support — political, technical and financial — for Africa's industrial development. Industrial development is a key element of sustainable economic growth. It helps countries achieve important social object…
Today is an important moment in the history of the United Nations. The draft resolution that you, the members of this Assembly, are about to adopt affirms that the General Assembly and the Secretary-General are working in partnership to bring about the quiet revolution that I announced on 16 July. T…
I welcome the decision of the Council to hold a ministerial meeting on Africa. Africa, and Africa’s relations with the rest of the world, are changing. Many developments are positive. It is therefore timely and appropriate for the international community to examine carefully how best it can support …
Congratulations, Mr. President, on your election to this important post, made all the more so by the weighty deliberations through which you will be guiding this Assembly.
I am grateful for the opportunity to address the General Assembly just before the general debate begins. This is the first time…
I welcome this draft resolution. It provides a clear, focused and sympathetic way of honouring fully the memory of those women and men, military and civilian, including United Nations volunteers, who have lost their lives in the service of peace on United Nations peacekeeping operations.
If anythin…
I am pleased to submit to the Assembly today my report “Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform”.
The reforms I am proposing are bold reforms. They are the most extensive and far-reaching reforms in the 52- year history of our Organization. Their aim is simple: to transform the Organiza…
I have been most gratified to learn that the obstacles that stood in the way of the Security Council’s being able to authorize deployment of a group of United Nations military observers to verify compliance with the agreement on the definitive ceasefire in Guatemala have been overcome.
The United N…
I should like to begin my statement by expressing my deep sense of gratitude and appreciation. I convey a personal greeting to all States Members of this Organization, a special greeting and acknowledgement to all the Heads of State or Government who have honoured me with their support and assistanc…
I am delighted to join you on this important occasion. On this Human Rights Day, the international community rededicates itself to the universal goal of defending fundamental freedoms and promoting basic human rights wherever they are threatened. We reaffirm that human rights constitute one of the b…
On 2 December 1949, the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others entered into force. It is entirely fitting that the General Assembly should devote today’s meeting, on the occasion of the International Day for the Abolition of Sla…
