SECRETARY-GENERAL COMMENDS WORK OF NANSEN MEDAL WINNER, GRA¦E MACHEL WINNER TO CHAIR STUDY ON IMPACT OF ARMED CONFLICT ON CHILDREN
Following is the text of the message by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on the occasion of the ceremony at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, to award the Nansen Medal to Graça Machel for her outstanding contributions on behalf of refugee children:
"At the beginning of this year, nearly 15 million persons the world over were officially described as refugees. But even this formidable figure is far from the actual truth. When we count persons internally displaced within nations, populations whom conflict has afflicted in a humanitarian sense, and returnees who desperately need assistance to reintegrate themselves into the societies from which they fled, the number exceeds 27 million. That represents the magnitude of the mandate and responsibility of the United Nations.
"It is a task that has expanded and diversified vastly since the world's first High Commissioner for Refugees was appointed by the League of Nations almost 75 years ago. And yet the core mission, and the ideals that spurred it to fulfilment, have remained constant. When Dr. Fridtjof Nansen assumed the post in 1921, he brought to bear on his responsibilities the intrepid daring and courage of the explorer that he was, enhanced by the feeling and compassion that informed his quests of adventure and discovery. It is a tragic irony today that it is in parts of the world that have, by nature and geography, been so much of a voyager's delight that war, strife and natural disaster have occasioned so many refugees: whether in the beauty of the mountainous Balkans, or among the rich forest and plains of Rwanda.
"It is heartening that the 1995 medal named for Fridtjof Nansen should be awarded to Ms. Graça Machel. Her work among children in strife-scarred areas has been an inspiration to us all. At my request, she has agreed to chair a study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children which will contribute significantly to the definition of this enormous problem and the specific means necessary to mitigate it. The National Organization of
Children of Mozambique, which she chairs, has proved effective in assuring orphan children the security and sanctity of the homes and communities into which they have not simply been adopted but to which they truly belong. The United Nations is bringing that same sense of concerned commitment to its work among refugees: restoration of what has been lost with dignity, respect and fellow-feeling.
"The Nansen Medal Award Ceremony is a stirring demonstration that the vision of far-seeing leaders, applied practically, can span the decades and bring increasingly beneficial results to seemingly intractable global problems. Today we salute the Nansen Committee, we honour Ms. Graça Machel, and we are inspired to lift our eyes and bend our will toward achieving the better world which the Nansen Medal symbolizes."