SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES OPENING OF INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES OF UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY IN TOKYO
Press Release
SG/SM/5947
UNU/175
SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES OPENING OF INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES OF UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY IN TOKYO
19960403 Following is the text of the statement made by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the opening of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University, on 3 April in Tokyo:It is a great pleasure for me to be here at the opening of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University.
International relations today are fluid and uncertain. The concepts of the past have lost much of their usefulness. And past methods of operation provide little guidance as we search for a stable and equitable international order.
Today, cooperative international action is needed to address a widening set of problems. Long-term solutions must be searched for, and pursued. In the face of complex and often contradictory challenges, the ways of the past will not be sufficient.
More than ever, there is a need to support policy-making in creative new ways. Short- and long-term thinking must be better integrated. There must be more practical sharing of insights and experience between those in research and those in the field.
The General Assembly created the United Nations University as an international community of scholars. This community serves three constituencies -- the Member States of the United Nations, the United Nations and its system of agencies and programmes, and the global community of international scholars and policy-makers.
Three years ago, on the occasion of the formal opening of its headquarters, I called upon the University to give special attention to its function as a think-tank and reservoir of ideas for the United Nations system. With its strategic location and its world-wide network of scholars, the United Nations University is uniquely placed to help understand, appreciate, and anticipate the enormous forces which are reshaping the world and the United Nations itself.
- 2 - Press Release SG/SM/5947 UNU/175 3 April 1996
The formal inauguration today of the Institute for Advanced Studies -- the latest addition to the network of Research and Training Centres of the University -- constitutes a most important step in fulfilling the University's mission. It will give impetus to the University's capacity to serve its constituencies.
It is my hope that the Institute of Advanced Studies will become a key instrument in the development of original and forward-looking approaches, both on issues of particular interest to the Organization, and on the many global issues that affect the international community as a whole.
The Institute also will be an important link between the wider international community and the scholarly community of Japan. The Institute will further cement the strong relationship that is continuing to develop between the United Nations and Japan. Japan's support for the United Nations is essential. Without your commitment, the United Nations cannot be fully effective. Without your participation, the United Nations cannot be truly universal.
I take this opportunity, therefore, to express my deep gratitude to the Government and people of Japan for their generous support of the United Nations University, and for their tangible contributions to the many activities of the United Nations system as a whole.
I also express my special appreciation to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and Education, Science, Culture and Sports. I am pleased to acknowledge the debt we owe to Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Aoshima, and to former Governor Suzuki -- whose initiative first made this realization possible.
Congratulations to all on this important achievement. As this Institute matures, it will make its own positive and distinctive contribution towards the great mission of the United Nations. With your help, we will be able to ensure that the world Organization is ready and able to respond to the coming challenges of a new millennium.
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