SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN PARTING MESSAGE TO UNITED NATIONS STAFF, PRAISED ITS DEDICATION, INTEGRITY, IMAGINATION, COURAGE
Press Release
SG/SM/6139
SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN PARTING MESSAGE TO UNITED NATIONS STAFF, PRAISED ITS DEDICATION, INTEGRITY, IMAGINATION, COURAGE
19961231 `I am Honoured To Have Worked with You', Says Boutros Boutros-GhaliThe following is a message from Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to United Nations staff as he concludes his term of office:
As I conclude my term as Secretary-General, I want to convey to you the heartfelt sense of appreciation and admiration I feel for you and your steadfast service to the peoples of the United Nations. Together, we have had to confront a unique set of challenges during these post-cold war years: to adapt peace-keeping to new forms of conflict; to provide humanitarian aid in the midst of hostilities; to advance the cause of development in a time of neglect and indifference; to respond to calls for democratization and to protect human rights; and to construct a new international approach to global problems through a series of world conferences. And all these, as well as other critical problems, have had to be addressed in the midst of a pervasive financial crisis and the stress of far-reaching reforms aimed at fitting the Organization for the twenty-first century. You have performed your duties to the United Nations and to the entire international community with dedication, integrity, imagination and courage. You can take great pride in your achievements. As Secretary-General, I have sought to improve your conditions of service, to promote gender equality, and to fight for the independence of the international civil service. I have taken every opportunity to stress to the world that the most precious asset of the United Nations is its staff. You are the United Nations, and the United Nations lives in each and every one of its talented men and women. I am confident that you will give my successor, Kofi Annan, the same dedicated support that I received throughout my years in office. I am confident that you will welcome change as an opportunity to strengthen the United Nations and its service to the peoples of the world. I am honoured to have worked with you. I salute you and wish you every success. * *** *