CHILE IS 'MODEL GLOBAL CITIZEN', SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS ON RECEIVING HONORARY DEGREE
Press Release
SG/SM/6384
CHILE IS 'MODEL GLOBAL CITIZEN', SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS ON RECEIVING HONORARY DEGREE
19971106 Following is the text of the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivered today in Santiago at the honorary degree ceremony at the University of Chile:I am deeply honoured to receive this honorary degree from your distinguished university. With a century-and-a-half of excellence in the arts and sciences, University of Chile has been a beacon of pluralism, enlightenment and understanding for Chile and for the entire South American continent.
The University of Chile has educated 18 Presidents of this Republic, as well as scholars, scientists and intellectuals from all the country. Pablo Neruda, perhaps the most illustrious son of this University, has brought worldwide renown to your country and to this University.
Through its resilience and its pride, its pluralism and its practice of tolerance, this institution has played a vital role in Chile's achievement of freedom and prosperity. You have much to be proud of.
By honouring me today, you are honouring the United Nations itself, and the cause of universal progress to which we are dedicated.
The University is the fountain of knowledge and understanding -- the very conditions for human coexistence. By learning about the world from books and teachers, we become both curious about the world and connected to it. We become not only spectators, but also participants and leaders in the development of our countries and communities.
Without education, we cannot see beyond ourselves and our narrow surroundings to the reality of global interdependence. Without education, we cannot realize how peoples of other races and religions share the same dreams, the same hopes. Without education, we cannot recognize the universality of human aims and aspirations.
Democracy, development, the pursuit of peace and protection of human rights are universal values. We at the United Nations believe this as a matter of fact and as a matter of faith.
We seek to promote these universal values not because we believe all humans are the same, or that all cultures are identical, but because we know that all humans need food, need freedom, need a sustainable future.
Human security increasingly is recognized as encompassing all aspects of human existence -- from personal safety to development to the assurance of stable, ordered societies under law.
There is no single model of democracy, or of human rights, or of cultural expression for all the world. But for all the world, there must be democracy, human rights, and free cultural expression.
What is needed, and what we must offer, is a vision of democracy, development and human rights that is foreign to no one and native to all.
As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights next month, we will do so universally, acknowledging the roots of those rights in every culture and on every continent.
The record of economic progress and the peaceful settlement of disputes in Latin America are setting an unmistakeable example for the world: development will succeed and prosperity will flower wherever and whenever democracy and freedom take root.
Effective, transparent, accountable and responsive government, subject to the rule of law, is the very foundation for sustainable development, not the result of it.
Your history is remarkable testimony to the power of freedom to unleash the forces of initiative and innovation. After a long and sometimes difficult struggle, you are reaping the benefits of democratic government and a climate of economic liberalization.
The benefits of these freedoms are as tangible as they are immediate -- low inflation, successful privatization, stable economic growth, a politics of consensus, and an end to corruption.
At the United Nations, we are promoting good business values as part of global good governance. We are pointing to your region as an example that others may follow. In return, I urge you to employ your knowledge and experience in helping others climb the same ladder, and reach the same level of peace and prosperity.
Throughout Central America -- from Nicaragua to El Salvador to Guatemala -- peace processes in former war-torn lands are taking hold.
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Civilian rule and a politics of compromise and cooperation are becoming the norm. Sustained support from the international community remains, however, a key condition for continued progress.
This is where Chile is contributing to its neighbours' stability and where you can do still more to bring your bounty of peace and prosperity to all of Latin America.
Your example will not only show others how to enshrine the rule of law. It will demonstrate the stability and the prosperity that democracy brings.
Chile exemplifies Latin America's progress in all aspects of economic growth and stability. You have attracted foreign investment and interest and, in return, you are increasingly looking abroad to play a greater role in international cooperation. You have become a model global citizen.
From your contribution to the World Summit for Social Development to your commitment to global disarmament to your energetic presidency of the Security Council just last month, Chile is forging a new international profile.
The United Nations welcomes this enhanced profile, and I urge you to continue your path of democracy and prosperity.
What you have achieved in securing democratic government, protecting human rights, promoting economic growth can and must be achieved by all nations of the world. You have shown that it can be done, here and everywhere.
To us at the United Nations, your region's achievements are a source of guidance and inspiration, confirming in us our mission of peace and prosperity. Indeed, to quote the great Neruda, it gives new life to our "awareness of being human and of believing in a common destiny".
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