SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES LINKAGE BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND GROWTH OF CIVILIZATIONS IN HONORARY DEGREE CEREMONY ADDRESS

26 October 1998

Press Release
SG/SM/6770

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES LINKAGE BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND GROWTH OF CIVILIZATIONS IN HONORARY DEGREE CEREMONY ADDRESS

19981026 Speaking at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Kofi Annan Says Civilizations Have Always Been Enriched by Exchange of Knowledge and Arts

Following is the text of the address made Saturday, 24 October, by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of his acceptance of an honorary doctoral degree from Kyung Hee University in Seoul:

It is a special pleasure for me to receive this honorary doctoral degree from your distinguished university. As many of you know, today, the 24th of October, is United Nations day. That is why I am particularly pleased to be among such strong supporters of the United Nations, a people for whom this day has always held special significance.

I am also particularly pleased to be with a University audience, with teachers whose commitment to learning and education will endow today's students with the tools of knowledge and the understanding that are needed to succeed in the century to come.

It is to that commitment to putting knowledge at the service of humankind, that example of learning infused with a moral conscience, that I wish to pay tribute to today. As students, you have been told, no doubt, by parents and teachers that education is a great privilege; that you should be grateful for the chance to improve your minds; that you should seize this opportunity to expand your horizons. I do not fault you for sometimes thinking that this is just a way of getting you to study. Sometimes it is.

But, there is a deeper, more lasting truth to what they are saying. Throughout history there has existed an essential linkage between knowledge and the growth of civilizations. The relationship between knowledge, its communication, and progress -- be it economic, political or social -- has been critical to the success of every people and culture. Above all, throughout history, knowledge has been universal.

And yet this age -- the age of globalization -- which is affecting all aspects of our lives, seems often to place too low a priority on knowledge.

Indeed, it would seem that only knowledge is not being globalized in the age of globalization. As a people who have made extraordinary strides over the past half-century by focussing precisely on skills and learning, you have shown just what knowledge can provide in prosperity.

As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I have another concern, however, about the importance of knowledge for mutual understanding and cooperation across boundaries of culture, religion and national belonging. Not that one expression of knowledge is to be implanted everywhere. Nor that one tradition of learning is to dominate all others. Rather, I believe that every society must advance a culture of knowledge that encourages the pursuit of ideas in fostering a universal understanding of the meaning of civilization.

Civilizations have always been enriched, and not weakened, by the exchange of knowledge and arts, the freer and more peaceable the better. In the relations between nations, it is rather the lack of education, and the dearth of knowledge which is a chief source of dispute and conflict.

Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda, and in most modern conflicts, the men of war prey on the ignorance of the populace to instill fears and arouse hatreds. That was the case in Bosnia and in Rwanda where murderous, even genocidal ideologies took root in the absence of truthful information and honest education. If only half the effort had gone into teaching those peoples what unites them, and not what divides them, unspeakable crimes could have been prevented.

This is not to say that ideas and interests do not clash. They do, and always will. But, those clashes can and must be conducted peacefully and politically. That is why the culture of knowledge which we seek will advance not only development, but also mutual appreciation between cultures.

This history of this century has been one of ever-growing interaction between peoples; of the many ways in which individual States -- regardless of religious affiliation -- define, defend, and pursue their interests; and the propensity of States, as well as individuals to form alliances and allegiances on other grounds than ethnic belonging or religious affiliation.

What this history should and must teach us is that, alongside a global diversity of cultures, there does exist one, worldwide civilization of knowledge within which ideas and philosophies meet and develop peacefully and productively. It is a civilization defined by its tolerance of dissent, its celebration of cultural diversity, its insistence on fundamental, universal human rights, and its belief in the right of people everywhere to have a say in how they are governed.

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This is the civilization for which the United Nations labours and for whose attainment a global culture of knowledge is necessary. I am pleased today to be among a people whose contribution to that global culture has been remarkable. Indeed, I look to you as vital partners for democracy, human rights and progress -- on the Korean Peninsula and throughout Asia.

I know that the past eighteen months have been difficult for South Koreans of all ages. I know that it has been difficult to keep faith in the prospects for the future; that the rapid deterioration of your economy has eliminated savings and led to job losses. Let me say, however, that the world has no doubt that you will emerge even stronger from this crisis; that the world is with you in your "Second Era of Nation-building".

We are with you not only because the world needs a strong, democratic and prosperous South Korea to achieve for others in your neighbourhood the freedoms and the security that you have achieved. We are with you also, because for over fifty years, we have marvelled at the capacity of your elders to create a strong and vibrant society from the ashes of war, poverty and occupation.

During the recent holiday of Chu-Sok, you have been paying respect to your ancestors, and venerating their achievements and example of determination, hard work and skill. I am confident that you found in those memories, the inspiration and guidance to achieve even greater prosperity with even broader freedoms for the century to come.

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