SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS MUSIC OF PAVAROTTI AND MARSALIS SHOULD INSPIRE ALL TO DO MORE FOR THOSE WHOSE HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE YET TO BE FULFILLED
Press Release
SG/SM/6832
HR/4400
SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS MUSIC OF PAVAROTTI AND MARSALIS SHOULD INSPIRE ALL TO DO MORE FOR THOSE WHOSE HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE YET TO BE FULFILLED
19981210 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Following is the text of remarks made this evening by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of a recital by Luciano Pavarotti and Wynton Marsalis marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:As we near the end of this historic day for human rights -- a day for celebration, a day for remembrance, and a day for commitment -- we are truly privileged to restore our faith in human rights to the sounds of Luciano Pavarotti's voice and Wynton Marsalis's trumpet.
The excellence, the richness, the depth and the humanity of their art has long enriched our global culture. Through their passion for music and their desire to share their gifts, they have enriched the souls of men and women the world over. Today, they have come to the United Nations to pay their unique tribute to human rights, and in so doing will elevate our work and enrich our cause.
To hear Pavarotti conquer an opera with the power of his voice, or to hear Marsalis swing with a soulfulness unmatched in our time, is to know that humanity can rise above difference and discord to achieve true beauty. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights seeks no more than to give every man and woman that choice and that opportunity -- to create, to believe and to contribute.
Throughout their lives, Wynton Marsalis and Luciano Pavarotti have been an inspiration to all who have heard their music or benefited from their wisdom. Tonight, let them be an inspiration to all of us, not only to do better in our own lives, but to do more for those whose human rights have yet to be fulfilled.
* *** *