>=CHERISH YOUR INDIVIDUALITY, RESPECT THE INDIVIDUALITY OF OTHERS==, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS FRANCOPHONE SUMMIT

Press Release
SG/SM/7118

>ðCHERISH YOUR INDIVIDUALITY, RESPECT THE INDIVIDUALITY OF OTHERS=ð, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS FRANCOPHONE SUMMIT

Kofi Annan Stresses Responsibility Of Each and Every One to Nurture Dialogue among Civilizations

Following is the statement, translated from French, of Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the Eighth Francophone Summit, in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, today:

Allow me, first of all, to thank Canada and New Brunswick for their warm welcome. Proud of their diversity -- including their linguistic diversity -- but also jealous of their uniqueness, our hosts truly represent the francophone spirit.

I am particularly appreciative of that spirit, not only because it represents the essence of the Organization of which I am the head but also because it enables me to feel fully associated with your great francophone family.

In 1999, this family has sought to start listening to its young members, those who will be the leaders in the next century. It has encouraged them to meet one another, to consult one another and to compare their ideas, either face to face or via the Internet. In so doing, it has encouraged them to forge a community based not simply on a common language but on a common way of thinking and a common purpose, cemented by a set of shared values and ideals.

The francophone community invites its young people to base their identity as French-speaking people not on a cautious and defensive withdrawal, not on chauvinism or protectionism, but on a genuine desire to enter into a dialogue with others while preserving the linguistic, cultural and human wealth of our world. This invitation is an invitation to peace, as we in the United Nations see it, and it is very closely related to the topic which I should like to speak of here today, that of dialogue among civilizations.

It is often said nowadays that although globalization brings us closer to one another, there is a danger that it may also turn our world into a place of dreary uniformity. Moreover, although globalization promises increased prosperity, it at the same time continues to widen existing gaps. These paradoxical trends have, understandably, led to considerable confusion. The general feeling is that globalization carries with it tremendous potential, but that some of its aspects require careful management.

I believe that the reason the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the year 2001 as the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations was to contribute to this management by helping the international community redefine some of its points of reference at the start of the third millennium.

The premises of this reflection are clear. Integration is spreading and problems that require global solutions -- whether degradation of the environment, the AIDS pandemic or transnational crime -- are on the increase. It is becoming increasingly obvious that all peoples of the world are destined to form a single, more or less united community. Every group of human beings needs a modicum of accepted rules and regulations in order to ensure its cohesion. The time has therefore come for us to think together about the values on which we want to base our necessary co- existence.

In order to have real cohesive force these values must, of course, have everyone's support. It is therefore necessary for all parties -- whether they be called societies, cultures or civilizations -- to engage in an open dialogue based on respect for different points of view and based, also, on the firm conviction that diversity is not a threat but, rather, a source of wealth and of vitality.

Obviously, the dialogue that we wish to institute will not spring out of the blue. The Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights delimit common ground, based on a principle that everyone recognizes, the principle of the dignity and quality of all human beings. We pass them onto the young people of today, certain that these instruments will remain as valid tomorrow as they were when they were adopted, half a century ago.

Yet, the indignity of continuing poverty, the abomination of ethnic cleansing, the horror of genocide and the hateful persecution of civilians in time of war, all go to show how far we have yet to travel before our global community can truly be described as "civilized" and "humane".

That is the goal of the United Nations, and it is also the goal sought by the francophone community. Through its missions to promote conciliation or to observe elections, its support for the press or its activities in the field of education, it is helping to establish a culture of peace, human rights and democracy.

The French-speaking peoples have very diverse origins, traditions and convictions. They represent a broad range of societies and peoples, yet they are capable of entering into a dialogue and cooperating. It is true that their love of the beautiful French language unites them, but we all know that that would not be enough, were it not for the fact that they also share the universal language of peace, justice, liberty and solidarity.

To the young people of the world, to whom this summit is dedicated, this is the message that I should like to pass on: learn, practice and cultivate this un