GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, AT RECEPTION FOR GENEVA SPECIAL SESSION LAUDS SOCIAL CONSCIENCE OF SWISS BALLOONIST, DR. BERTRAND PICARD

Press Release
GA/SM/180

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, AT RECEPTION FOR GENEVA SPECIAL SESSION LAUDS SOCIAL CONSCIENCE OF SWISS BALLOONIST, DR. BERTRAND PICARD

Following are the remarks of General Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia) at the welcome reception of the Assembly special session "World Summit for Social Development and Beyond: Achieving Social Development for All in a Globalizing World" in Geneva on 26 June:

I must, once again, thank the Swiss Government and the people for hosting not only our special session, but also many of the related events.

We are all deeply grateful to the Swiss Confederation, the Republic and Canton of Geneva and the Geneva City Government for this wonderful reception and the spectacular landing of the Zeppelin airship, bearing Dr. Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, the first round-the-world balloonists.

I am honoured, on behalf of the General Assembly’s twenty-fourth special session on social development, to accept this message about social development, as perceived from the skies above. We are, in particular, welcoming and honouring Dr. Piccard for his achievements.

Your message on such a fundamental issue of human survival as social development occurred, we have learned, as you circumnavigated the globe. I am personally fascinated by your perception of hot-air ballooning as a metaphor for life, and also by your inspiring conviction that just as a balloon can change altitude in order to find better currents, men and women down here can raise themselves up and assume responsibility for the betterment of their lives.

You are, Dr. Piccard, an inspiration and a modern-day hero to the rest of us, along with co-pilot Brian Jones. People everywhere listened, watched or logged on to the Internet, and tracked your progress in fascination and amazement as you circled the earth in March last year. The whole world rooted for you and your incredible flying machine to reach the finish line. Your achievement has attested to the courage, endurance, ingenuity and power of the human mind and spirit.

After accomplishing one of the greatest feats in aviation history, many others would have been content to rest on their laurels and bask in their glory. But not you. Instead, you have moved on to more human-centred challenges. You have agreed to become a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund and a Face to Face Campaign Spokesperson for Switzerland.

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You have chosen to support the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in its efforts to raise awareness throughout this country and beyond. By this, you and the rest of us will continue to advocate for the urgent need for population assistance in developing countries in order to improve the quality of people’s lives on a sustained basis.

That worthy campaign is aimed at publicizing the plight of millions of youth, women and girls who are denied basic human rights, especially access to reproductive health care, family planning services and resources. Now, Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of UNFPA, and all of us her co-workers, have gained an invaluable heart and body of Dr. Piccard in our common struggle to change old habits and instill a new mindset, particularly among the men folk everywhere.

But, then, we really should not be surprised that you, Dr. Piccard, have taken on this new and daunting assignment. As a scientist-adventurer, psychiatrist and aeronaut, you hail from a legendary Swiss family of scientists and explorers. Adventure and challenge are, as the saying goes, in your blood.

The United Nations, therefore, congratulates you on your accomplishments and lauds your social conscience. And we welcome you within a warm circle of our United Nations family.

Welcome on board and God’s speed.

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