FUTURE OF HUMAN FAMILY CAN BE BUILT ON FOUNDATIONS OF SOLIDARITY, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

Press Release
SG/SM/7564

FUTURE OF HUMAN FAMILY CAN BE BUILT ON FOUNDATIONS OF SOLIDARITY, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's remarks today in New York to open an exhibition of the work of Sebastiao Salgado:

Carol Bellamy apologized for speaking before her boss but let me say that there is an old saying that a good leader must also be a good follower. I try to lead but I am also a good follower so you don't have to apologize, Carol.

This exhibition is a tribute to children everywhere. As you have said in the past, Mr. Salgado, children are often the first victims of disaster or displacement. They are also often the last to despair. Even in the worst of circumstances, children exude pure energy. This evening, we see that energy before our eyes.

If every picture tells a story, this exhibition gives us the key to the story of humanity. It tells the story of hope.

And it tells of what you, Mr. Salgado, have described as a turning point in the history of humankind. At a time of great problems, yes, but also of great promise; at a time when borders and boundaries are melting away; at a time when we are coming to understand the future of the human family can only be built on the foundations of solidarity -- I repeat, the future of the human family can be built on the foundations of solidarity.

Of that, these pictures are moving testimony. They are a celebration of our common humanity. They form a reminder that as billions of our fellow human beings are suffering, we cannot afford to look away. Rather, we must look into the faces of these children -- faces that tell of courage in times of crisis, of hope in lives of hardship. I am proud that, for the next month, they will find their home here in our United Nations. And I hope that in our work to build a better world for succeeding generations, we will all draw inspiration from them.

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