development, security, human rights reinforce, depend on each other,

Secretary-General says in video message to tÄllberg forum

Following UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s video message to the Tällberg Forum:  How On Earth Can We Live Together?, 30 July 2005:

Nane and I are very sorry that we could not be with you in person today.  But we are with you in spirit.

Gatherings such as yours provide a precious opportunity.  By bringing together leading thinkers from so many countries and backgrounds, you can come up with creative approaches for dealing with some of the most important issues of our time.

I am glad that the schoolchildren of Tällberg have written to me with questions about some of those issues.

Questions like, what can we do about the lack of clean water?  How do we stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases?  Who will assume responsibility for ending poverty and starvation?  How can all of us help prevent war, no matter where we live?

Those questions cut right to the core of what affects us most as human beings.  They present a challenge to us all.

They are also the kind of questions the United Nations is focusing on in this, our 60^th anniversary year.

To address them, we must accept

-- that development, security and human rights are not only ends in themselves -- they reinforce each other, and depend on each other;

-- that in our interconnected world, the human family cannot enjoy security without development; cannot enjoy development without security; and cannot enjoy either without respect for human rights;

-- and that to act on that understanding, we need a strong United Nations.

I believe that is how we can best live together on Earth.

I am glad that you are ready to make common cause with us in that mission.

In that spirit, I wish you a most stimulating Forum.  I now hand you back to Shashi.

Thank you very much.  Tack så mycket.

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For information media • not an official record