BUILD BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WORLD BODY, SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES

IN VIDEO MESSAGE TO ‘MODEL UNITED NATIONS’ IN REPUBLIC OF KOREA

 

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message to the annual Model United Nations Conference sponsored by the United Nations Association of the Republic of Korea at Konkuk University, 2–5 July:

I send warm greetings to all students and faculty taking part in this Model United Nations, and thank the United Nations Association of the Republic of Korea for its sponsorship.

I feel a particular connection with young people like you, for, when I was a student, the United Nations inspired me in a fundamental way.  As I was growing up, the United Nations stood by our people in our darkest hour.  For Koreans of that era, the UN flag was a beacon of better days to come.  And in the course of my own lifetime, with the assistance of the UN, our country has rebuilt itself from a country ravaged by war into a regional economic power and major contributor to the Organization.  In this way, the UN helped me make the journey to where I am today.  For that, I am deeply thankful.

To succeed as Secretary-General, I will need to work in partnership with every one of our Member States.  And “We the Peoples”, in whose name the United Nations was founded, have a right to expect a UN which serves the needs of people everywhere.  That is where I need your support.  You can build a better understanding of our United Nations -- what it is, what it does and what it can do.

Through this Model UN Conference, I hope young Koreans will learn more about the ideals and goals of the UN.  I hope you will understand better the critical and urgent issues faced by humankind.  I hope you will become more aware of our common responsibility to work together, across national borders, to resolve global problems.

In that spirit, I thank all of you for your commitment and wish you a most stimulating conference.

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For information media • not an official record