IMAGES CAN SPUR EFFORTS TO SAFEGUARD FRAGILE PLANET, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

AT OPENING OF EXHIBIT FEATURING WORK BY UNITED NATIONS PHOTOGRAPHERS

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the opening of the photo exhibit “Our Changing Environment:  Global Climate Challenge” in New York, yesterday, 10 June:

It’s a great pleasure to be here.  I want to thank the Department of Public Information (DPI) and Mr. (Kiyo) Akasaka for putting this exhibit together.  And I especially want to thank the DPI photographers whose work is on display here.  Normally they are stuck taking pictures of diplomats standing at podiums, so I’m sure these assignments were a welcome break!  And I really enjoyed the opportunity of travelling with the DPI photographers and I learned a great deal how to appreciate their work and the environment and how to appreciate all these beautiful pictures.

Since taking office as Secretary-General, I’ve made environmental issues a top priority.  I’ve given speeches around the world; I’ve negotiated through the night; I’ve done everything I can to rally Governments to action.  The message I’m carrying is that we all have a duty to safeguard this beautiful, fragile Earth for future generations.  And that same message is conveyed through this exhibit.

By contrasting the beauty of unspoiled nature with the terrible damage disasters can wreak, these photos inspire awe and a solemn sense of responsibility. 

As Secretary-General, I’m pushing world leaders as hard as I can to take the right policy decisions.  But we need more than diplomacy.  We need action by individuals.  This exhibit can help spur grass-roots efforts by motivating people to take small steps in their own lives to address this large problem confronting the world. 

Together, we can make a difference.  In that regard, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation for your very creative work to send a strong message to the world through this exhibit.  I hope all the people, first of all, appreciate and enjoy looking at this exhibit and also learn the lessons about what we need to do, what we must do for the entire humanity, and thank you very much for your support and commitment.

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For information media • not an official record