Creative Community Can Work with United Nations to Establish Peace, Security,

Deliver Development, Secretary-General Says at Croatia Film Festival

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the opening of the Pula Film Festival in Pula, Croatia, on 21 July:

It is a great honour and pleasure and privilege for me to participate in this fifty-ninth Pula International Film Festival.  On behalf of the United Nations, I’d like to sincerely congratulate [you] for the successful opening of this Pula Film Festival.  I’d like to thank all those people who made this film festival successful.

Croatia is a stunning country.  I am deeply impressed by its natural beauty, historical and culture treasures, and most importantly its people – the creative, dynamic people of Croatia.  I am a great fan of cinema so it is a great privilege for me to participate in this internationally renowned Pula Film Festival.

What a magnificent setting.  It’s awe-inspiring; 2,000 years after Romans built this amphitheatre it is still alive with the excitement, creativity and the participation of many thousands of people here.  I am just feeling that we are sensing and we are feeling those Romans of 2,000 years ago.

Movies; I strongly believe in the power of movies.  These movies can reach all throughout the world.  It has a magical power to bring all the people together around the world.  It reaches people.  It communicates and it informs.  Therefore, the United Nations welcomes the full working together, cooperation, of the creative community, movie industry, actors, actresses, producers, directors, [scriptwriters].  I have been meeting people from Hollywood, Bollywood, and I am very pleased to participate [here].

We can work together in realizing a global mission of establishing peace, security, delivering the development agenda and protecting human rights.  You have the power.  This creative community can help and work together with the United Nations.

And I wish you again all the best [for the] success of this film festival. Thank you very much.

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For information media • not an official record