Secretary-General, in Message, Says He Counts on Nobel Peace Laureates’ Collective Wisdom in Defending Common Values, Realizing Shared Aims

Following is UN Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon’s message, as delivered by Michael Møller, Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, in Rome, today:

I send my warmest greetings to the distinguished Nobel Peace Laureates participating in this annual Summit in Rome.  I offer special congratulations to the two newest additions to your group: Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai, who earlier this week inspired the world with their ringing calls for peace and an end to exploitation.  It is fitting that your gathering in Rome includes a dedicated youth programme, as Malala is the youngest ever individual to join your ranks.

All Nobel Laureates have earned recognition for contributing to humanity.  The United Nations is proud to have been represented among you.  This week, I met in Peru with former Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of UN peacekeepers in 1988.  At the time, he reflected on the arms race and the Cold War, observing that, “In spite of these discouraging developments, the basic will to peace of the world community survived”.

It is worth remembering this timeless human yearning in our own era of rising extremism and humanitarian suffering.  Never before has the brutality of conflict been so immediately apparent, as terrorists wield real-time images to instil fear.  But growing global awareness of problems can also promote solidarity and change.

As a group, you are diverse, representing not only peacemakers, disarmament experts and mediators but also those who have helped to correct the unjust and dehumanizing conditions that lie at the root of conflict.

You meet as the United Nations leads a global push to chart a new course towards a sustainable future for our planet and all people.  The year 2015 presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity.  During the coming 12 months, we must do our utmost to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, adopt a visionary post-2015 agenda with a new generation of sustainable development goals, and approve a meaningful, universal climate agreement.  The United Nations will also mark its seventieth anniversary, an opportunity for thoughtful reflection on our setbacks, achievements and future path as a deeply interconnected single human family.

I count on your collective wisdom in defending our common values and realizing our shared aims, and wish you great success at this Summit and beyond.