Mr. President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
When I heard the Security Council¡¯s decision to recommend me to the General Assembly, my feelings could be described by just two words: gratitude and humility.
It is with the same gratitude and humility that I stand before you today, now joined by a profound sense of responsibility.
I am grateful, first of all, to the General Assembly and the Security Council for entrusting me with the position of Secretary-General of the 51³Ô¹Ï.
I am also grateful for the transparency and openness of the selection process and to the many competent, thoughtful and dedicated candidates who came forward. I believe this process means that the true winner today is the credibility of the UN. And it also made very clear to me that, as Secretary-General, having been chosen by all Member States, I must be at the service of them all equally and with no agenda but the one enshrined in the UN Charter.
I am fully aware of the challenges the UN faces and the limitations surrounding the Secretary-General. The dramatic problems of today¡¯s complex world can only inspire a humble approach ¨C one in which the Secretary-General alone neither has all the answers, nor seeks to impose his views; one in which the Secretary-General makes his good offices available, working as a convener, a mediator, a bridge-builder and an honest broker to help find solutions that benefit everyone involved.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Over the last 10 years, I have witnessed, first hand, the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth. I have visited war zones and refugee camps where one might legitimately ask: what has happened to the ¡°dignity and worth of the human person¡±?
What has made us immune to the plight of those most socially and economically underprivileged? All this makes me feel the acute responsibility to make human dignity the core of my work- and I trust, the core of our common work.
This also underscores the importance of gender equality. I have long been aware of the hurdles women face in society, in the family and in the workplace just because of their gender. I have witnessed the violence they are subject to during conflict, or while fleeing it, just because they are women. I have tried to address this through every public office I have ever held. The protection and the empowerment of women and girls will continue to be a priority commitment for me.
I have faith in the 51³Ô¹Ï because I believe in the universal values its stands for: peace, justice, human dignity, tolerance and solidarity. Based on these values, I believe that diversity in all its forms is a tremendous asset, and not a threat; that in societies that are more and more multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious, diversity can bring us together, not drive us apart.
Monsieur le Pr¨¦sident,
Monsieur le Secr¨¦taire-g¨¦n¨¦ral,
Excellences,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Sans paix, la vie est vid¨¦e de tout son sens. Sans paix, on ne peut garantir le d¨¦veloppement durable et le respect des Droits de l¡¯Homme, qui soustendent ¨¤ leur tour l¡¯enracinement de la paix. Mais la paix est aujourd¡¯hui et malheureusement la grande absente dans notre monde.
De par sa vocation mondiale et les principes consacr¨¦s dans sa Charte, I¡¯Organisation des Nations Unies a le devoir moral et le droit universel de mettre en oeuvre comme priorit¨¦ majeure la diplomatie pour la paix. Une diplomatie capable de faire valoir la diversit¨¦ et le caract¨¨re repr¨¦sentatif de I¡¯ONU. Une diplomatie qui lui permette de s¡¯¨¦riger en forum de dialogue, en espace public universel pour apprendre ¨¤ travailler ensemble, pour mieux nous connaitre et mieux ¨¦couter I¡¯autre. Une diplomatie capable d¡¯apaiser les tensions et de faire ¨¦merger des solutions pacifiques aux conflits qui emp¨¦chent tant d¡¯¨¦tres humains d¡¯avoir une vie digne de ce nom.
Quand j¡¯¨¦tudiais I¡¯Histoire au lyc¨¦e, et ce avec passion, presque toutes les guerres se terminaient avec des vainqueurs. Mais les conflits actuels ne connaissent que des perdants. Les guerres semblent interminables, deviennent de plus en plus complexes et entreli¨¦es, et alimentent la haine et le terrorisme. En m¨ºme temps, la souffrance qu¡¯elles causent devient moralement insupportable et la s¨¦curit¨¦ est partout menac¨¦e. II est de notre responsabilit¨¦ collective de mettre fin ¨¤ cet ¨¦tat des choses.
Je suis bien conscient qu¡¯il y a parmi nous des visions diff¨¦rentes et des int¨¦r¨ºts l¨¦gitimes parfois divergents, qui cr¨¦ent des divisions et rendent difficile l¡¯unit¨¦ de notre action pour la paix. Mais les menaces qui p¨¨sent sur notre s¨¦curit¨¦ collective, sur la nature m¨ºme de nos soci¨¦t¨¦s et la survie de la plan?te telle que nous la connaissons sont telles que notre int¨¦r¨ºt commun doit s¡¯imposer contre tout ce qui nous divise. Unissonsnous pour la paix ¨C voil¨¤ la demande la plus pressante des citoyens du monde que nous sommes I¨¤ pour servir.
Me gustar¨ªa dejar una palabra de reconocimiento a los incansables oldados de la paz que defienden los principios de Naciones Unidas lejos de sus casas, pero tambi¨¦n dejar un Ilamamiento. Un Ilamamiento al apoyo de todos los Estados miembros y de todas las estructuras de la Organizaci¨®n: no permitamos que comportamientos repugnantes da?en el heroismo al servicio de Naciones Unidas.
Es en Naciones Unidas, bajo su bandera azul, que el mundo puede encontrarse y construir la paz, con determinaci¨®n, creatividad, solidaridad y compasi¨®n.
Allow me, before finishing, to salute the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. I had the honour of working with you, Sir, throughout many years and witnessed your unfailing dedication to the cause of international public service. I will do my utmost to honour your legacy.
I also want to express my admiration for the dedication and commitment of the UN staff. Having been myself a staff member for more than a decade, I am thrilled with the prospect of becoming a colleague once again.
Excellences,
Chers Repr¨¦sentants des Etats-membres,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Le r¨ºve des Fondateurs des Nations Unies reste ¨¤ accomplir. Beaucoup a ¨¦t¨¦ fait, mais le chemin est encore long. Nous devons le parcourir ensemble, nous les peuples, dans nos multiples r?les. L¡¯horizon est tangible: le bien-¨ºtre de I¡¯Humanit¨¦.
Je vous remercie.