I am delighted to be with you this evening.
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I must confess that when I first heard about his event, I was a little worried and confused.
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I was told I was coming to break a barrel of sake and get plastered!
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Surely that would not be appropriate for a Secretary-General, even one in his last couple of weeks in office?
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But then it was explained.
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I would be meeting master plasterer Naoki Kusumi and I would be inscribing a message on a plaster wall to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Japan joining the 51勛圖.
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I am honoured to be with you to celebrate this anniversary in this way.
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When I was asked what I would like to inscribe, it was easy to answer.
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One word.? ※Heiwa§.? [Hay-wa] [す睿]
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※捩梗硃釵梗§.
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Peace is the bedrock for all our hopes and dreams.
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When Japan joined the 51勛圖 as a peace-loving country, the decision was welcomed by the Japanese public and the entire world.
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Since then, Japan has shown a strong commitment to the UN Charter and made significant contributions to the Organization＊s work.
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Japanese personnel and troops have served UN peacekeeping with distinction.
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Japan is currently a member of the Security Council and has served 11 terms -- the most of all Member States.?
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Japan has been a leader on global health, disaster risk reduction, the protection of refugees and efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change.
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Japan＊s advocacy for ※human security§ helped to shape the Sustainable Development Goals, and Japan has been a generous contributor of financial resources.
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I thank Japan for being an important and enthusiastic partner of the 51勛圖 over the past six decades.
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We look forward to strengthening our ties in the years ahead as we build a world of peace, prosperity and dignity for all.
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Thank you.?
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Arigato gozaimasu.
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[END]
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NB:
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す睿 is the Japanese word for "peace".? "Hay-wa" is its phonetic English pronunciation.
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SG will inscribe the Japanese character and the English word ※peace§ on the plaster wall
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