Thank you for your warm welcome.It is a privilege and honour to be invited to address this prestigious academicinstitution. I would also like to thank the other co-hosts, the City of Leidenand the Leiden University Medical Center.Leiden University is aninternationally renowned hub of learning and re

Dobriy Viecher Sochi!I am Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations.My warmest greetings to IOC President Honorable Thomas Bach and all those gathered for the 22nd Winter Olympic Games!The Olympics and Paralympics bring out the best in athletic achievement.The Olympic Flame also illuminat

Your Excellency Prime Minister Yingluck ShinawatraITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun TouréExcellencies,Ladies and gentlemen,I am pleased to send greetings to the Connect Asia-Pacific Summit, and I thank the Government of Thailand for hosting.The Asia-Pacific region is vast and diverse. It has numero

I am pleased to greet the Third China-Africa People’s Forum.I thank the China NGO Network for International Exchanges and the Sudan NGO Network for co-organizing this meeting.I also thank the Government of Sudan for hosting.Ending extreme poverty in Africa and across the world is a top priority for

Your Excellency, Mr. Maurizio Enrico Luigi Serra, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations Office in GenevaExcellencies,Distinguished human rights officials,Ladies and Gentlemen,I thank the European Union and the Italian Government for this commemoration of the World Day against the D

Hello Global Citizens!What a beautiful crowd!Our world needs more solar power and wind power.But I believe in an even stronger source of energy: People power!The United Nations has heard your voices tonight.Loud and clear.You are the generation that can end extreme poverty by 2030.I commit to challe

On March 28 at 8:30 pm, the United Nations will switch off its lights in support of Earth Hour.We do this each year to call attention to the need for climate action now, and the brighter future that lies ahead if we act together.Climate change is a people problem.People cause climate change and peop

On March 28 at 8:30 pm, the United Nations will switch off its lights in support of Earth Hour.We do this each year to call attention to the need for climate action now, and the brighter future that lies ahead if we act together.Climate change is a people problem.People cause climate change and peop

Your Excellency Mr. Fran&#231ois Hollande, President of France, Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Your Excellency Mr. Laurent Fabius, President of COP21, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,You are here today to write the script for a new future, a future of hope and promise, of increased

Chun jie kuai le!春节快乐！Wo shi lian he guo mi shu zhang pan ji wen.我是联合国秘书长潘基文。The Year of the Monkey has come. I&#39m also a &quotmonkey&quot. Monkey implies intelligence, agility and good fortune. So, it&#39s a good year full of hope and energy.猴年到了。我也属猴。猴代表着智慧、灵活与好运。所以这将是一个充满着希望和活力的好年。This year is

I have personally met thousands of heroines in countries around the world. Women defending human rights. Women challenging authoritarians. Women rejecting injustice. Again and again, I have been inspired by female leaders of countries and peacekeeping operations, women doctors and activists, mothers

Your Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly, Your Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General-designate of the United Nations, and Madame Catarina Vaz Pinto Your Excellency Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic of Portugal, Your Excellency Mr. António

Each year, on Mother Earth Day, we reflect on our relationship with the planet that supports us. The air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil that grows our food are part of a delicate global ecosystem that is increasingly under pressure from human activities. From tropical deforestation to d

This first International Widows&rsquo Day is an occasion to call attention to the many &ldquofirsts&rdquo that women must face when their husbands die. In addition to coping with grief, they may find themselves for the first time since marriage without any social safety net. Far too often, widows la