United Nations Day, 24 October 2005
 Today, as we celebrate sixty years of our United Nations, we must recognize
that the world today is very different from that of our founders.
The United Nations must reflect this new age, and respond to its challenges
- including, first and foremost, the knowledge that hundreds of millions
of people are left defenceless against hunger, disease and environmental
degradation, even though the world has the means to rescue them.
Last month, world leaders met in New York to try and forge a common
response to these challenges.
Leaders of both rich and poor countries committed themselves to detailed
policies which, if fully implemented, could reduce hunger and poverty
by 50 per cent in the next ten years. They decided to create new UN
bodies for promoting human rights and building lasting peace in war-torn
countries.
They promised to fight terrorism in all its forms, and to take collective
action, when needed, to save populations from genocide and other heinous
crimes.
They decided on important reforms of the UN Secretariat.
But on climate change and Security Council reform they could make only
weak statements. And on nuclear proliferation and disarmament they could
not agree at all.
They have left us a great deal of work to do. Today, as we mark the
60th anniversary of our indispensable institution, I promise you that
I will do my part. And I trust that you, as global citizens, will do
yours.
His Excellency Kofi Annan
UN Secretary-General
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