SG/SM/6036

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON UN ASSOCIATIONS TO REAFFIRM INTERNATIONAL FAITH IN ORGANIZATION

As the proceedings of this meeting come to a close, I am truly happy to congratulate you, on my own behalf and on behalf of the United Nations, on the conduct of this meeting, dedicated to the achievement of the ideals of the Charter.

I should also like to thank the organizers of this Conference, and the officers of the World Federation of United Nations Associations for their dedication to our common objectives. Each and every one of you has an important part to play, in national associations, in order to disseminate the message of the world Organization.

Finally, allow me to thank, in the name of the United Nations, and in my name, the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for their generous hospitality. Fifty years ago, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg extended its hospitality to the first meeting of the World Federation of United Nations Associations. It is therefore most appropriate that your meeting be held here today. Your meeting here, once more, on your fiftieth anniversary, is a sign that you are faithful to the values present at the birth of your Federation. It is an added example of the profound attachment of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the values of the United Nations Charter. And it is therefore with great pleasure that I offer my warmest congratulations to the present event.

I should also like to seize this opportunity to reiterate the importance of your work for the mobilization of Member States in the service of peace and development. You can be invaluable in shaping public opinion in favour of the goals of the Charter.

Since the end of the cold war, there has been a dramatic change in the international system. Some regions of the world suddenly lost their strategic interest in the bipolar conflict. The world has been tempted to leave these regions to themselves, condemned to a low level of development, or political disorder.

- 2 - Press Release SG/SM/6036 23 August 1996

The international solidarity of States in the service of peace and development, can often be supported by national public opinion. There lies the importance of your work and the responsibility of your associations. You are familiar with these responsibilities. Allow me, today, to pursue this reasoning further.

In the post-cold-war era, the new international system is still looking for explanatory concepts, but also for moral values on which this system will be based. For my part, I have often underlined the importance of democratization, not only within States, but also among States and within the United Nations itself. This is not to say that there is a single model of democracy, applicable to all societies, but to suggest that democratization is a process that can be adapted to reflect the specificities and the goals of all societies and cultures.

We are entering today an era of globalization. The globalization of the economy must be accompanied by democratization at the international level. We must thus take into account not only the will of States and associations of States, but also the aspirations of economic, cultural and social actors.

It is in this effort of democratization at the international level that United Nations Associations have an immense responsibility. Your associations were one of the first examples of public action in the service of the objectives of the Charter. I am therefore asking you to help me in the service of democratization. You are the peoples of the United Nations to which the Preamble of our Charter refers. Without you, nothing is possible.

I have shared with you a vision of future action for the welfare of the international community. I have outlined my concept of your role in this great task. I do this, as the United Nations passes through a profound crisis. We are all conscious of the financial crisis, but there is also a political crisis whereby some are trying to weaken the bases of the authority, of the legitimacy of the United Nations, and hence of multilateral action.

Now is the time to reaffirm, with all our strength and all our courage, our faith in the United Nations. Now is the time to redouble our efforts at the service of peace and development. Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to the goals of the Charter.

Long live the United Nations.

Long live the World Federation of United Nations Associations.

Together, we shall create an international community in justice, peace and solidarity.

Thank you for your work. Thank you for your support of the United Nations.

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