SG/SM/6056

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

Peace is our common dream. It is the goal of our daily labours here at United Nations Headquarters and throughout the world. We ring this bell each year as a symbol of our faith that this dream can come true, that this goal can be attained.

We have achieved substantial progress. I am thinking in particular of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty adopted just last week. Of the recently concluded major conference cycle, which advanced the cause of development. And of the ongoing reforms that are enabling the Organization to meet the challenges of a new era.

None the less, peace remains far too remote for far too many people. And as long as this is the case, peace is far too remote for all of us.

The desire for peace permeated the fiftieth anniversary year of reflection and debate. Today, as we gather to begin the General Assembly's fifty-first session, let us listen to the sound of the peace bell, and let us hear its message.

We must continue to promote a culture of peace. We must never forget that peace is much more than the absence of conflict. We must show solidarity with those who are suffering or deprived. And we must be willing, in the face of inevitable obstacles and setbacks, to take risks for peace. The future well-being of humanity demands nothing less.

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United Nations