GA/SM/146

WELCOME MILLENIUM WITH SPIRIT OF UNIVERSAL KINSHIP, ENLARGED KINDNESS SAYS GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT AT HEADQUARTERS RECEPTION

Following is the statement made by the President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), at the Millennium Reception hosted by the President of the Security Council at Headquarters on 29 December:

Yes, yes indeed. It was the best of centuries; It was the worst of centuries; It was the age of mind-boggling progress; and it was the age of madness. Somebody�s words with my own salt and better added thereto.

That is, the twentieth century and the millennium which had nurtured it. They have bequeathed us and our children these things to ponder upon, regardless of how we may choose to proceed or opt for settling down somehow.

We can neither run away nor hide from history and its judgment. Sooner or later the power of the truth comes knocking on the door. And there is no escaping. From where we stand today and at this hour, we cannot forget the past. But what matters most in life is the future. The future gives us a second chance -� another opportunity -- to correct the past mistakes and hopefully embark upon a new beginning.

As we enter the twenty-first century and the new millennium, we must, therefore, open our eyes, minds and hearts to solidarity, reconciliation, kindness of spirit and promote a culture of peace, mutual respect, equality and sharing. Our generation has been able to discover the outer layers and the inner depth of social consciousness. We have demonstrated extraordinary ingenuity for social change and human advancement in so many ways.

Who can deny the tremendous achievements of science and technology; for example, the information explosion (Internet, cyberspace, world�s newest and most promising Web site, NetAid.com as well as all kinds of the latest wireless gadgets), and in the fields of medicine and biotechnology. Shouldn�t we be proud of all this? The answer is yes.

But what happened to our kinship of spirit and kindness towards one another? This century of madness has brought out the worst in us: Greed, inequality, racism, racial discrimination, ethnic and religious intolerance and xenophobia.

This has, moreover, denuded man of his warm soul and sensitivity towards justice and fellowship. Instead, man�s pursuit of power and influence has tended

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to concentrate mainly on the accumulation of wealth as the ultimate arbiter which defines the worth of a human person. That same mindset has also determined the way in which our children and, no less, women are kept out in a wasteland of benign neglect and institutionalized discrimination.

We must rediscover that kinship of spirit and kindness and put back the family at the centre of protecting, educating and preparing our children for the future. Women are not begging for charity. They are demanding power-sharing and equality in decision-making.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow and always, our children deserve a life where water is clean, birds sing, the caring family is intact and the sunset stirs a vision of education for all, and boundless opportunities for productivity, prosperity and progress. If we could just stop abusing and killing them, there will be no need to declaring �Children as a Zone of Peace� in situations of armed conflict or designating the opening decade of the next millennium in terms of a �Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World�. Let us end wars and save lives.

The world has so far been spared nuclear war. The human mind is full of wonders, sometimes. We must hold on to hope, knowing there is no certainty about the future. That notwithstanding, we must never relent from intensifying the world campaign for nuclear disarmament. The reformed and strengthened United Nations must take the lead in this worthy cause.

Let us welcome the new millennium with a universal kinship of spirit and enlarged kindness towards one another. If we do that -� and we must -� we will be able to create more favourable conditions for a lasting peace, friendship, human security and prosperity that all of us can share in. I think of the future and what I see is the human mind in search of solutions, with renewed intensity, optimism and hope for a better world, a world that recognizes man�s spiritual yearnings as well.

The Millennium Summit should be responsive to the demanding challenges of poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS, proliferation of small arms and financing for development in the Third World. I wish one and all a very happy and memorable holiday season and a new beginning in the twenty-first century, which is just hours away. Many thanks for everything.

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United Nations