United Nations Day Concert
24 October 2002
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Jan Kavan
President of the 57th session of the United Nations General Assembly

version for print

As we celebrate the 57th anniversary of the United Nations, we may rejoice on this day and pay tribute to the founders and their foresight in establishing an organization that was mandated to ensure a just and peaceful world, an organization that would reflect the universal moral conscience, an organization which is the most inclusive of all world forums where nations could settle their differences and disputes peacefully. The relevance of the United Nations is confirmed more than ever in these times when there are so many global problems challenging our world. On this day, we can take pride and satisfaction that every country, and therefore every citizen, is a stakeholder in this enterprise.

Let us celebrate this day and I welcome the distinguished audience to enjoy the United Nations Day Concert, and thank the sponsors of the Korean Broadcasting System for bringing their Traditional Music Orchestra to the United Nations to celebrate this happy event. Music is transcendental and evokes our aspirations and desire for peace and harmony. The United Nations Day Concert is an occasion to reconfirm and celebrate the rich diversity of all peoples, respecting and preserving their precious individual cultural identities.

Appropriately, the renditions in this evening's programme will convey a peaceful world, drawing on sounds of nature in a spirit of joy and hope for the fulfillment of national aspirations. This evening's performance will enrich our lives as we listen to and visualize the life and spirit of the Korean people through their 5000 years of performing arts.

Recalling Shakespeare's words "if music be the food of love, play on," I have the honour to invite the Korean Traditional Music Orchestra to take us into their world of song and music.