New York – 24 October 2014
The United Nations is at the forefront of the global efforts to build a safer, more secure and prosperous future- from eradicating poverty and hunger to combating climate change, from assisting populations affected by conflicts and natural disasters to protecting human rights and combating terrorism.
The family of nations has seen how epidemics such as Ebola do not respect borders; how a crisis in one country can affect an entire region. In an increasingly interconnected world, the United Nations is needed more than ever to address our common challenges.
Next year, our organization will celebrate the seventieth anniversary of its founding. In many ways, 2015 represent an important landmark for the United Nations, a year of opportunities to set our world on a course geared towards sustainable development. As Member States formulate a new Development Agenda, building on the foundation laid by the Millennium Development Goals, the world is looking at the United Nations with great expectations for a better tomorrow.
The UN Day is an opportunity to celebrate our collective achievements and reflect on challenges ahead. On this Day, I call on Member States and all global citizens to reaffirm our determination to work together in the spirit of dialogue and compromise towards building a world where no one is left behind. The people remain at the centre of everything we do.
