Secretary-General's remarks at the Olympic Truce Signing Ceremony (unofficial transcript)

I am very happy this afternoon to join so many prominent men and women in signing the Olympic Truce. The UN and sports are natural partners and the UN agencies have long worked with sportsmen, prominent sportsmen and also used sports to help young people, and used sports to bring people together, people in conflict areas.

In fact recently, many of the UN agencies met in Switzerland with my Special Adviser for Sports and Development, Mr. [Adolf] Ogi, to discuss how we can further use sports to raise awareness, to help young people and some of our difficulties as in refugee camps and other places where people were engaged, people who play together, people who come together to amuse themselves often become friends.

I think what is important here is for those brief moments when the Olympic Truce is declared, in conflict areas where we are involved and the guns are silent for a moment for a brief period - often not long enough - for us to get on with our peacekeeping and peacemaking work. And for the humanitarian and health people to do what they have to do and to open space for them to get their work done is in itself a great contribution.

It is of course good to support it, and to sign it, but we all have to try and practice it. And practice it in our own way and in our daily lives and in our contacts with people around.

My special Adviser for Sports and Development has tried many times bringing people from conflicting groups, different ethnic backgrounds - sometimes together - to share a game, to exchange advice and to trade [with] each other. We are also hoping to expand that in some of our refugee camps and I must say that the Olympic Committee has also been very good in providing material, sporting material for us to use in these camps.

But today I am very, very happy to be able to join you here to honour the Olympic Truce. My own Organization, the United Nations, has been a great supporter of the Truce, as George [Papandreou] said, there have been resolutions in the General Assembly and the Millennium Summit that also endorsed the Truce.

So we are all, all very happy to be here today and I look forward to cooperating further with you and making it a real force in our work.

Thank you very much.