I'm so happy today to be here with you. It's a real treat to spend time with all of you, in particular young students. While going through a crowd of 1,400 young students, I was very much impressed and I was thinking that if the world is only full of students like today, my job would be much easier. I've never seen any occasion where people were just unconditionally supporting me.

That is a proof of good education here. They also sang beautifully, and even though I didn't have time to thank them personally, I hope you will convey my thanks to all the members of the choir.

This renovation will really improve and enrich the UNIS experience –new facilities for kindergarten. I would like to see the new kindergarten in June next year, physical education and other activities, and I am very proud that you're making the campus more green by improving energy efficiency. And this is exactly in line with my policy going through a CMP [Capital Master Plan] project of the landmark United Nations Headquarters building and the General Assembly halls I'm going to make this building the greenest in the world.

So in a sense this renovation is not only good for students of UNIS but it is also good for the whole world, for this planet. That is especially appropriate because this school has a mission beyond just helping students pass their exams. UNIS is raising global citizens who are inspired by the ideals of the UN Charter. I sincerely hope that through my visit, through my brief interaction mingling with the children they will have a small sense of inspiration. In fact, I was inspired by them. I hope that vice versa they will be inspired by meeting me. When I was a young boy I toured the United States. At that time as you may know the story already, I had a brief meeting with President Kennedy. I was so inspired at that time that the moment changed the entire course of my life. I decided to serve my country through public service. That was the inspiration which I got. I sincerely hope that one day these students will remember 'I met the Secretary-General of the United Nations and shook hands with him'. I remember and they may not remember me. This is what I really hope and I really hope - that parents, PTA, Board of Trustees, teachers - they all bring up these students to be leaders of the next generation with global vision and global perspectives as global citizens.

In that spirit, while you enjoy this beautiful facility, I hope you always remember the plight of the millions of children worldwide who do not have the same privilege as you students may have.

If I may say again my own experience: I studied without classrooms and I used to sit on the dirt, on the ground. When it rained I had to avoid all this. Normally we were studying under the shadow of the trees. We had to bring blackboards from certain storage everyday. I used to carry my own desk –a small one –on my shoulder. It was only a few years later that I was able to study in a classroom, after the Korean War. This is exactly the same story that I conveyed to the students when I visited Burkina Faso in April this year. They were studying even though very crowded in nice classrooms. I was very much saddened that there were about 280 students in one classroom. It was so much crowded but still they would be very much envied by many people in Burkina Faso who do not even have an opportunity of going to school. Children who struggle to learn in a single classroom with barely any supplies; children in refugee camps who find hope in UNICEF “school-in-a-box” kit; or children who are forced to work never get a chance to write and read. By instilling a global outlook in your students, you are already helping to build a better world.

This renovation will allow you to expand your valuable contribution well into the future.

I sincerely hope that your students will learn to help others who hunger for the same quality of education as you are blessed with at this school. Again, your support, your care, your dedication for your students will be very important, and that is the main purpose I am here: to encourage you in fact personally, I feel a sense of guilt that I am here quite late after only 20 months in my service. This is for me is very important. I have 60 months in my mandate; I'm entering into 21 months. I regard the second segment of my 20 months will be crucially important for every agenda and this raising and bringing young leaders, future leaders to higher education, higher learning, to make them global citizens, that is very important.

Education is one of the important pillars of MDG. I think you have great responsibility: social responsibility and I count on your support, leadership and commitment and devotion.

Thank you very much.