Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

It is particularly significant for me as Secretary-General of the United Nations to stand in front of this bombed site of the United Nations compound. I am just appalled. I am not able to describe how I am feeling, having seen this site of the bombing of the United Nations compound.

President Bush,

Distinguished heads of State and Government,

It is a great honor to participate in this crucial and historic gathering.

During the last two years, we have dealt with so many crises - regional crises in Darfur or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, global challenges such as the food crisis and climate change.

But we can, perhaps, all agree that this financial crisis is unique and overpowering in its immediate as well as potential impact.

It has become a full-scale economic crisis, spreading across the globe.

Mr. John Edwin Mroz, President and CEO of the East-West Institute,

Mr. George Russell, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the East-West Institute.

Dr. Kissinger,

Dr. ElBaradei,

Mr. Duarte,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the United Nations. I salute the East-West Institute and its partner non-governmental groups for organizing this event on weapons of mass destruction and disarmament.

Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Mr. President [of the General Assembly],
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Cherished guests,

Today is a historic day for the United Nations. We come together with a common and unwavering purpose: the support of victims of terrorism.

We are honored and humbled to have as our guests individuals who bear directly the scars, physically and mentally, from unspeakable acts of terrorism and experts who have attempted to understand and help victims.

Thank you, Minister Steinmeier, for your most generous introduction.

High Representative Solana,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour to be with you. I commend the organizers -- Managing Global Insecurity and the Bertelsmann Foundation -- for convening this forum on responsible sovereignty, one of the defining challenges of the 21st century.

Thank you, Bill Rouhana, for those kind words and for your support of the United Nations. I consider you a true friend of the UN family.

Let me also thank the organizers of the Jackson Hole Film Festival, especially Eben Dorros and Todd Rankin. You and your team are showing great dedication in highlighting global issues.

Monsieur le Président,

Monsieur le Directeur général,

Madame la Haut-Commissaire,

Mesdames et Messieurs les membres du Conseil des droits de l'homme,

Mesdames et Messieurs les ministres,

Mesdames et Messieurs,

Je suis honoré d'être parmi vous au début de cette septième session. Cette année sera déterminante pour les droits de l'homme partout dans le monde. Nous allons chercher à renforcer l'action du Conseil et célébrer le soixantième anniversaire de la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme.

Mr. Bill Daley, our host this evening,
Mayor Daley and Mrs. Daley,
Grace Barry, President of the Economic Club of Chicago,
Mr. Marshall Bouton, President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs,

Ambassador William Luers, President of the UN Association of the USA, who did so much to organize this trip,
Distinguished Consuls-General in Chicago,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you very much for your warm welcome. It's a great honor and pleasure for me to be here and to speak with you this evening.

Juste quelques mots pour vous dire à quel point je suis ému de cette visite à ce monument de la mémoire.

It is impossible to pass through these halls and not be affected -- indeed, shaken to the core -- by what the Rwandan people have endured. This genocide here will haunt the United Nations, and the international community, for generations to come.

I am here today to honour the victims -- more than 800,000 innocent people who lost their lives. I am here to express our solidarity to the survivors. May their courage and resilience serve as an inspiration to all of us.