Secretary-General's remarks at dinner hosted by UNA-USA for the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action (unofficial transcript)

Let me welcome all of you warmly to the United Nations. Above all, thank you for coming here to show your commitment on this International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

The last time I had dinner here in the Delegates' Dining Room, it was a year-end dinner gala by the UN Correspondents' Association and I sang the song, “Ban Ki-moon is coming to town.” Now, I have been in town a little over three months and I'm very pleased to be back in front of this podium as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

You call this the “Night of a Thousand Dinners.” I took office as Secretary-General only three months ago and for me, during that time of three months, I think I've had at least one thousand dinners. This has been a very hectic duty - one of the most very difficult and hectic duties involves not just minding about international peace and security, but sitting with many distinguished guests like yourselves today.

I'm very much grateful to see all of you and for all your very noble contributions and commitment to this very important cause and work you have been doing. I'd also like to express my appreciation to UNA-USA and the Adopt-A-Minefield campaign.

As Secretary-General, I have also adopted my own political minefield. When I'm traveling to many areas like the Middle East or Africa, I've been advised by my senior advisors not to step on a minefield. I risk putting my foot in it every day. As you may know, one word misspoken or wrongly chosen can destroy all of my political life as Secretary-General. Therefore, while I really care to clear all these mines, I also have to be very careful about my own political minefield. I hope you will also participate in my political minefield activities.

So, thank you committed friends of UNA-USA and Adopt-a-Minefield, for bravely staying the course. For the past six years, you have raised awareness and you have raised funds, by bringing the issue of landmines to the dinner table in countries around the world. In the process, you have raised people's spirits, by bringing the talent and creations of chefs like Daniel Boulud to the cause.

It is a cause that depends on the support from people everywhere.

Millions of people in almost 80 countries live in fear of landmines and explosive remnants of war. The United Nations works day in and day out to make the world safer for them. Fourteen UN entities -- from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to UNICEF and the World Food Programme -- pool their efforts to make up the UN Mine Action Team.

The UN family helps ensure that mines are cleared from rice paddies and sorghum fields which would otherwise have lain fallow; we educate children through puppet shows and other tools to ensure children play safely away from mines and don't touch strange objects; we help countries recovering from conflict, such as Afghanistan, Cambodia and Sudan, to develop national institutions and legislative frameworks to bolster local mine action.

In other words, we work to fulfill the vision of a world free of the threat of landmines and explosive remnants of war -- a world where individuals and communities can thrive, where the needs of victims are met, and where survivors are fully integrated into their societies.

In that mission, we work hand in hand with national authorities and in partnership with nongovernmental organizations. Since 1989, we have provided or supported mine action services in more than 60 countries or territories. Many of them have achieved their mine action goals. Others have built up the capacity to complete the job on their own.

Today, the annual number of new deaths or injuries from landmines and explosive remnants of war stands at 15,000. It is down from 26,000 a decade ago. But it is still far too high. We will keep doing the job unrelentingly, to get that number down. For that, we will need the continued support of people like you -- outspoken opinion-leaders like Ted Turner, global citizens like all of you here tonight.

I thank you for your commitment to our vital common cause, and wish you all a splendid evening. And I'd like to again, congratulate the honorees of this evening –Ambassador Rubin, Mr. Ted Turner. I wish you all a good evening.

Before closing my remarks, I'd like to tell you one thing. As Secretary-General, I've been promoting as one of my important reform agencies, mobility. I really wanted to enhance mobility to make our staff multi-functional and multi-tasked. By mobilizing the people, by shifting their jobs, you can expect our staff to be multi-functional and multi-tasked. Today, by the policy of mobility, by having different chefs, best chefs from around New York, I think that we can expect the best food we've ever tasted in this UN Delegates' Dining Room.

Thank you very much.