It is a pleasure to join you. I thank the New York Society for Ethical Culture for hosting this gathering.

Professor Sachs, I would like to express my gratitude for the Ethics in Action award. I know it is not just me you are recognizing, but also the Organization I have been honoured to lead for the past decade -- and especially, the staff who bring UN ideals to life around the clock, around the world. Thank you for this recognition.

I am also very moved to hear the special message from His Holiness Pope Francis.

One of the highlights of my tenure was hosting Pope Francis last year at UN Headquarters.Popes have visited before, but never during the high level segment of the General Assembly.

His presence was especially notable for coinciding with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – the world’s inspiring new plan to build peace and prosperity for all on a healthy planet.

Pope Francis’s encyclical on climate change helped mobilize global action towards the historic Paris Agreement, another great advance.

Last year’s Vatican meeting on the moral dimensions of climate change and sustainable development was a further contribution.&ampampampampnbsp And just this week, His Holiness spoke again about the ethical and moral dimensions of climate change, and urged world leaders to put global environmental agreements into effect as soon as possible

Ethics are built right into the ideals and objectives of the United Nations.

A commitment to human rights is part of our identity.

Day in and day out, we promote tolerance and mutual understanding.

The 2030 Agenda itself is rooted in ethics.

It aims to end inequality. The enjoyment of great plenty by some alongside widespread deprivation for others is not just an economic fact and social phenomenon it is an ethical tragedy.

The Agenda also seeks to safeguard our planet. It is unethical to undermine livelihoods and living standards through the plunder of the earth’s natural resources.

Averting a future of climate chaos is a moral imperative of the first order. Those who suffer first and worst from climate impacts are those who did least to cause it: the poor and most vulnerable members of society.

The 2030 Agenda also underscores the importance of building inclusive societies with access to justice for all and peaceful channels for the resolution of disputes. This is crucial for upholding the social compact and preventing downward spirals into violence and atrocious violations of human rights.

The United Nations also faces many ethical dilemmas. In some cases, in the search for peace, we have to speak with those who wage war.&ampampampampnbsp Our humanitarian operations help millions of people every day, yet are unable to reach all those in need.&ampampampampnbsp Often, the international community is divided and paralyzed, thereby abandoning people caught up in conflict and disaster.

For the past decade, I have sought to strengthen the ethical dimensions of our work.

This is especially important at this time of divisiveness, when extremist groups and even many political leaders seem intent on pushing people into camps of “us” and “them”. The 2030 Agenda is not only our shared manifesto but also a platform for cooperation. The same is true of the Paris Agreement. Together, we can improve lives and strengthen the ethnical and other bonds that link all societies in a profoundly interdependent world.

Thank you again for this recognition. As I prepare to make way for my successor, I trust you will give you full support to Antonio Guterres in working to build a future of dignity for all.