Europe

 I want first of all to express my enormous gratitude and admiration for the staff of the World Health Organization (WHO).
 
When I visited Beni a few months ago, I could see the courage, the resilience of WHO staff fighting Ebola in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), living in extremely harsh conditions, risking their lives in a very insecure area and doing everything to serve the Congolese people and to avoid the dramatic impact of that disease, both in the DRC and the risk of propagation.
   

[English version; scroll down for bilingual as delivered version]

Distinguished President of the Human Rights Council,
Madame High Commissioner,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Friends, 

I would like to start by expressing my appreciation and admiration for the work being carried out by High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet and her Office.

Her personal history… her understanding of what it means for a society and an individual to suffer human rights violations… and her experience in advancing human rights as a world leader…

Chancellor Merkel,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are here for an urgent and pressing reason: to stop Libya’s downward spiral.

I thank Chancellor Merkel for bringing us together to support efforts to end the conflict in Libya.

I am grateful to the Federal Republic of Germany for this important initiative – and I welcome the presence today of such a large number of distinguished Heads of State and Government. 

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Chancellor Merkel and the German Government for convening this conference.

Dear Chancellor, your consistent, continuous and I would say enthusiastic commitment to support all the efforts to bring peace and stability to Libya are absolutely remarkable and as Secretary-General of the United Nations I want to express my very deep appreciation and gratitude.

Muchísimas gracias, Santo Padre, por esta tan calida bienvenida.
[Thank you very much, Holy Father, for your very warm welcome.] 

You are a messenger for hope and humanity – for reducing human suffering and promoting human dignity. 

I want to express my deep gratitude to the people of Brindisi for their warm hospitality, and to the Mayor, the Prefect and all the other local authorities. And to say how proud we are to have, for 25 years, to have these fantastic U.N. premises in Brindisi. 

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
 
It is a pleasure to be here with you in Brindisi.
 
I am told that Brindisi has a long history of openness to the world, and that today the City is driven by a spirit called “goodness of heart” in welcoming people in need.
 
So it is appropriate indeed that it is from here that, for the past 25 years, the United Nations Global Service Centre has been supporting some of the most difficult peacekeeping operations and other United Nations endeavours. 
 

E’ un grande onore per me essere qui, a Palazzo Madama, per rivolgermi a voi e, tramite voi, a tutto il popolo italiano, per la mia ultima visita di quest’anno.

L'Italia è un partner fondamentale delle Nazioni Unite; il vostro paese dà un importante contributo alle operazioni di pace dell’ONU ed ospita alcune delle sue istituzioni.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
It is a pleasure to join you.
 
If I may, I would like to begin with a short personal reflection.
 
Coming to Geneva for this refugee forum carries great meaning and emotions for me.
 
I feel I am among friends – not only good colleagues past and present, but also friends of one of the great causes of these or any times: answering the plight of people forced from their homes by war, conflict or persecution. 
 

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.  It is a true pleasure to be back in Geneva.  Having worked as High Commissioner for Refugees for 10 years, it is heartening to see the international community come together today in support of refugees and host communities.  Global forced displacement has been rising steadily in recent years.  When I started in 2005 as High Commissioner for Refugees, there were 38 million people displaced in the world and we were helping one million people go back home every year.  And for many of our colleagues, there was a sensation that soon UNHCR would have no reaso