U.N. Secretariat

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. It’s a great pleasure to meet you again.

As you all know, the UN Security Council last month approved a resolution dispatching 26,000 multinational peacekeepers to Sudan, jointly commanded by the United Nations and the African Union. It came after many months of difficult diplomacy. Now we have an historic opportunity. We must seize it.

Dear family, members of victims and friends, Excellencies, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen.

The bombing of the Canal Hotel on 19 August 2003 remains one of the UN's darkest days. Four years on, our hearts remain heavy.

I welcome the decision of the Security Council today to renew and strengthen the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq through the unanimous adoption of Resolution 1770/2007.

The United Nations is deeply committed to helping the people of Iraq, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to now enhance, where possible, our contributions in crucial areas such as national reconciliation, regional dialogue, humanitarian assistance and human rights.

Mr. President,

Excellencies,

I am honoured to address the Security Council after its adoption of this historic and unprecedented resolution.

By authorizing the deployment of a hybrid operation for Darfur, you are sending a clear and powerful signal of your commitment to improve the lives of the people of the region, and close this tragic chapter in Sudan's history.

I am honoured to address the Security Council after its adoption of this historic and unprecedented resolution.

By authorizing the deployment of a hybrid operation for Darfur, you are sending a clear and powerful signal of your commitment to improve the lives of the people of the region, and close this tragic chapter in Sudan’s history.

Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, for your rousing, inspiring and visionary words. And I am very much encouraged by your strong commitment and support for the Millennium Develoment Goals, and for peace and security initiatives around the world, including on Darfur.

Good morning, everyone -- and welcome to our common house, Mr. Prime Minister. It is a profound honour for me to welcome you to the United Nations on your first visit as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Madam President, Excellencies, Dear Delegates,

Let me thank the President of the General Assembly, Her Excellency Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, for convening this timely and topical debate.

We meet at a time when climate change – long on the international agenda – is finally receiving the very highest attention that it merits. We have all heard a lot about the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. They have unequivocally affirmed the warming of our climate system, and linked it directly to human activity.

Let me first congratulate you on your appointment. Let me also welcome all Board Members to this forty-eighth session of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. Thank you for making the time to attend this meeting in New York, and for offering both your energy and experience to this important process.

Thank you Kemal [Dervis], Dear friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to join all of you for this very special occasion. The Human Development Awards celebrate what is ultimately our Organization's highest calling: building lives in larger freedom for all humankind. Today, by honouring Sheila Watt-Cloutier with the Mahbub ul Haq Award for Human Development, we celebrate a truly remarkable individual with one of the UN's most exceptional Awards.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to join you today.

I would like to thank President Oscar Arias for inviting me to address this conference. President Arias was, of course, at the very core of the Esquipulas peace process.

I am delighted that former President Vinicio Cerezo Arevalo of Guatemala, another leader of the peace process, is also participating in this event.