Living Harmoniously with Nature, says
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
Dr. Mozammel Haque
If we see people abusing the privilege of nature - it seems
that people believe we have 2 planet earths – but we only have one earth. This
is the only place where human beings can live together with nature. We cannot
negotiate with nature. We have to do according to what nature does. We cannot
go against it. We cannot negotiate with nature. In that regard Paris Agreement
is a good turning point to change our way of thinking, to change our whole
behaviour to change our cause living harmoniously with the nature,” said United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, at a major public event on Friday, the 5th
of February 2016.
The event, held at London's Central Hall Westminster -
where the first UN Secretary-General was elected 70 years ago, was held in
association with Chatham House, one of the world’s leading think-tanks and with
the support of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). The event was attended
by over 2000 people.
On behalf of the UNA-UK and its partner Chatham House,
Natalie Samarasinghe, the Executive Director of UNA-UK, welcome the UN
Secretary General to the event. While welcoming the Secretary General, .Ms. Samarasinghe
mentioned, “people have travelled from Northern Ireland, from Scotland and
Wales, and all parts of England to be here today. We have among us, some who
were part of the first wave of enthusiasm for the UN in 1945, as well as some
as young as three months old. The headlines may not always reflect it, but
there is a strong core of people in this country who care about global issues
and who want to engage with the UN.”
UN
Secretary General
Ban
Ki-moon’s address
While
addressing the vast number of audience at the historic Central Hall, Westminster,
United Nations Secretary General, His Excellency, Ban Ki-moon, said, “I am
standing on the same podium where 70 years ago our founding fathers of the
United Nations were gathered to talk about the future of our world right after
the terrible and tragic consequences of the Second World War.”
Commemoration of the 70th anniversary
UN
Secretary General mentioned about his participation at the ceremony of the 70th
anniversary of the General Assembly. He said, “Last month, I participated in a
very moving ceremony at the General Assembly Hall, in UN Headquarters,
commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first General Assembly of the United
Nations where, 70 years ago, the first Secretary-General of the United Nations
was elected which you have seen in the video. I am just excited and honored and
humbled that I am taking this torch, which had been carried down for the last
70 years by my distinguished predecessors.”
Establishment of the United Nations
Recollecting
the days of the historical background of the establishment of the United
Nations, H.E. Ban Ki-moon said, “To be here is to be
brought back to the days when the recovery from the Second World War was under
way -- and when a new international organization was taking shape. Heartbreak
was fresh as delegates gathered here in early 1946. Across a continent, cities
were still filled with rubble, and families were reeling from their losses. In
Britain, food was still rationed and young men faced military conscription.”
“But hopes were very high. Seven months earlier in San
Francisco, United States, states had adopted the United Nations Charter. Seventy
years ago this week, here in this Hall, the United Nations took its first
tangible steps, including the appointment of a Secretary-General, as I said,” mentioned
UN Secretary General.
Two Landmark Achievements of Last Year:
i) 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
UN
Secretary General mentioned two landmark achievements of last year – 2015 – the
Agenda aiming 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and
the Paris Agreement on climate change. He said, “These are two important
visions and commitments adopted and laid out by the world leaders. They have
shown sense of purpose, a sense of unity, despite all political and
ideological, religious differences.”
Mentioning about raising more than $10 billion in one day
for one cause, H.E. Ban Ki-moon urged the world leaders and world citizens to
show your unity of purpose. He mentioned, “More than 150 world leaders came –
again, I have never seen in my life that more than 150 presidents and prime
ministers came in one place at one time in one day. Yesterday we have raised
more than $10 billion in one day for one cause so we have seen in just over one
month we have shown such great solidarity and leadership and vision. That is
what I am asking in world leaders and world citizens. Show your unity of
purpose.”
Speaking about shaping the 2030 Development Agenda, H.E.
Ban Ki-moon asked the people around the world, through the MyWorld survey. He
mentioned, “Using United Nations website we’ve been asking people around the
world what kind of a world do you want just let us know – and 8 million people
responded. I want this I want that and we all summarized and compiled and
presented to the General Assembly of the UN. It was inclusive dialogue it was
the way we really wanted to make inclusive dialogue for sustainable
development.”
UN Secretary General mentioned about the remarkable gains
of The Millennium Development Goals which was adopted in 2000. He said, “The Sustainable Development Goals,
which is now abbreviated as SDGs, will take us even farther. Human rights and
women’s empowerment are major threads. The goals focus on good governance and
other critical factors for stability. Crucially, the new goals are universal,
applying to all countries -- since even the wealthiest societies have yet to
fully conquer inequality or exclusion.”
ii) The Paris Agreement
Speaking about the Paris Agreement, UN Secretary General
said, “The Paris Agreement is a further turning point: it’s not the end. Some
people say look, we have signed the agreement, that’s all. It is not the
beginning though it is not the end either; it is a very important turning point
in making our people and our earth onto a sustainable path where we will be
able to contain the rise of global temperature below 2 degrees centigrade or
even we will strive to get it down to 1.5 degrees centigrade. Without that we
will have serious consequences affecting not only us but our whole world.”
We cannot negotiate with nature
Mentioning about the relationship of human beings with the
nature, H.E. Ban Ki-moon said, “If we see people abusing the privilege of
nature - it seems that people believe we have 2 planet earths – but we only
have one earth. This is the only place where human beings can live together
with nature. We cannot negotiate with nature, we have to do according to what
nature does. We cannot go against it. We cannot negotiate with nature. In that
regard Paris Agreement is a good turning point to change our way of thinking, to
change our whole behaviour to change our cause living harmoniously with the
nature.”
Climate Change is one of 17
goals
Highlighting the importance of climate change in the 2030
Agenda, UN Secretary General said, “The 2030 Agenda is the world’s Declaration
of Interdependence. Now I’m telling you this interdependency of climate change
agreement and sustainable development goals. We have 17 goals which cover all
spectrums of our life, our nature. Climate change is just one of 17 goals –
number 13 goal is climate change. If we do not fully implement and if we do not
go as science tell us then the rest of the 16 goals will be seriously
undermined. Not a single goal in 17 exists singly or separation they are all
tightly interconnected. So all of these things must go together; must be
implemented comprehensively.”
The World faces undeniable dangers –
Says UN Secretary General
Though the UN Secretary General has great hope but at the
same time, he said, “the world faces undeniable dangers.” He mentioned, “The
savagery in Syria will soon enter its sixth year. We must continue to press for
an end to the fighting, sieges and abuses of human rights. Yemen is also in
flames. Coalition air strikes in particular continue to strike hospitals,
schools, mosques and civilian infrastructures.”
More than 125 million need
humanitarian assistance
Speaking about the immediate humanitarian assistance, H.E.
Ban Ki-moon said, “In this world, at this time, more than 125 million people
need immediate humanitarian assistance. Just in the interest to make you
remember this: If we have all these 125 million people living in one country,
suppose we establish one independent country with 125 million people around the
world, this will be the 11th largest country in the world, only next to Japan.
So how would a country which had to sustain and support all these 125 million
people every day, day and night. There’s a huge challenge. But with the
solidarity, support you have shown yesterday, I think we can do it.
These numbers are unsustainable. The human costs are
intolerable.”
Ban Ki-moon was once a displaced
Person and United Nations’ Role
Speaking about himself as a displaced person and the role
United Nations played in the life of displaced persons, UN Secretary General
said, “I myself was once a displaced person. Some of you might have read my
life story. I was born in Korea just before the end of Second World War. When I
became 6 years old the Korean War broke out in 1950. I was just 6 years old, it
was before my school and I had to flee my home with my parents without knowing
where to go. Life was miserable, terrible, but for a young, young boy, I
couldn’t feel as seriously and terrible as my parents might have felt. Most of
you may not feel as I felt at the time.”
“We survived on food and medicine which was provided by the
United Nations and UNICEF. They provided all. Humanitarian assistance, powdered
milk and small toys even. And UNESCO provided us textbooks, notes. United
Nations provided us more importantly the security. The United Nations was exercising
for the first time the authority to maintain international peace and security.
The Security Council has shown unity at that time. [Inaudible] the Security
Council adopted the resolution creating a United Nations [inaudible]. 16
nations provided their soldiers, including many young men from the United
Kingdom. Many hundreds of United Kingdom young men died in the battlefield.
They’re still buried in Korea. And
Korean people are looking after all those sacrifices. Without the United Nations,
I would not be able to stand before you today,” mentioned H.E. Ban Ki-moon.
United Nations blue flag – a
beacon of hope
Elaborating about the role of the United Nations, Ban
Ki-moon mentioned the United Nations blue flag was a beacon of hope, a saviour.
He said, “If I think about all what had happened to me and to my country, to my
people, I only was able to survive because of the United Nations, with the aid
of the United Nations. And now I’m standing as the Secretary-General and
feeling humbled. At that time to me, as a young boy, the United Nations blue
flag was a beacon of hope. Our saviors. And I’m much more humbled than before
whenever I travel around the world. I see still, to many people in this world,
the United Nations flag, the United Nations logo itself, are beacons of hope.
Then I have no other choice but to be motivated to render all what I have. Only
problem is that I have limited resources, limited capacity as a human being.”
Look beyond the United Kingdom
Addressing particularly the young people in the United
Kingdom, UN Secretary General said, “You may not appreciate all this wealth and
happiness and stability as much as I or my generation did or many people around
the world who are living in very difficult [inaudible] may appreciate it. Don’t
take it for granted. Nothing should be taken for granted. I’m asking you to
look beyond the United Kingdom. United Kingdom is one of the most powerful,
richest countries in the world. This is not for free. Democracy [inaudible] and
all these sacrifices has built up and made you strong.”
Counter those who promote the
dangerous myths about refugees
Speaking about dangerous myths about refugees and migrants,
H.E. Ban Ki-moon said, “People these days, people still are struggling to keep
their lives. People who cross the Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea or the English
Channel in search of better lives are symptoms, not themselves cause for
suspicion or concern. We must counter
those who promote dangerous myths about refugees and migrants.”
He emphasized, “We must look at the roots of the conflicts
and governance failures that compel people to undertake perilous journeys.”
Prevent Genocide and
Violations of Human Rights
Speaking about human rights violations, UN Secretary
General said, “Across the United Nations, we are placing greater emphasis on
prevention. The Human Rights up Front initiative calls on us to act early in
response to violations of human rights, before countries reach the point of no
return.”
“The United Nations Plan of Action to Prevent Violent
Extremism focuses on underlying drivers of radicalization -- and the need to
avoid approaches that end up alienating the people we are trying to reach,” he
said.
.
Speaking about genocide and the hard lessons world leaders
learnt, UN Secretary General mentioned, “We continue to advocate the
Responsibility to Protect – especially to build up national capacities to
prevent genocide and other grave violations of human rights. We have learnt
hard hard lessons, tragic lessons from the tragedies. We have seen genocide in
Rwanda in 1994, we have seen genocide in Srebrenica in 1995, and we have seen
the genocide in Cambodia in the 1970s. Each time world leaders committed: never
again, never again.”
Preventive Diplomacy
“But this never again has been always muted. It happened
again and happened again. That’s why I’m asking the member states of the United
Nations to invest more on prevention rather than countering. When you see there
is a symptom for fire then you better address those symptoms before rather than
bringing all fire engines after fire has broken out. That’s preventive
diplomacy,” H.E. Ban Ki-moon asking the member states of the United Nations to
invest more on prevention.
,.
UN Secretary General said, “I would like to see how people
will build on my legacy as Secretary-General. And what kind of world my great
great children would be living in. I might be too much ambitious but that was
my pure and general feeling as a Secretary-General. So let us look back at what
have you done wrong and what could you have done better to prevent something
which might happen or which has already happened.”
Sir Brian Urquhart waiting room
While paying special tribute to one person who was in this
chamber at that time, H.E. Ban K-moon mentioned his name - Sir Brian Urquhart
who is one of the great teachers. He said, “Next to my great predecessor Dag
Hammarskjöld, no one in UN history has more embodied the ideal of global
service and the principles of the Charter than Sir Brian Urquhart. In tribute
to him, the waiting room in my office is named after him. Whoever comes to see me, whether it is one
minute, two minutes or five minutes, they have to stay and think about Sir
Brian Urquhart and I really appreciate his contribution.”
“He is very active even though his health, being 96 years
old, a little bit frail but he is still very strong. His sparkle is
undiminished. I bring you his greetings and his gratitude for all you are doing
to carry out and carry forward the work and values of the United Nations. He is
with us in spirit today, and I thank you very much,” UN Secretary General paid
tribute to him.
United Nations Prevents
Third World War
While mentioning the world we are living in, still the
United Nations has succeeded to prevent third world war. H.E. Ban Ki-moon said,
“The United Nations has succeeded at the job for which it was founded: for
example, to protect succeeding generations from a third world war. In that
regard, I think we can be a little bit proud that we have been able to prevent
that kind of a horrible and tragic world-scale war. But unfortunately, we are
now seeing and we have seen so many crises here and there.”
“In fact we have helped to defeat deadly diseases, most
recently the Ebola outbreak. And we have got children in school, even though there
are 60 million people children out of school at this time. We have at least
lifted more than a hundred million people out of abject poverty, but still we
have as many people still in poverty. At the same time, we are keenly aware of
our failures and setbacks,” UN Secretary General mentioned.
Establishment of the UN’s first
ever High-level Panel
on Women’s Economic Empowerment
While mentioning the role of the United Kingdom at every
step of the job, UN Secretary General said, “The United Kingdom has been a key
partner every step of the way. You have championed human rights, international
law and agreements such as the Arms Trade Treaty. I was pleased to stand with
International Development Secretary Justine Greening last month in Davos Forum
in announcing the establishment of the UN’s first-ever High-level Panel on
Women’s Economic Empowerment.”
“The United Kingdom is a leading humanitarian donor -- as
we saw again yesterday with your generous pledges for Syrian refugees and
Syrian people under siege. And at a time when others are cutting back on
development aid, Britain has ring-fenced its own vital support for the world’s
poorest and most vulnerable people. I really appreciate such kind of
contribution and leadership of United Kingdom. As I said, United Kingdom is no
exception, you are going through a very difficult financial economic
difficulties, but Prime Minister David Cameron has ring-fenced 0.7% of GDP for
official development assistance,” H.E. Ban Ki-moon mentioned.
David Cameron’s Visionary and Leadership
While
recognising United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron’s visionary and
leadership, Secretary General mentioned, “A few years
ago, when I was attending the G8 summit meeting, I was with the G8 leaders and
with some African leaders, including the president from Korea. I particularly
recognized Prime Minister David Cameron’s visionary and firm commitment to
ring-fence this 0.7%. UK is one of just five countries who are keeping this
promise for humanity.”
“Yesterday, again under the leadership of the United
Kingdom, co-sponsored by the prime ministers of Norway, Federal Chancellor
Angela Merkel of Germany and Emir of Kuwait together with United Nations, you
have shown such a great strength of solidarity for humanity raising more than
10 billion dollars. During my time as Secretary-General, during the last nine
years, I have never seen mobilized more than 10 billion in one day for one
single cause, for Syria. This is something which we should be very proud,” H.E.
Ban Ki-moon said.
United Kingdom’s key role in establishing
And Guiding UN peace
operations
Speaking about the United Kingdom’s leadership role in the
United Nations all the agendas, UN Secretary General said, “The United Nations
looks to states, many member states such as the United Kingdom for leadership
across all the agenda, which I have presented. Preventing extremism and
promoting human rights go hand-in-hand, and we look to you to set a positive
example by upholding these hard-won gains abroad and at home. I commend the
United Kingdom for its role in the landmark deal between Iran and the P5 + 1
countries on Iran’s nuclear programme. We must show the same determination in
resolving conflicts in the region. In both Syria and Yemen, the United Nations
is doing all it can to get a dialogue started between warring parties. Sectarian tensions and regional power
struggles are proving hard to surmount.”
No military solution
“There is no military solution, that’s what I’ve been
saying. Even this morning I talked to a reporter, there is no military
solution. Only through inclusive political dialogue can we solve all these
seemingly intractable complicated situations. We need States that are party to
the Arms Trade Treaty to set an example in fulfilling one of the Treaty’s main
purposes: controlling arms flows to actors that may use them in ways that
breach international humanitarian law,” said H.E. Ban Ki-moon.
.
UN Secretary General said, “As a permanent member of the
Security Council, the United Kingdom has a key role and key voice in establishing
and guiding UN peace operations. The UK has recently pledged support for
peacekeeping in South Sudan and Somalia. We hope you will go beyond those
engagements and provide even more troops for this flagship UN activity.”
Empowering young people and
women
Speaking about UN Associations and Empowering young people
and women, H.E. Ban Ki-moon mentioned, “UN Associations are among our most
important allies. They bring UN ideals and objectives into their communities –
and local concerns into the world arena. I welcome your special commitment to
mobilize new generations of UN supporters.”
“Empowering young people and women is one of my top
priorities. I have made women empowerment as one of my top priorities. Next
time you come to my conference room you will see almost a half of women Senior
Advisors sitting around me, around the table,” UN Secretary General said. .
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