USA: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan speaks of a polarized world in a moving final address to the General Assembly

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a farewell address to global leaders on Tuesday (September 19), depicted a world divided by an unjust economy, contempt for human rights and a failure to make peace in the Middle East. To a standing ovation from presidents, prime ministers and foreign affairs delegates, Annan, who ends 10 years in office this December 31, said there had been some progress in living standards, security and a drop in global conflicts since he first addressed the General Assembly in 1997. Among the various issues that Annan touched upon, he addressed the subject of proliferation and chided the world community for not finding a solution to this major problem. "People in all parts of the world are threatened, though some are more aware of it than others, by the spread of weapons of mass destruction. It is shameful that last year's summit outcome does not contain even one word about non-proliferation and disarmament basically because states could not agree which of the two should be given priority. It is high time to end this dispute and tackle both tasks with the urgency they demand." Middle East violence contributed to the international climate of fear and suspicion, he said. "As long as the Palestinians live under occupation exposed to daily frustration and humiliation and as long as Israelis are blown up both in buses and in dance halls, so long will passions everywhere will inflamed," Annan warned "As long as the Security Council is unable to end this conflict, and the now nearly 40-year-old occupation, by bringing both sides to accept and implement its resolutions, so long will respect for the United Nations continue to decline," he also said, emphasizing the need to resolve the Middle East Crisis. Annan's push for the right of the international community to protect populations when their governments refused to do so, was enshrined in a document adopted by world leaders a year ago. But Annan, a Ghanaian, said that the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region made that commitment to protect people from atrocities seem like an empty promise. "Sadly, once again the biggest challenge comes from Africa - from Darfur, where the continued spectacle of men, women and children driven from their homes by murder, rape and the burning of their villages makes a mockery of our claim, as an international community, to shield people from the worst abuses," Annan said. He also spoke of his belief that the United Nations was the main organ through which the world could begin to tackle the major issues of the world. "Yes, I remain convinced that the only answer to this divided world must be a truly United Nations. Climate change, HIV/AIDS, fair trade, migration, human rights - all these issues, and many more, bring us back to that point. Addressing each is indispensable for each of us in our village, our neighborhood, our country. Yet each has acquired a global dimension that can only be reached by global action, agreed and coordinated through this most universal of institutions," he said Toward the end of his speech, Annan's voiced choked and he had tears in his eyes as he characterized his job as "difficult and challenging but at times also thrillingly rewarding." "Let me conclude by thanking you all for allowing me to serve as Secretary-General during this remarkable decade. Together we have pushed some big rocks to the top of the mountain, even if others have slipped from our grasp and rolled back. But this mountain with its bracing winds and global views is the best place on earth to be," Annan said at the end, as world leaders rose to applaud him.

ITN Source | September 21, 2006

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