“The Rhythms of One World”

Ambassador Ciobanu
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure to welcome you this evening to a very special concert, celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter “We the Peoples”. This is a document which serves as a fundamental inspiration for the entire United Nations Organization as a whole and as the main guide in our daily work. My most sincere thanks go to the Permanent Mission of Romania, and to her Excellency Ambassador Maria Ciobanu, for organizing such a momentous event together with the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, on an occasion so important to our Organization. Beyond this, I also wish to thank Romania for being one of the most active participants in the UNOG Cultural Activities Programme.

Vocals can serve as a powerful musical instrument and as a tool to unite peoples in their noblest aspirations for a better world. An tool to amplify their potential in bringing about portentous transformations in every sphere of human endeavour.

What a singular privilege it is for us to receive tonight these musical talents from virtually all across the globe, from the Americas to Australia, from South Africa to Europe.

It is heartening to see before us, through this performance, a confirmation of the younger generations’ continued interest in this form of art, which will be nourished by the talents and experience of other participating choirs.

Music belongs to the people. In Romania, with its cheerful melodies and effervescent dances, music runs deep in the folklore traditions. It is highly symbolic, therefore, that this event is organized by a country that cherishes so much this universal and popular language of joy and celebration among all peoples of the world.

May I also express my sincere gratitude to the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation for a most constructive partnership in coordinating this concert, which is certainly shared by tonight’s participants and all of us at the United Nations and in this magnificent Assembly Hall tonight.

Thank you and enjoy the concert.