United Nations Day 2011

今天，作为联合国的代表，我感到高兴，因为今天是一个特殊的日子，是我们庆祝联合国成立的日子。在北京这个具有重要历史意义的城市，与各位一道纪念联合国日，真是非常荣幸。

Across the world today, United Nations Member States, staff and partners mark their shared dedication to the universal values of tolerance, mutual respect and human dignity. I am pleased to do so with you.

66 years ago today, Member States created the United Nations to advance peace and security, human rights and development. In pursuit of these goals, the United Nations was charged with promoting the rule of international law as the basis of global justice; establishing common international standards and norms; promoting mutual understanding and basic human dignities; providing humanitarian support; assisting the development process; and where necessary, acting to restore or maintain international peace and security.

In the 66 years since the Charter entered into force, the challenges we face have grown in complexity and scope. Persistent poverty. Global economic and financial instability. Rising food prices. Increased military expenditure. Climate change that endangers the livelihoods of millions. Growing social inequalities. Acts of terrorism, also directed against our Organization. Polarization and distrust across cultures. Natural disasters that threaten not only development, but also international peace and security.

But the imperative for peace and development has not changed, nor has the relevance of the ideals and values embodied in the United Nations Charter. Advances in technology, trade and travel have made the world increasingly interconnected, and the global nature of the many challenges and threats confronting humankind has made the need for concerted, multilateral action even greater.

The United Nations remains the most legitimate, inclusive and authoritative global body. At this time of transition and transformation, people look to the United Nations for vision, for leadership and for action:
Every year, the United Nations mobilizes about $7 billion in humanitarian aid to help people affected by emergencies. Every year, we assist over 34 million refugees and others fleeing war, famine and persecution. Every year, we help promote democracy by supporting elections in some 40 countries. We vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s children, saving 2 million lives a year. This year, we will provide food to around 90 million people in 73 countries. Around 120,000 peacekeepers from 115 countries, including many from China, are deployed in 15 peacekeeping operations on 4 continents.

Today, on United Nations Day, we at the United Nations pledge to honour the trust the world places in us. Our commitment to delivering international peace and security, development and human dignity through multilateral cooperation, remains unchanged and unwavering.

Distinguished Guests and Colleagues:
United Nations Day is an opportunity to step back and reflect on what we, as the United Nations, have achieved. But, most importantly, it is an opportunity to look ahead at how the Organization can do even better and reach even more people.

At the General Assembly last month, the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, identified five generational opportunities to shape the world of tomorrow through our decisions and actions today.
First and foremost, sustainable development – by addressing climate change, and by investing in sustainable energy for all.

Second, prevention as a core operating principle across the spectrum of the United Nations’ work – prevention of conflict, prevention of human rights violations, and prevention of disasters.

Third, building a safer and more secure world through helping to negotiate comprehensive peace agreements, through peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and through humanitarian relief.

Fourth, the support to nations in transition, whether from war, to democracy, or from poverty to prosperity.

Fifth, support women and young people, by enabling their full engagement in every sphere and in every country.

This is our roadmap and our guidance. Today, as we look back at 66 years of achievements, let us pledge to continue delivering for those who need us the most.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
We celebrate a second anniversary this week. Tomorrow, we will mark the 40^th anniversary of Resolution 2758, which restored the rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations.

China’s entry to the United Nations made it a more truly representative, legitimate and authoritative international Organization. Forty years on, China’s actions are critical for international peace and security global economic prosperity, for the global achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and for the many developing countries China assists.

More than ever before, China and the United Nations are crucial partners. China’s diplomatic support for multilateralism, for strengthening international cooperation through the pursuit of common interests and mutual understanding, and for the quest of a ‘harmonious world’, resonates strongly with United Nations values and principles.

China has joined a wide range of United Nations organizations, acceded to some 300 multilateral treaties, and participated in many of the United Nations dialogues and forums that bring Member States together. This active engagement benefits both the United Nations and the people of China.

In the development sphere, China has been a much-valued champion of the Millennium Development Goals. Increasingly, it is providing humanitarian assistance through United Nations entities, boosting collective efforts to respond to crises such as Haiti in 2010 and the Horn of Africa in 2011. China is also playing an increasingly important role in South-South cooperation, often hand-in-hand with the United Nations.

Just as the partnership between China and the United Nations has grown and evolved on the multilateral stage, so too has our partnership in China itself. United Nations agencies are proud to have provided close to $3 billion in assistance over the past three decades.

We have partnered with China to address a wide range of development challenges, from safe drinking water and universal childhood education to food security and food safety; from promoting the rights of women, the disabled and ethnic minorities, to employment, disaster risk reduction and helping China strive towards a low carbon economy.

Our hope is that as we move into our fifth decade of partnership, China will take every opportunity to reinforce, support and lead the United Nations agenda. The more China gives of itself, the better the United Nations can become, and the better China will be.

Distinguished guests and colleagues:
When he was appointed by the General Assembly to a second term, the Secretary-General said that “the role of the United Nations is to lead. Each of us here today shares that heavy responsibility. It is why the United Nations matters in a different and deeper way than ever before”.

I know that we all support and subscribe to this most eloquent quote. It sums up both the enduring relevance of the Organization and the crucial role that every Member State and all of us as individuals play within it.

今天，在联合国日，我们保证同心协力，将机遇转化为现实，造福于世界人民、造福于今世后代。

祝大家联合国日快乐！

谢谢各位