Public meeting with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev

Mr. Gorbachev
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen
Dear Friends:

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you all to the Palais des Nations. This exceptional meeting with the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, is part of the events that mark – here in Geneva – the 20th anniversary of the 1985 Gorbachev-Reagan Summit. As you know, the United Nations Office at Geneva has facilitated the organization of these events, and we are pleased to host this interactive encounter with Mr. Gorbachev.

The 1985 Summit had a profound impact on international relations and helped shape, not just Europe, but the world as it is today by setting in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the end of the Cold War. As it paved the way for a different philosophy of international politics, the Summit also influenced the work of the United Nations as the pre-eminent international organization. With the end of the Cold War, the United Nations began – to a much greater extent – to function as it had been envisaged to function by its Founding Fathers, including in terms of the maintenance of international peace and security; development; promotion and protection of human rights; humanitarian assistance and a wide range of other issues. That is why the United Nations is associated with this anniversary of the 1985 Summit.

The Summit led to a breakthrough in disarmament of strategic arms. Also today, strategic disarmament would liberate significant resources that could be used for much-needed development efforts, including the realization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The process of disarmament should therefore be pursued more vigorously. In this regard, the foresight demonstrated by the participants in the 1985 Summit could serve as inspiration for ongoing multilateral efforts.

Mr. Gorbachev, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I believe that the 1985 Summit holds valuable lessons for us at a time when unprecedented threats and challenges call for bold action and vision. In September, world leaders will come together in New York to review the progress made in implementing the commitments of the United Nations Millennium Declaration and in realizing the eight Millennium Development Goals that spring from it. On this occasion, they will also address how to make the United Nations yet more responsive to global needs.

Willingness to understand the concerns of the “other side” – sensitivity to different points of view – understanding of the need to take steps that may not be immediately appreciated by domestic constituencies – ability to craft compromises and set a joint agenda, despite differing immediate priorities – the appreciation that in an increasingly interdependent world, our shared challenges and common vulnerabilities call for collective responses – courage to make decisions with a long-term perspective – the vision of a world in peace – these qualities were all embodied in the 1985 Geneva Summit, and I think they can still serve as inspiration for our world today.

As the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, has stressed in his report entitled “In Larger Freedom”, we have a historic opportunity in 2005 to act together to make people everywhere more secure, more prosperous and better able to enjoy their fundamental human rights. The Summit in 1985 also represented a historic opportunity. The leaders at the time seized that opportunity and turned it into tangible results. I think that can serve as an instructive example to all of us.

It is a privilege that we are able to have with us one of the two Heads of State that participated in the Summit – Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev. We greatly appreciate that you can be with us to share your views. I have no doubt that we will have a stimulating and thought-provoking exchange here today, and I invite you all to participate. It is now my pleasure and my privilege to give the floor to Mr. Gorbachev for his introductory remarks.