[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 39 (Thursday, March 2, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3373-S3374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


         SECRETARY GENERAL'S MESSAGE ON 1994 UNITED NATIONS DAY

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, last year, during the ceremony for United 
Nations Day on October 24, 1994, United Secretary-General Joseph Verner 
Reed delivered a message at U.N. headquarters on behalf of Secretary-
General Boutros Boutros Ghali. That occasion launched the Golden 
Anniversary celebration of the United Nations and was the first in a 
series of planned events that will continue well into this year.
  As Ambassador Reed--whom, by the way, many of my colleagues will 
recall from his distinguished service in the U.S. Government--noted in 
his introductory remarks to the Secretary General's message.

       Forty-nine years ago in San Francisco, the United Nations 
     was launched as our world organization and began its long 
     journey for a better world. The signators of the charter were 
     fifty-one sovereign states, and today the United Nations 
     comprises 184 member-states; the organization represents the 
     world with all its problems and all its aspirations.

  I had the honor of serving on the International Secretariat of the 
San Francisco Conference which drew up the U.N. Charter. I have since 
then held the hope that the United Nations would fulfill the noble 
thoughts expressed in the charter and have tried to promote ways to 
make the United Nations become a functional and effective alternative 
to international conflict and discord.
  Because of my longstanding interest in and support for the United 
Nations, it is a particular pleasure for me to witness and participate 
in the events to celebrate its 50-year anniversary. I also sure the 
sentiment expressed by the Secretary General in his message that * * * 
with the active commitment of people, the United Nations can continue 
to play its indispensible role for peace and security, social and 
economic progress, and global human development.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Ambassador Reed's remarks 
and the Secretary-General's message be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

  Message of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr. Boutros 
        Boutros-Ghali on the Occasion of United Nations Day 1994

       Excellencies, Friends of the United Nations, Ladies and 
     Gentlemen, it is an honour to represent the Secretary-General 
     of the United Nations, Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, at United 
     Nations Day 1994 as we launch the year of the golden 
     anniversary of our world organization here at headquarters, 
     in this great world city--New York. Forty-nine years ago in 
     San Francisco, the United Nations was launched as our world 
     organization and began its long journey for a better world. 
     The signators of the charter were fifty-one sovereign States, 
     and today the United Nations comprises 184 member-States;
      the organization represents the world with all its problems 
     and all its aspirations.
       [[Page S3374]] In this spirit, ladies and gentlemen, may I 
     bring you the message from the Secretary-General:
       United Nations Day has become a universally recognized time 
     for celebration and reflection on the state of the world.
       Today we all live in a global context. Societies which once 
     felt able to stand alone, now see themselves interlocked with 
     others. The great goals of peace, development and democracy 
     increasingly are understood to require greater multilateral 
     effort.
       Without peace, nothing is possible. Without development, 
     societies cannot look forward to the future. Without 
     democracy, progress will not rest securely on a foundation of 
     popular participation and commitment.
       In the coming year, the United Nations calls upon the 
     peoples and governments of the world to take charge of the 
     development effort. This year, we shall review progress on 
     the agreements reached at the United Nations Conference on 
     environment and development held at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. 
     We shall also continue to implement the decisions reached at 
     the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna in 1993.
       At the World Summit for Social Development, to be held in 
     Copenhagen 1995, we meet to find solutions to the development 
     crisis faced by all nations, rich and poor. At the Fourth 
     International Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing in 
     September 1995, we meet to discuss the special role of women 
     in development.
       This year, as we prepare for the fiftieth anniversary of 
     the United Nations, let us recall the opening words of the 
     charter: ``We the peoples of the United Nations * * *.'' We--
     all of us--are the United Nations. The United Nations is now, 
     and increasingly will be, what we choose to make of it.
       Knowledge about the United Nations is thus ever-more 
     important for people everywhere. With the active commitment 
     of people, the United Nations can continue to play its 
     indispensable role for peace and security, social and 
     economic progress, and global human development.
       Let us take up the challenge of the next fifty years. It is 
     in our power to use the United Nations as a force for 
     fundamental transformation to a world of peace and enduring 
     prosperity.
       Let this day be the starting point for taking your United 
     Nations on the road to the future.
       This concludes the message from the Secretary-General.
       I believe it is in the spirit of United Nations Day 1994 to 
     say that fostering harmony through understanding among the 
     peoples of the world continues to be the principal mission of 
     the United Nations; that is so today even more than in the 
     past. The year of the fiftieth anniversary of the United 
     Nations offers a unique opportunity for governments, peoples 
     and institutions around the world to set aside social, 
     racial, political and religious differences and initiate a 
     real and productive dialogue on the burning problems of the 
     world as we move towards a new century. On this day, United 
     Nations Day 1994, let us rededicate our energies and join our 
     forces towards this goal.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina is recognized.

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