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UPDATED: November 15, 2007 Web Exclusive
Ban Ki-moon: Beijing Forum Another Step Towards Harmony
UN Secretary-General calls for dialogue among civilizations
 
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The opening ceremony of Beijing Forum 2007 was held on November 2 at the Banquet Hall of The Great Hall of the People. Its theme of "The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All-Diversity in the Development of Human Civilization" was addressed by dignitaries from all over the world.

In his opening speech, Joseph Verner Reed, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, presented a message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and called for a common striving towards world peace, harmony and prosperity.

The following is the exact text of his speech, including excerpts from the Secretary-General's message:

Friends, Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here today to participate in the opening of the Beijing Forum 2007, representing the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

This is my second trip to Beijing this year, my second participation in the Beijing Forum. This year's theme is "The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All". How fitting that at this time of global turbulence, we come here today to discuss harmony among civilizations.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked me to extend his warmest wishes to all of you. Some of you who are present here today have either met with the Secretary-General or known him in his previous role in the South Korean Government.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon brings 37 years of service and experience in both the Korean government and on the global stage. At the time of his election of as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban was his country's Foreign Minister. On taking office on January 1, 2007, the Secretary-General outlined core tasks; one of them is: Strengthening the three pillars of the UN - security, development and human rights.

The Secretary-General addressed a variety of issues in October 18 issue of Beijing Review which featured the Secretary-General in a cover story.

Since taking office, the Secretary-General has added one major subject to the top of the list of priorities. It is Climate Change. On the eve of the opening of the 62nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 24th September, 2007, the Secretary-General hosted a high-level Summit on Climate Change. This one-day event was represented by more than 80 Heads of State, and senior officials from more than 168 countries.

The next important step on fighting Climate Change is the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Bali in early December 2007.

Please allow me to pay particular tribute to the colleagues at Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) based in Geneva, which is one of the recipients of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, for their efforts to disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.

Now, it is my privilege to deliver the message of the Secretary-General of the United Nations:

(excerpts from The Secretary-General's Message to the Beijing Forum)

"I send warm greetings to all participants in the 2007 Beijing Forum who have come together to study and promote harmony between peoples and civilizations.

In the ten months that I have served as Secretary-General, I have traveled to all corners of the United Nations, from Kinshasa to Kabul, from Brussels to Beirut. Everywhere I have visited, and among all the different people I have met, I have encountered one common sentiment -- a universal longing for peace and an aspiration to prosperity.

But, all too often, I have discovered that people who aspire to the same things also suffer from the same prejudices. They all fear that which is different from them: the other ethnicity, the other skin color, the other cultural or linguistic tradition and, above all, the other religion. And yet, in today's era of global travel and instant satellite transmissions, people everywhere are encountering less of the familiar, and more of "the other". This reality has fed rising intercultural and inter-religious tensions, as well as growing alienation among vast segments of the world population.

Today, there is an urgent need to address this worrying trend. We need to rebuild bridges and engage in a sustained and constructive intercultural dialogue, one that stresses shared values and shared aspirations.

The Beijing Forum is ideally placed to contribute to this process. By bringing together scholars from across the globe, your discussion can become a source of new ideas and innovative approaches to promote understanding and tolerance.

Together, we must seek to further the basic ideals of all the world's major religions. We must build societies that respect individual beliefs and practices. And we must nurture communities where people of all faiths and nationalities coexist in peace.

In that spirit, let me express my hope that this Forum will help foster harmony and understanding, and thereby advance our wider efforts for a peaceful and prosperous world.

Now let us turn to the theme of this Conference: "The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All". We all agree that only through harmony and peace, prosperity is attainable. So how do we achieve harmony? One of the projects the United Nations has initiated recently is called "Dialogue Among Civilizations." To be harmonious among civilizations is the basic fundamental requirement for a peaceful world.

The best way to achieve harmony is through dialogue. The only means to address this is on two levels in tandem: at the political and diplomatic level, and at the cultural and social level. It is important to recognize that culture is not merely a means of coexistence and reconciliation, but also an instrument for development, progress and prosperity.

Any strategy to build bridges and achieve harmony depends on education, traditions, cultures and all religions, so that many myths, prejudices and distortions can be seen for what they are. We must create opportunities for young people, offering them a credible alternative to the siren song of hate and extremism. We must give them a real chance to join in improving the world order.

Fortunately, dialogue among cultures has taken precedence on many foreign policy agendas and has been at the forefront of the United Nations agenda since its inception. For the United Nations to achieve its noble goals, it needs unfailing support from the Member States. A stronger United Nations will bring a better world.

After all there is only one world and we all have one common dream…to live in a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous world.

As the theme of the 2008 Beijing Olympics correctly says: One World One Dream."



 
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