YouSaid · the spoken record

Jan Peter Balkenende

lines on the record

53

first

2007-09-24

most recent

2010-09-24

sittings or episodes

4

sources

un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

1. “We all agree that every human being deserves a chance to build a good life. Respect for human rights and the rule of law is our deepest motive and our highest aspiration. Our diversity rests on that unity. We should not hesitate to hold one another to account. As we speak, the situation in one country in particular calls for urgent action by the international community. In Burma, the military are shooting at monks and civilians, who are demonstrating peacefully. We strongly condemn that brutal use of force. Together with the European Union and the United States, we call on the Security Council to discuss the situation urgently and to consider further steps, including sanctions. Should the Security Council not reach agreement, we will shoulder our responsibility.”

   2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

2. “And the third is how successful we are in making the United Nations more relevant and in increasing the impact of the international community. I will deal with each of these three themes in turn respect, responsibility and relevance. Next year it will be 60 years since the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (resolution 217 A (III)). The values contained in that Declaration and in the conventions based on it are our source of inspiration. In its preamble, the Declaration sets out our mission: “the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want”. For the past 60 years, those values have been our moral compass, our common standard of achievement. Whatever our differences of opinion, we must never lose sight of that common ideal.”

   2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

3. “I would like to begin by congratulating Mr. Kerim on his election as President of the General Assembly. I would also like to wish our Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, every success at his first full session of the General Assembly since taking office. He has been very active in his first nine months. The Netherlands fully supports his efforts to promote peace and development in the world and to make the United Nations more effective. I am convinced that the success or failure of the United Nations depends on three fundamental factors. The first is how much inspiration we draw from our common values: respect for human rights, for the rule of law and for our planet. The second is how much we shoulder our responsibility as members of the international community.”

   2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)