YouSaid · the spoken record

George W. Bush

lines on the record: 151
first: 2001-09-24
most recent: 2008-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
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

“The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation’s resources to fund terrorism, and fuel extremism, and pursue nuclear weapons. The United Nations has passed a clear resolution requiring that the regime in Tehran meet its international obligations. Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran’s pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power programme. We are working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis, and as we do, we look to the day when you can live in freedom and America and Iran can be good friends and close partners in the cause of peace. To the people of Syria: your land is home to a great people with a proud tradition of learning and commerce.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We see your suffering, and the world is helping you to rebuild your country and helping you deal with the armed extremists who are undermining your democracy by acting as a State within a State. The United Nations has passed a good resolution that has authorized an international force, led by France and Italy, to help you restore Lebanese sovereignty over Lebanese soil. For many years, Lebanon was a model of democracy and pluralism and openness in the region — and it will be again. To the people of Iran: the United States respects you. We respect your country. We admire your rich history, your vibrant culture and your many contributions to civilization. You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future, an economy that rewards your intelligence and your talents and a society that allows you to fulfil your tremendous potential.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Today, forces from more than 40 countries, including members of the NATO alliance, are bravely serving side by side with you against the extremists who want to bring down the free Government you have established. We will help you defeat these enemies and build a free Afghanistan that will never again oppress you or be a safe haven for terrorists. To the people of Lebanon: last year, you inspired the world when you came out into the streets to demand your independence from Syrian dominance. You drove Syrian forces from your country and you re-established democracy. Since then, you have been tested by the fighting that began with Hizbollah’s unprovoked attacks on Israel. Many of you have seen your homes and your communities caught in crossfire.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In return, your leaders must rise to the challenges your country is facing and make difficult choices to bring security and prosperity. Working together, we will help 06-52731 10 your democracy succeed, so that it can become a beacon of hope for millions in the Muslim world. To the people of Afghanistan: together, we overthrew the Taliban regime that brought misery into your lives and harboured terrorists who brought death to the citizens of many nations. Since then, we have watched you choose your leaders in free elections and build a democratic Government. You can be proud of these achievements. We respect your courage and your determination to live in peace and freedom. We will continue to stand with you to defend your democratic gains.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The world saw you hold up purple ink-stained fingers, and your courage filled us with admiration. You have stood firm in the face of horrendous acts of terror and sectarian violence, and we will not abandon you in your struggle to build a free nation. America and our coalition partners will continue to stand with the democratic Government you elected. We will continue to help you secure the international assistance and investment you need to create jobs and opportunity, working with the United Nations and through the International Compact with Iraq endorsed here in New York yesterday. We will continue to train those of you who stepped forward to fight the enemies of freedom. We will not yield the future of your country to terrorists and extremists.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We must seek stability through a free and just Middle East where the extremists are marginalized by millions of citizens in control of their own destinies. Today, I would like to speak directly to the people across the broader Middle East. My country desires peace. Extremists in your midst spread propaganda claiming that the West is engaged in a war against Islam. This propaganda is false, and its purpose is to confuse you and justify acts of terror. We respect Islam, but we will protect our people from those who pervert Islam to sow death and destruction. Our goal is to help you build a more tolerant and hopeful society that honours people of all faiths and promotes peace. To the people of Iraq: nearly 12 million of you braved the car bombers and assassins last December to vote in free elections.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“For many across the broader Middle East, this is the dismal choice presented every day. Every civilized nation, including those in the Muslim world, must support those in the region who are offering a more hopeful alternative. We know that when people have a voice in their future they are less likely to blow themselves up in suicide attacks. We know that when leaders are accountable to their people, they are more likely to seek national greatness in the achievements of their citizens, rather than in terror and conquest. So we must stand with democratic leaders and moderate reformers across the broader Middle East. We must give voice to the hopes of decent men and women who want for their children the same things we want for ours.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“And these conditions left a generation disillusioned and made this region a breeding ground for extremism. Imagine what it is like to be a young person living in a country that is not moving toward reform. You are 21 years old, and while your peers in other parts of the world are casting their ballots for the first time, you are powerless to change the course of your Government. While your peers in other parts of the world have received educations that prepare them for the opportunities of a global economy, you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country’s shortcomings. And everywhere you turn, you hear extremists who tell you that you can escape your misery and regain your dignity through violence and terror and martyrdom.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“These are important steps, and the Governments should continue to move forward with other reforms that show that they trust their people. Every nation that travels the road to freedom moves at a different pace, and the democracies they build will reflect their own cultures and traditions. But the destination is the same: a free society where people live at peace with each other and at peace with the world. Some have argued that the democratic changes we are seeing in the Middle East are destabilizing the region. This argument rests on a false assumption: that the Middle East was stable to begin with. The reality is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage. For decades, millions of men and women in the region have been trapped in oppression and hopelessness.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Now Iraq’s seat is held by a democratic Government that embodies the aspirations of the Iraqi people, represented today by President Talabani. With these changes, more than 50 million people have been given a voice in this Hall for the first time in decades. Some of the changes in the Middle East are happening gradually, but they are real. Algeria has held its first competitive presidential election, and the military remained neutral. The United Arab Emirates recently announced that half of its seats in the Federal National Council will be chosen by elections. Kuwait held elections in which women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time. Citizens have voted in municipal elections in Saudi Arabia, in parliamentary elections in Jordan and Bahrain and in multiparty presidential elections in Yemen and in Egypt.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The words of the Universal Declaration are as true today as they were when they were written. As liberty flourishes, nations grow in tolerance, and hope, and peace. And we are seeing the bright future begin to take root in the broader Middle East. Some of the changes in the Middle East have been dramatic, and we see the results in this Hall. Five years ago, Afghanistan was ruled by the brutal Taliban regime, and its seat in this body was contested. Now this seat is held by the freely elected Government of Afghanistan, which is represented today by President Karzai. Five years ago, Iraq’s seat in this body was 9 06-52731 held by a dictator who killed his citizens, invaded his neighbours and showed his contempt for the world by defying more than a dozen Security Council resolutions.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“This document declares that the “equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family [are] the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. One of the authors of this document was a Lebanese diplomat named Charles Malik, who would go on to become President of this Assembly. Mr. Malik insisted that these principles apply equally to all people, of all religions, in all regions — including the men and women of the Arab world that was his home. In the nearly six decades since that document was approved, we have seen the forces of freedom and moderation transform entire continents. Sixty years after a terrible war, Europe is now whole, free and at peace, and Asia has seen freedom progress and hundreds of millions of people lifted out of desperate poverty.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Five years ago, I stood at this rostrum and called on the community of nations to defend civilization and build a more hopeful future. This is still the great challenge of our time. It is the calling of our generation. This morning, I want to speak about the more hopeful world that is within our reach — a world beyond terror, where ordinary men and women are free to determine their own destiny, where the voices of moderation are empowered and where the extremists are marginalized by the peaceful majority. This world can be ours if we seek it and if we work together. The principles of this world beyond terror can be found in the very first sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“I am grateful for the privilege of speaking to the General Assembly. Last week, America and the world marked the fifth anniversary of the attacks that filled another September morning with death and suffering. On that terrible day, extremists killed nearly 3,000 innocent people, including citizens of dozens of nations represented right here in this Hall. Since then, the enemies of humanity have continued their campaign of murder. Al-Qaida and those inspired by its extremist ideology have attacked more than two dozen nations. And recently, a different group of extremists deliberately provoked a terrible conflict in Lebanon. At the start of the twenty-first century, it is clear that the world is engaged in a great ideological struggle between extremists who use terror as a weapon to create fear and moderate people who work for peace.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Let history show that in a decisive decade, members of the United Nations did not grow weary in our duties, or waver in meeting them. I am confident that this young century will be liberty’s century. I believe we will rise to this moment, because I know the character of so many nations and leaders represented here today. And I have faith in the transforming power of freedom. May God bless you.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Today I have outlined a broad agenda to advance human dignity and enhance the security of all of us. The defeat of terror, the protection of human rights, the spread of prosperity, the advance of democracy — these causes, these ideals, call us to great work in the world. Each of us alone can only do so much. Together we can accomplish so much more. History will honour the high ideals of this Organization. The Charter states them with clarity: “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war ... to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights ... to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”. Let history also record that our generation of leaders followed through on these ideals, even in adversity.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In recent years, this Organization has helped create a new democracy in East Timor and the United Nations has aided other nations in making the transition to self-rule. Because I believe that the advance of liberty is the path to both a safer and better world, today I propose establishing a democracy fund within the United Nations. This is a great calling for this great Organization. The fund would help countries lay the foundations of democracy by instituting the rule of law, independent courts, a free press, political parties and trade unions. Money from the fund would also help set up voter precincts and polling places and support the work of election monitors. To show our commitment to the new democracy fund, the United States will make an initial contribution, and I urge all other nations to contribute as well.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Israel should impose a settlement freeze, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people, and avoid any actions that prejudice final negotiations. And world leaders should withdraw all favour and support from any Palestinian ruler who fails his people and betrays their cause. The democratic hopes we see growing in the Middle East are growing everywhere. In the words of the Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi: “We do not accept the notion that democracy is a Western value. To the contrary, democracy simply means good Government rooted in responsibility, transparency and accountability.” Here at the United Nations, Members know this to be true.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Peace will not be achieved by Palestinian rulers who intimidate opposition, tolerate corruption and maintain ties to terrorist groups. The long-suffering Palestinian people deserve better. They deserve true leaders capable of creating and governing a free and peaceful Palestinian State. Even after the setbacks and frustrations of recent months, good will and hard effort can achieve the promise of the road map to peace. Those who would lead a new Palestinian State should adopt peaceful means to achieve the rights of their people and create the reformed institutions of a stable democracy. Arab States should end incitement in their own media, cut off public and private funding for terrorism, and establish normal relations with Israel.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“America mourns the losses to our nation and to many others, and today I assure every friend of Afghanistan and Iraq, and every enemy of liberty: We will stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq until their hopes of freedom and security are fulfilled. These two nations will be a model for the broader Middle East, a region where millions have been denied basic human rights and simple justice. For too long, many nations, including my own, tolerated and even excused oppression in the Middle East in the name of stability. Oppression became common, but stability never arrived. We must take a different approach. We must help the reformers of the Middle East as they work for freedom and strive to build a community of peaceful, democratic nations. 11 That commitment to democratic reform is essential to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Those selfless people are doing heroic work and are carrying on the great legacy of Sergio Vieira de Mello. As we have seen in other countries, one of the main terrorist goals is to undermine, disrupt and influence election outcomes. We can expect terrorist attacks to escalate as Afghanistan and Iraq approach national elections. The work ahead is demanding, but those difficulties will not shake our conviction that the future of Afghanistan and Iraq is a future of liberty. The proper response to difficulty is not to retreat — it is to prevail. The advance of freedom always carries a cost, paid by the bravest among us.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“So a terrorist group associated with Al Qaeda is now one of the main groups killing the innocent in Iraq today, conducting a campaign of bombings against civilians and the beheadings of bound men. Coalition forces now serving in Iraq are confronting the terrorists and foreign fighters so that peaceful nations around the world will never have to face them within our own borders. Our coalition is standing beside a growing Iraqi security force. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is providing vital training to that force. More than 35 nations have contributed money and expertise to help rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure and, as the Iraqi Interim Government moves towards national elections, officials from the United Nations are helping Iraqis build the infrastructure of democracy.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Today, in this Hall, the Prime Minister of Iraq and his delegation represent a country that has rejoined the community of nations. The Government of Prime Minister Allawi has earned the support of every nation that believes in self-determination and desires peace. And under Security Council resolutions 1511 (2003) and 1546 (2004), the world is providing that support. The United Nations and its Member nations must respond to Prime Minister Allawi’s request and do more to help build an Iraq that is secure, democratic, federal and free. A democratic Iraq has ruthless enemies because terrorists know the stakes in that country. They know that a free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will be a decisive blow against their ambitions for that region.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The Afghan people are showing extraordinary courage under difficult conditions. They are fighting to defend their nation from Taliban hold-outs and helping to strike against the terrorist killers. They are reviving their economy. They have adopted a Constitution that protects the rights of all, while honouring their nation’s most cherished traditions. More than 10 million Afghan citizens — over four million of them women — are now registered to vote in next month’s presidential election. To any who still would question whether Muslim societies can be democratic societies, the Afghan people are giving their answer. Since the last general debate of this General Assembly, the people of Iraq have regained sovereignty.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Freedom is finding a way in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we must continue to show our commitment to democracies in those nations. The liberty that many have won at a cost must be secured. As Members of the United Nations, we all have a stake in the success of the world’s newest democracies. Not long ago, outlaw regimes in Baghdad and Kabul threatened the peace and sponsored terrorists. Those regimes destabilized one of the world’s most vital and most volatile regions. They brutalized their peoples in defiance of all civilized norms. Today, the Iraqi and Afghan peoples are on the path to democracy and freedom. The Governments that are rising will pose no threat to others. Instead of harbouring terrorists, they are fighting terrorist groups. And this progress is good for the long-term security of all of us.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Democratic institutions have taken root in modern societies and in traditional societies. When it comes to the desire for liberty and justice, there is no clash of civilizations. People everywhere are capable of freedom and worthy of freedom. Finding the full promise of representative Government takes time, as America has found in two centuries of debate and struggle. Nor is there only one 10 form of representative Government, because democracies by definition take on the unique character of the peoples that create them. Yet this much we know with certainty: the desire for freedom resides in every human heart, and that desire cannot be contained forever by prison walls or martial laws or secret police. Over time and across the Earth, freedom will find a way.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The Security Council adopted a new resolution that supports an expanded African Union force to help prevent further bloodshed and that urges the Government of the Sudan to stop flights by military aircraft in Darfur. We congratulate the members of the Council on this timely and necessary action. I call on the Government of the Sudan to honour the ceasefire it signed, and to stop the killing in Darfur. Because we believe in human dignity, peaceful nations must stand for the advance of democracy. No other system of government has done more to protect minorities, to secure the rights of labour, to raise the status of women or to channel human energy to the pursuits of peace. We have witnessed the rise of democratic Governments in predominantly Hindu and Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian cultures.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The United States and Italy have proposed a Global Peace Operations Initiative. Group of Eight (G-8) countries will train 75,000 peacekeepers — initially from Africa — so they can conduct operations on that continent and elsewhere. The countries of the G-8 will help that peacekeeping force with deployment and logistical needs. At this hour, the world is witnessing terrible suffering and horrible crimes in the Darfur region of the Sudan, crimes my Government has concluded are genocide. The United States played a key role in efforts to broker a ceasefire, and we are providing humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people. Rwanda and Nigeria have deployed forces in the Sudan to help improve security so that aid can be delivered.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Because we believe in human dignity, the United States and many other nations have acted to lift the crushing burden of debt that limits the growth of developing economies and holds millions of people in poverty. Since those efforts began in 1996, poor countries with the heaviest debt burdens have received more than $30 billion of relief. And to prevent the build-up of future debt, my country and other nations have agreed that international financial institutions should increasingly provide new aid in the form of grants rather than loans. Because we believe in human dignity, the world must have more effective means to stabilize regions in turmoil and to halt religious violence and ethnic cleansing. We must create permanent capabilities to respond to future crises.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“I support that draft resolution and urge all Governments to affirm a basic ethical principle: no human life should ever be produced or destroyed for the benefit of another. Because we believe in human dignity, the United States and many other nations have changed the way we fight poverty, curb corruption and provide aid. In 2002 we created the Monterrey Consensus, a bold approach that links new aid from developed nations to real reform in developing ones. And through the Millennium Challenge Account, my nation is increasing our aid to developing nations that expand economic freedom and invest in the education and health of their own people.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Because we believe in human dignity, the United States and many other nations have joined together to confront the evil of trafficking in human beings. We are supporting organizations that rescue the victims, passing stronger anti-trafficking laws and warning travellers that they will be held to account for supporting this modern form of slavery. Women and children should never be exploited for pleasure or greed, anywhere on Earth. Because we believe in human dignity, we should take seriously the protection of life from exploitation under any pretext. In this session, the General Assembly will consider a draft resolution sponsored by Costa Rica calling for a comprehensive ban on human cloning.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Our wider goal is to promote hope and progress as the alternatives to hatred and violence. Our great purpose is to build a better world beyond the war on terror. 9 Because we believe in human dignity, the United States and many other nations have established a Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In three years the contributing countries have funded projects in more than 90 countries, and pledged a total of $5.6 billion to those efforts. America has undertaken a $15 billion effort to provide prevention and treatment and humane care in nations afflicted by AIDS, placing a special focus on 15 countries where the need is most urgent. AIDS is the greatest health crisis of our time, and our unprecedented commitment will bring new hope to those who have walked too long in the shadow of death.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We are determined to prevent proliferation and to enforce the demands of the world, and my nation is grateful to the soldiers of many nations who have helped to deliver the Iraqi people from an outlaw dictator. The dictator agreed in 1991, as a condition of a ceasefire, to fully comply with all Security Council resolutions, then ignored more than a decade of those resolutions. Finally, the Security Council promised serious consequences for his defiance. The commitments we make must have meaning. When we say “serious consequences”, for the sake of peace there must be serious consequences. So a coalition of nations enforced the just demands of the world. Defending our ideals is vital, but it is not enough. Our broader mission as United Nations Members is to apply those ideals to the great issues of our time.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“She said, “I understand that there is evil in the world, but what have these little creatures done?” The Russian children did nothing to deserve such awful suffering and fright and death. The people of Madrid and Jerusalem and Istanbul and Baghdad have done nothing to deserve sudden and random murder. Those acts violate the standards of justice in all cultures and the principles of all religions. All civilized nations are in this struggle together and all must fight the murderers. We are determined to destroy terror networks wherever they operate, and the United States is grateful to every nation that is helping to seize terrorist assets, track down their operatives and disrupt their plans. We are determined to end the State sponsorship of terror, and my nation is grateful to all that participated in the liberation of Afghanistan.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“They believe that dictators should control every mind and tongue in the Middle East and beyond. They believe that suicide and torture and murder are fully justified to serve any goal they declare. And they act on their beliefs. In the last year alone terrorists have attacked police stations and banks and commuter trains and synagogues and a school filled with children. This month in Beslan we saw once again how the terrorists measure their success in the death of the innocent and in the pain of grieving families. Svetlana Dzebisov was held hostage along with her son and her nephew. Her nephew did not survive. She recently visited the cemetery and saw what she called the “little graves”.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Eventually there is no safe isolation from terror networks, or failed States that shelter them, or outlaw regimes or weapons of mass destruction. Eventually there is no safety in looking away, seeking the quiet life by ignoring the struggles and oppression of others. In this young century our world needs a new definition of security. Our security is not merely found in spheres of influence or some balance of power. The security of our world is found in the advancing rights of mankind. Those rights are advancing across the world. And across the world, the enemies of human rights are responding with violence. Terrorists and their allies believe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United States Bill of Rights and every charter of liberty ever written are lies to be burned and destroyed and forgotten.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Both our founding documents affirm that this bright line between justice and injustice — between right and wrong — is the same in every age, every culture and every nation. Wise Governments also stand for these principles for very practical and realistic reasons. We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace. We know that oppressive Governments support terror, while free Governments fight the terrorists in their midst. We know that free peoples embrace progress and life, instead of becoming the recruits for murderous ideologies. Every nation that wants peace will share the benefits of a freer world. And every nation that seeks peace has an obligation to help build that world.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Now we have the historic 8 chance to widen the circle even further, to fight radicalism and terror with justice and dignity and to achieve a true peace, founded on human freedom. The United Nations and my country share the deepest commitments. Both the American Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaim the equal value and dignity of every human life. That dignity is honoured by the rule of law, limits on the power of the State, respect for women, protection of private property, free speech, equal justice and religious tolerance. That dignity is dishonoured by oppression, corruption, tyranny, bigotry, terrorism and all violence against the innocent.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Thank you for the honour of addressing the General Assembly. The American people respect the idealism that gave life to this Organization. And we respect the men and women of the United Nations, who stand for peace and human rights in every part of the world. Welcome to New York City, and welcome to the United States of America. During the past three years, I have addressed the General Assembly in a time of tragedy for my country, and in times of decision for all of us. Now we gather at a time of tremendous opportunity for the United Nations and for all peaceful nations. For decades, the circle of liberty, security and development has been expanding in our world. This progress has brought unity to Europe, self-government to Latin America and Asia and new hope to Africa.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“As an original signer of the United Nations Charter, the United States of America is committed to the United Nations and we show that commitment by working to fulfil the United Nations stated purposes and by giving meaning to its ideals. The founding documents of the United Nations and the founding documents of America stand in the same tradition. Both assert that human beings should never be reduced to objects of power or commerce, because their dignity is inherent. Both recognize a moral law that stands above men and nations, but which must be defended and enforced by men and nations. And both point the way to peace the peace that comes when all are free. We secure that peace with our courage and we must show that courage together.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Nearly two centuries after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and more than a century after slavery was officially ended in its last strongholds, the trade in human beings for any purpose must not be allowed to thrive in our time. All the challenges I have spoken of this morning require urgent attention and moral clarity. Helping Afghanistan and Iraq to succeed as free nations in a transformed region; cutting off the avenues of proliferation; abolishing modern forms of slavery these are the kinds of great tasks for which the United Nations was founded. In each case, careful discussion is needed and, also, decisive action. Our good intentions will be credited only if we achieve good outcomes.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“12 The victims of this industry also need help from Members of the United Nations. This begins with clear standards and the certainty of punishment under the laws of every country. Today, some nations make it a crime to sexually abuse children abroad. Such conduct should be a crime in all nations. Governments should inform travellers of the harm this industry does and the severe punishments that will fall on its patrons. The American Government is committing $50 million to support the good work of organizations that are rescuing women and children from exploitation and giving them shelter, medical treatment and the hope of a new life. I urge other Governments to do their part. We must show new energy in fighting back an old evil.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Those who create these victims and profit from their suffering must be severely punished. Those who patronize this industry debase themselves and deepen the misery of others, and Governments that tolerate this trade are tolerating a form of slavery. This problem has appeared in my own country and we are working to stop it. The Protect Act, which I signed into law this year, makes it a crime for any person to enter the United States or for any citizen to travel abroad for the purpose of sex tourism involving children. The Department of Justice is actively investigating sex tour operators and patrons, who can face up to 30 years in prison. Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the United States is using sanctions against Governments to discourage human trafficking.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Every nation on every continent should generously add their resources to the fight against disease and desperate hunger. There is another humanitarian crisis, spreading, yet hidden from view. Each year, an estimated eight to nine hundred thousand human beings are bought, sold or forced across the world's borders. Among them are hundreds of thousands of teenage girls and others as young as five who fall victim to the sex trade. This commerce in human life generates billions of dollars each year, much of which is used to finance organized crime. There is a special evil in the abuse and exploitation of the most innocent and vulnerable. The victims of the sex trade see little of life before they see the very worst of life an underground of brutality and lonely fear.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The United States stands ready to help any nation draft these new laws and to assist in their enforcement. A third challenge we share is a challenge to our conscience. We must act decisively to meet the humanitarian crises of our time. The United States has begun to carry out the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, aimed at preventing AIDS on a massive scale and treating millions who have the disease already. We have pledged 15 billion dollars over five years to fight AIDS around the world. My country is acting to save lives from famine as well. We are providing more than 1.4 billion dollars in global emergency food aid, and I have asked our United States Congress for 200 million dollars for a new famine fund so that we can act quickly when the first signs of famine appear.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“These nations have agreed on a set of interdiction principles consistent with current legal authorities, and we are working to expand the Proliferation Security Initiative to other countries. We are determined to keep the world's most destructive weapons away from all our shores and out of the hands of our common enemies. Because proliferators will use any route or channel that is open to them, we need the broadest possible cooperation to stop them. Today I ask the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new antiproliferation resolution. That resolution should call on all Members of the United Nations to criminalize the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to enact strict export controls consistent with international standards and to secure any and all sensitive materials within their own borders.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“For more than a decade, the United States has worked with Russia and other States of the former Soviet Union to dismantle, destroy or secure weapons and dangerous materials left over from another era. Last year in Canada, the G-8 nations agreed to provide up to 20 billion dollars, half of it from the United States, to fight this proliferation risk over the next ten years. Since then, six additional countries have joined the effort. More are needed, and I urge other nations to help us meet this danger. We are also improving our capability to interdict lethal materials in transit. Through our Proliferation Security Initiative, eleven nations are preparing to search planes, ships, trains and trucks carrying suspect cargo and to seize weapons or missile shipments that raise proliferation concerns.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Outlaw regimes that possess nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and the means to deliver them would be able to use blackmail and create chaos in entire regions. Those weapons could be used by terrorists to bring sudden disaster and suffering on a scale we can scarcely imagine. The deadly combination of outlaw regimes, terror networks and weapons of mass murder is a peril that cannot be ignored or wished away. If such a danger is allowed to fully materialize, all words, all protests, will come too late. Nations of the world must have the wisdom and the will to stop grave threats before they arrive. One crucial step is to secure the most dangerous materials at their source.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The Palestinian cause is betrayed by leaders who cling to power by feeding old hatreds and destroying the good work of others. The Palestinian people deserve their own State. They will gain that State by embracing new leaders committed to reform, to fighting terror and to building peace. All parties in the Middle East must meet their responsibilities and carry out the commitments they made at Aqaba. Israel must work to create the conditions that will allow a peaceful Palestinian State to emerge. Arab nations must cut off funding and other 11 support for terrorist organizations. America will work with every nation in the region that acts boldly for the sake of peace. A second challenge we must confront together is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The success of a free Iraq will be watched and noted throughout the region. Millions will see that freedom, equality and material progress are possible at the heart of the Middle East. Leaders in the region will face the clearest evidence that free institutions and open societies are the only path to long-term national success and dignity. And a transformed Middle East would benefit the entire world by undermining the ideologies that export violence to other lands. Iraq as a dictatorship had great power to destabilize the Middle East. Iraq as a democracy will have great power to inspire the Middle East. The advance of democratic institutions in Iraq is setting an example that others, including the Palestinian people, would be wise to follow.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)