Our era of global opportunity has unleashed a potential for the United Nations that even our founders could not have imagined. In this, ladies and gentlemen, we share a common fate. Your work has transformed our world, and this new world has transformed your work. He also said, by the way, that he would start harassing his friends to follow his example. It was, of course, a leader of your industry, my friend Ted Turner, who exemplified this bond by announcing his gift of $1 billion to the United Nations. No one understands this better than you in this audience - men and women whose driving aspiration is to provide the best information for the greatest number of people. The United Nations was born from the conviction that one day all the world would seem as one. The world matters because our era's greatest challenges are those no nation can conquer alone. The world matters because we no longer doubt that great rewards await those who strive to bring the world together. The world matters because we no longer imagine that some can prosper indefinitely while others suffer in poverty. Whether addressing the future of international economics, Asian values or the Middle East peace process, they have made clear why the world matters. You have spent two fascinating days in the company of distinguished leaders who all share a commitment to global engagement. I am very pleased to join you in Aspen tonight. It is a crisis that deserves our greatest attention, and I am confident that it will now receive it. I am particularly grateful that he agreed last week to be my Special Representative for the impact of armed conflict on children. He has been a staunch ally of the United Nations for many years. I would like to begin by thanking my old friend and partner Olara Otunnu for his generous introduction. And wish I had some of the same.Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's statement, delivered on Saturday, 18 October, to the Communications Conference at the Aspen Institute, Colorado: And it’s probably going to take a lot more courage to take the criticism that Martha Mullen will receive. It took a lot of courage to do something this big. Maybe, when you see injustice in the world, you’re the one person who needs to do something. Maybe, when you see someone picking on someone else, you’re the one person who needs to do something. Isn’t that the lesson of Jesus’ life, in so many ways? That we are going to live and die with the choices we make? And that perhaps, today, “Maybe I’m the one person who needs to do something.” Maybe, when you see a car accident, you’re the one person who needs to do something. There are just other humans, living and dying with the choices they make. I wonder if Jesus said, “Love your enemies,” because he understood that there is no such thing as enemies. Sometimes I wonder about Jesus’ words, if he even knew some of the things we ourselves know, about pluralism, community, boundaries, and loving people.
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