New York- Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the inauguration of the Olympic Torch Display in New York on 18 December:
This exhibit brings back many powerful emotions. July 26 was a memorable and emotional day. I spent the morning in Srebrenica, with mothers of those slain in the horrendous massacre. Later that same day I was in London, where the joy of our common humanity was evident in the faces of all the spectators and competitors I saw. The swing of emotions, and the sense of common purpose in both places, was deeply moving, both personally and because of the work of the United Nations.
I ran with the torch and, later, proudly carried the Olympic banner in the stadium. Of the eight outstanding personalities who shared that honour with me, no less than four were acknowledged for their United Nations connections. The great Muhammad Ali, a former Messenger of Peace, and musician Daniel Barenboim, who serves in that role now; Haile Gebrselassie, a Goodwill Ambassador for UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] in Ethiopia, and Marina Silva, the former Environment Minister of Brazil who is a UNEP [United Nations Environment Programme] Champion of the Earth.
That the organizers chose to honour the United Nations so visibly spoke volumes to me about the close links between the Olympic Movement and the United Nations. Those ties go far beyond shared principles and ideals. They translate into everyday collaborations that are helping improve the lives of people in need in all regions. For these Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees collected sports equipment for refugee camps around the world.
The “International Inspiration” social legacy programme, implemented primarily by UNICEF, has reached millions of people in 20 countries through Sport for Development and Peace, and education programmes. UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization], the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], UNAIDS [Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS] and the World Health Organization (WHO) also collaborated with the organizers or held events during the Games.
