If the United Nations does not attempt to chart a course for the world's people in the first decades of the new millennium, who will?

The United Nations, whose membership comprises almost all the states in the world, is founded on the principle of the equal worth of every human being.

If the United Nations does not attempt to chart a course for the world's people in the first decades of the new millennium, who will?

More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.

I really do hope that the Millennium Summit gives new impetus to the work of the United Nations.

In the 21st century, I believe the mission of the United Nations will be defined by a new, more profound awareness of the sanctity and dignity of every human life, regardless of race or religion.