Tuesday, February 2, 2010

U Thant’s concept of “One World,”

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Ban Praises U Thant for Leadership Skills
By LALIT K. JHA Tuesday, February 2, 2010

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday praised U Thant, the third secretary-general of the United Nations, for steering the world body safely through a decade of change.

“As a diplomat, U Thant showed great skill and quiet persistence. He steered the United Nations safely through a decade of change, and played a key role in defusing the Cuban missile crisis and ending the civil war in the Congo,” Ban said in a message to an event held in New Delhi marking the centenary of the birth of the Burmese leader.

U Thant records a UN Day message at UN headquarters in New York, October 12, 1971. (Photo: UN/Saw Lwin)
“He was an integral part of efforts to create many of the institutions which work to alleviate poverty and advance human development, including the UN Development Programme and the UN Conference on Trade and Development,” Ban said.

“It is a sad irony that his vision of human development has not yet been realized in his own country,” said the secretary-general, who despite his best efforts has not been able to influence the Burmese junta to restore democracy and protect the human rights of its people.

The second UN secretary-general from Asia after U Thant, Ban said: “I draw inspiration from many of those who have occupied the position I now hold, but U Thant has a special place in our thoughts. His work on sustainable development laid the foundations for our efforts today to combat climate change and safeguard the global environment.”

U Thant’s concept of “One World,” which he articulated at the height of the Cold War, was an early recognition of the global interdependence that is today so prominent in all our lives, Ban said.

“I have also been moved by his description of the world as 'our beautiful spaceship with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life,'” he said.

Ban said U Thant's values of global solidarity and his belief that the UN must always focus on the dignity and well-being of the individual, remain central to the work of the United Nations.
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