Kofi Annan

...there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.

This is an historic step forward in the world's efforts to combat a truly global threat.

The fight against HIV/AIDS requires leadership from all parts of government - and it needs to go right to the top. AIDS is far more than a health crisis. It is a threat to development itself.

Fierce national competition over water resources has prompted fears that water issues contain the seeds of violent conflict.

Let us work in partnerships between rich and poor to improve the opportunities of all human beings to build better lives.

Once you are really challenged, you find something in yourself. Man doesn't know what he is capable of until he is asked.

Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.

On this International Literacy Day, let us recall that literacy for all is an integral part of education for all, and that both are critical for achieving truly sustainable development for all.

Beneath the surface of states and nations, ideas and language, lies the fate of individual human beings in need. Answering their needs will be the mission of the United Nations in the century to come.

If tolerance, respect and equity permeate family life, they will translate into values that shape societies, nations and the world.

There is no trust more sacred than the_x000D_ _x000D_ one the world holds with children.

Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected.

The problem is not with the faith, but with the faithful