Time and again, when member states and the governments are faced with an insoluble problem, and they're under pressure to do something, that something usually ends up being referred to the U.N.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes how countries often turn to the United Nations when they face difficult situations that seem impossible to resolve.
Kofi Annan highlights the role of the United Nations as a critical space for countries seeking solutions to complex and pressing challenges. When member states encounter seemingly insurmountable problems, they frequently feel compelled to refer these issues to the U.N. in hopes of finding a resolution, showcasing the organization's importance in global governance and cooperation.
In practice
In a speech discussing global challenges, one might say, 'As Kofi Annan noted, we often look to the U.N. for solutions when faced with difficulties.'
If you have a problem and you can't find a solution, you meet again tomorrow and you keep talking until you find a solution. You can disagree with behavior or a particular position, but you do not resort to calling an opponent worthless.
Let us remember the large numbers of citizens who, day in and day out, through acts of volunteerism large and small, bring hope to so many of the world's disadvantaged. Let us ensure that this wonderful resource, available in abundance to every nation, is recognized and supported as it works towards a more prosperous and peaceful world.
We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.
The global HIV/AIDS epidemic is an unprecedented crisis that requires an unprecedented response. In particular it requires solidarity - between the healthy and the sick, between rich and poor, and above all, between richer and poorer nations. We have 30 million orphans already. How many more do we have to get, to wake up?
People of different religions and cultures live side by side in almost every part of the world, and most of us have overlapping identities which unite us with very different groups. We can love what we are, without hating what – and who – we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings.
Democracy is, in essence, a form of non-violent conflict management. If war is the worst enemy of development, healthy and balanced development is the best form of conflict prevention.
A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone.
Moving into an unoccupied village when there's no opposition, I don't call that a military victory.
If you don't have the ability to see when to stand up and the conviction to do it, you'll never be an effective leader.
Let us not despair but act. Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past - let us accept our own responsibility for the future.
Public officers are the servants and agents of the people, to execute the laws which the people have made.
Progress comes from caring more about what needs to be done than about who gets the credit
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