UN General Assembly
2015

The United Nations is more than simply a platform. It is an Organization whose activities help to shape and improve our world. Thanks in part to the United Nations, extreme poverty has been halved, child mortality has been halved, 2.3 billion people have gained access to drinking water, diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis have been beaten back, and peace operations in many areas have brought violent conflicts under control. That is all because of the work of millions of courageous people in the Member States and the untiring efforts of the staff of the United Nations and its organs, both here in New York and all over the world. So I would like to say to the United Nations: congratulations! I thank it for 70 years of battling against cynicism and fatalism. For the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United Nations is and will remain the primary global Organization for peace, justice and development. That is why the Kingdom is a candidate for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the 2017-2018 term.