UN General Assembly
1981

61. Words fail me here as I try to convey our gratitude to and our admiration of all those men and women of all races from all continents who have chosen the United Nations as their country and who are attempting to come to grips with harsh present realities in an effort to prevent our species from sweeping away the world by its own excesses. In the vanguard of those men and women we find, of course, the familiar figure of the SecretaryGeneral, whose devotion to the cause of the Organization is undeniably beyond praise. A vigilant servant of the Charter and a tireless pilgrim of peace, he has regularly demonstrated his practical knowledge and his exemplary tenacity. Thanks to his diplomatic talent, his dynamism and his ardent devotion, he has raised the United Nations to the highest peaks, where it has found trust, prestige and credibility. On behalf of the Niger, I wish to congratulate and thank him.