UN General Assembly
1999

and imaginatively. We are not doing enough in the field of education in the sense of cultivating values of respect for the integrity of the individual and for his or her right to be different. We do not always understand in time that the most efficient way to fight war and violence is to fight poverty. We do not always know how to distinguish between political manoeuvring and public interest, between national pride and universally valid principles. We must reflect on these things not only when crises are unleashed but instantly calmly and clear-mindedly. There is no simple way of coping with complexity. It requires vision, enlightened foresight, careful planning and hard work. The revolutionary changes of ten years ago in Central and Eastern Europe and the ensuing process of transition were essentially focused on values — political pluralism, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, individual freedom, market economy and human rights, including the rights of people belonging to ethnic, religious or other minorities. Those values prevailed because they were right, because they survived in our hearts and minds through