UN General Assembly
2011

in international affairs as it is within countries. Societies cannot be reordered from outside through military force. People in all countries have the right to choose their own destiny and decide their own future. The international community has a role to play in assisting in the processes of transition and institution- building, but the idea that prescriptions should be imposed from outside is fraught with danger. Action taken under the authority of the United Nations must respect the unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of individual States. Correspondingly, governments are duty-bound to their citizens to create conditions that enable them to freely determine their pathways to development. This is the essence of democracy and fundamental human freedoms. There are many other things that we can do. We must address the issue of the deficit in global governance. We need a stronger and more effective United Nations. We need a United Nations that is sensitive to the aspirations of everyone, rich or poor, big or small. For this, the United Nations and its principal organs, the General Assembly and the