UN General Assembly
2017

I hope that the United Nations will continue to be the preferred forum for fostering understanding among the peoples of the world. It will not be a conflict-free environment because, unfortunately, that is not our species’ default state, but it could be a meeting point where people can reach agreement, based on the higher aspirations of human progress that makes survival possible. I also hope that this session can shed light on demilitarization and denuclearization, which are the only ways to ensure our survival, beyond all efforts to guarantee it. I also sincerely hope, with all my heart and soul, that all nations represented here today are happy, at peace and able to adhere to the wise biblical admonition to beat swords into ploughshares. It is simply another way of saying love your neighbour as you love yourself.