UN General Assembly
2010

It is an honour for me to speak to the General Assembly today. The world has changed dramatically since the United Nations was founded 65 years ago. International trade and exchange are, of course, nothing new. What is new, however, is how quickly the changes affect everybody’s lives. Only if we in the United Nations are and remain able to act can we shape these global changes. We will manage to solve problems relating to security and economic, social and ecological development only if the international community stands united. Germany is ready to assume global responsibility within the framework of the United Nations. Germany’s foreign policy is firmly embedded in the international community. In Europe, a system of cooperation has replaced the confrontation that cruelly divided our continent for centuries. The European Union is successful because, in Europe, all peoples and States meet on an equal footing. The United Nations, too, brings together nations large and small, rich and poor, those that are more powerful and those with less influence. Cooperation between equals on an equal