UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged world leaders not to subvert democracy,
but serve their peoples to ensure a “perfect world that may be on the far
horizon.”
Ban made the
call in his final address to the UN General Assembly at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
“Indeed, in
too many places, we see leaders rewriting constitutions, manipulating elections
and taking other desperate steps to cling to power,” he pointed out.
The UN
Secretary-General made specific reference to the Ukraine in Eastern Europe and
South Sudan in East Africa as two countries whose leaders are perpetrating
violence against their peoples and circumventing democracy in a bid to cling on
to power.
“Leaders must
understand that holding office is a trust, granted by the people, not personal
property,” Ban said, pointing out that they should not pilfer their country’s
resources nor imprison and torture their critics.
He told
political leaders and candidates not to engage in the cynical and dangerous
political math that says “you add votes by dividing people and multiplying
fear.”
He said the
world should stand up against lies and distortions of truth, and reject all
forms of discrimination.
“We must also
address the factors that compel people to move by investing in conflict
prevention and engaging in patient diplomacy,” he stated.
The UN
official noted that as the demand for peacekeeping rises, “we must continue
strengthening peace operations to help countries secure and sustain peace.”
Ban said he is
encouraged that the General Assembly has endorsed the Plan of Action to Prevent
Violent Extremism which “can help us tackle the drivers of conflict.”
He added: “A
perfect world may be on the far horizon, but a route to a better world, a safer
world, a more just world, is in the hands of each and every one of us.”
The UN
Secretary-General noted: “Ten years on, I know that working together, working
united, we can get there. I count on your leadership and commitment.”
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