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32.

UN at the Age of 50

WELCOME ADDRESS
BY MR. VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNITED NATIONS UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE 33RD GENEVA GRADUATE STUDY
PROGRAMME

3 July 1995

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

1. It is a great pleasure to welcome you here in Geneva's Palais des

Nations. As you know this city is one of the major capitals of
multilateral diplomacy. It is both the symbol and the birthplace of
internationalism. As long ago as 1830 one of the staunch supporters of
pacifism, Count Jean-Jacques de Sellon, organized here in Geneva the League
of Peace to promote friendship among the European States. In 1919 the first
universal intergovernmental organization - the League of Nations was created
and it had its headquarters here in Palais des Nations. On 18 April 1946 the
Palais was transferred to the United Nations.

2. This building has witnessed many historical moments. For example. the
armistice agreement of 1954 which ended the war in Vietnam. In 1983 the
International Conference on the Question of Palestine which was meeting ln
this hall adopted the Geneva Declaration setting forth the guidelines for
international efforts to resolve the question of Palestine. The agreement on the
political settlement in Afghanistan was also signed in Geneva in April 1988.
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