Page 217 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

37.

OPENING REMARKS
BY MR. VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
AT THE IC&C GALA BANQUET
GIVEN IN HONOUR
OF THE 130TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ITU
AND
THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS

InterContinental Hotel, 4 October 1995

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I t gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the IC&C Gala

Banquet, on behalf of the United Nations, and to thank you for

the honour of having been chosen as the Honorary Chairman.
We are just a few days away from the Summit of Heads of State to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations! And we are
celebrating the l30th Anniversary of the ITU. It is a good time for reflection.
These days, our failures seem to be highlighted and our successes sometimes
forgotten or marginalized. The crucial role the United Nations system plays in
promoting peace, international law, human rights and economic and social
development, is nevertheless recognized and appreciated. I have just returned
from the United Nations General Assembly, and I am heartened by the
Member State's clear words of support.

The Secretary-General and his colleagues throughout the United Nations
system are fully aware that without the constant and active participation of the

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