UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan visited Tsinghua University and made a speech in the Reception Hall of the Main Building on October 11. President Gu Binglin delivered the welcoming speech.
In his speech, Mr. Annan emphasized the remarkable achievements China has made in the last 25 years, and its pivotal role China would have to play in the political and economical stage in the coming years. He said the realization of those goals included in the Millennium Declaration by political leaders from all over the world depends, in great part, on China .
The UN chief also expressed his concerns on environmental degradation, sustainable development and security accompanied with the great strides made on the economical expressway.
In speaking of the global strategy to be used in the struggle against HIV/AIDS , Mr. Annan called upon China to share a big and urgent responsibility to prevent the spread of this appalling epidemic.
At the end of the speech, Mr. Annan encouraged students to take various challenges ahead and think also about serving in other parts of the world where their skills maybe more desperately needed. “Go out and make the world better!” he said.
After the speech he answered questions raised by the seated students, which covered the issues such as fighting terrorism, children protection, AIDS, UN Security Council reform, and so on.
Before the lecture, Mr. Annan had a brief meeting with President Gu Binglin and Mr. Zhang Xinsheng, Vice Minister of Ministry of Education, P.R.C.. Ambassador Wang Guangya, permanent representative of China to the United Nations, accompanied on the visit.
Kofi A. Annan was born in 1938 in Kumasi, Ghana. He is the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. The first Secretary-General to be elected from the ranks of United Nations staff, he began his first term on 1 January 1997 . On 29 June 2001 , acting on a recommendation by the Security Council, the General Assembly appointed him by acclamation to a second term of office, beginning on 1 January 2002 and ending on 31 December 2006 .
Reported by Liu Yifu & Li Han
