United
Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan
Welcomes New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani to United Nations
United Nations Headquarters
New York, New York
October 1, 2001
It is a pleasure to welcome you, Mayor Giuliani, to United Nations Headquarters.
Our home is your home.
And your home, this unique city of New York, is our heroic and hospitable host
city.
Mr. Mayor, the United Nations has always drawn enormous strength from this city.
Since the attack on the World Trade Centre and Washington, D.C., we have also
drawn strength from your leadership, your resilience, your commitment to the
tolerance and diversity that have made New York such a magnet and such an outstanding
world capital. Thank you for helping all of us in this city to at least begin
to recover from this crisis.
I am glad you are here today to see firsthand how the Organization is responding.
The Security Council and General Assembly quickly condemned the attack. On Friday,
the Council unanimously adopted another resolution aimed at cracking down on
terrorism. And today, the General Assembly begins its debate on the subject.
This attack has wounded the entire world. But shared adversity has brought New
York City and the United Nations closer together than ever before.
We are united in grief. At least seven of our staff members lost immediate family
in the attack. Many more lost dear friends.
We are united in helping the city in its hour of need. United Nations staff
members have raised more than $100,000 to assist. Our tour guides are helping
the American Red Cross. Other staff members are working as volunteer interpreters
at the family centre at Pier 94. And as you know, the General Assembly postponed
its high-level general debate so as not to further burden the city and particularly
the police and fire personnel who have responded so valiantly to this crisis.
Finally we are united in our determination to root out terrorism. If there is
one message I took away from the tour of "ground zero" you provided
two weeks ago, it is that the world must come together to defeat this menace.
Mr. Mayor, you are not the only mayor of New York to have been frustrated by
some things that have been said or done in this building. No healthy partnership
is without strains. But today we are truly united.
We are your neighbours. We share your hopes for a world where peace, justice,
health and opportunity are enjoyed by all. I am sure there are also, in this
hall, men and women who share your love for the opera and the Yankees. I should
add, in the spirit of tolerance, that there are probably some Met fans here,
too.
Most of all, Mr. Mayor, we pledge our support for the city's swift and full
recovery. Thank you very much for joining us this morning.