Speeches
- Written by: Dinesh D’Souza, Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, USA
Religion is also a universal source of morality. There are secular ways of talking about morality. There have been important philosophers, from Kant to John Rawls, who talk about secular morality, but I have yet to meet a person who follows secular morality. Have you ever met a Kantian in everyday life? Most people follow morality through religion. Religion is the main incubator of morality, and the secular importance of religion in the world is that it provides ultimate accountability for a person’s actions.
- Written by: J’Lein Gabrielle Liese, President, Foundation for Global Leadership
I think I was born in love with Africa. As a little girl, all I remember was dreaming about Africa. There’s something about the word Africa that brings feelings into my heart and into my soul. In fact, my son will be turning three next week, and he has already been to twelve African countries, many of them eight or nine times. Already he talks about Africa to everyone he meets along his way.
- Written by: Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Nigeria
- Written by: Martin Luther King III
The twentieth century will be marked by the magnanimous women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for truth and justice, peace and nonviolence, conflict resolution and community reconciliation. They were the peace ambassadors of the people-powered revolution of the Philippines, the velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia, the modern civil rights movement of the United States of America, the freedom movement of South Africa, and the satyagraha of India.
- Written by: Dr. Douglas M. Johnston, Founder, International Center for Religion and Diplomacy
I had been involved with the national prayer breakfast fellowship in Washington and had seen how spiritually motivated lay persons operating on the basis of their personal religious faith were able to reconcile differences between peoples—sometimes bringing wars to a halt with no one the wiser for how it took place. I thought to myself: if this kind of activity could be captured in a compelling book that could be made available to policymakers and diplomats, then perhaps government could learn how to build upon it.
- Written by: Dr. N.P. Jain, Former Ambassador of India to the UN, European Union, Nepal, Mexico and Belgium
It is a privilege to share some thoughts with such a distinguished assembly representing nations from all the continents on the key topic of providing vision and leadership at a time of global crisis.
- Written by: Bishop Abel T. Muzorewa
In Africa, when the poverty is so severe, people ask me, is God for Africa, too? When they go without food, there is tendency to ask, is God for Africa, too? Thank God, Africa is for all of us. And for all the things that have gone on in the past and those that may be in the present, we thank God because now we can feel protected, not by armies but by peace.
- Written by: Rev. Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak, Chairman, Universal Peace Federation
All people hope for peace. This is a universal value shared by all human beings, regardless of their race, national origin, educational background, or religious belief. The ideal of a world characterized by harmony and cooperation among all people is rooted in the conscience of all people.
- Written by: Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Chairman, International Leadership Conference
In the company of members of the international diplomatic community, I must begin by expressing my heartfelt appreciation to the United Nations. I would not be here today if it weren't for the UN. All Koreans love and respect the UN – even more so with the appointment of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We have our national sovereignty today, due to the courage of the men and women of the United Nations, led by the United States, who fought and died to liberate my homeland from totalitarianism.
- Written by: Dr. Ernest Shonekan, Former President, Nigeria
We live at a time when the world is facing one global crisis or another. The increasing wave of terrorism, for instance, is one global crisis of immense proportion. The lingering Arab-Israeli conflict is another one. What shall we also say about the high level of poverty existing in some parts of the world while others live in affluence? The spread of conflicts, civil wars and political instability give rise to despair and violence in some parts of the world. The crisis in governance in countries with weak institutions, the inequity that characterizes global trade, the controversy about the damages to the environment through human activity, and global health issues including the existence of incurable diseases, among others, suggest that the challenges are indeed many and varied.
- Written by: Hon. Francis Kwain, Former Deputy Minister of External Relations, Cameroon
We have witnessed a very serious decline in humanity's awareness of, appreciation for, and practice of universal spiritual and moral principles used as the foundation on which our contemporary world was formed. It is my hope that we can work together with more effort and dedication to solve the world's critical problems.
- Written by: H.E. Yuli M. Vorontsov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and High-Level Coordinator
We need meetings of the religious leaders, congresses of religious leaders, where they will discuss not their differences in doctrine but the world situation. I don't think there will be serious differences of view when the topic is war and peace in a given region or peace on the planet or the global ecological crisis. I believe that these issues are very important for religions.