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National borders have become practically meaningless in the struggle to deal with the world's natural and man-made disasters, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday in a speech urging young New Zealanders to become "global citizens."
Citing troubles in the Middle East, Africa and Ukraine as well as the Ebola virus among the many problems in the world, he said young people needed to use their "enormous powers of connectivity to speak out and take action."
In a published lecture at Auckland University, where he accepted an honorary doctorate, Ban recalled meeting U.S. President John Kennedy during a trip to Washington as a high school student.
"He told us that when it comes to the suffering people of the world, 'there are no national boundaries; there is only a question of whether we can extend a helping hand'," said Ban.
"This simple message answers many of our world's complex problems. We do not need to separate across borders -- we need to look together at who is hurting and how we can help," he said.
"Borders have practically lost their meaning. You need to view problems from the perspective of the whole world."
Ban, who had just come from the UN Small Island Developing States Conference in Samoa, said the main concerns of small islands were central to the UN's global push to end poverty, promote sustainable development and address climate change.
The UN was giving priority to those three major goals for humanity's future by aiming to reach the Millennium Development Goals by the target of 2015, shaping a new development agenda for the period after 2015 "to foster a life of dignity for all," and by aiming to finalize a meaningful universal climate change agreement in Paris by 2015.
He praised New Zealand as "a long and staunch champion of nuclear and conventional disarmament" and said he appreciated New Zealand's contributions to promoting security in Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands and Bougainville in Papua New Guinea.
