Or do we strengthen our commitment to diplomacy, and to the United Nations?

　　I strongly believe there is only one choice, demanded by reason as well as by conscience, which is the hard work of diplomacy and negotiation and reform of the UN.

　　This is not to say that in any way this is an easy road. And there are reasons for people to feel insecure today.

　　The level of conflict and lack of solutions combined with the fear of terrorism; the reality that globalization has bought vast benefits to some and worsened the lot for others; the sense of disconnect between citizens and governments, or in some countries, the lack of governance; the overall feeling that for all our gains in technology and connectedness, the less we are in control of forces shaping our lives – all these factors and more have contributed to a sense of a world out of balance, and there are no easy answers.

　　And despite the millions of people who have lifted themselves out of poverty in our lifetime, the difference between the lives of those of us born in wealthy, democratic societies and those born into the slums and refugee camps in the world is a profound injustice. We see it and we know it’s wrong, at a simple human level, that inequality is contributing to instability, conflict and migration as well as to the sense that the international system serves the few at the expense of the many.

　　But again, what, what is our answer, as citizens?

　　Do we withdraw from the world where before we felt a responsibility to be part of the solutions?

　　I am a proud American, and I am an internationalist.

　　I believe anyone committed to human rights is.

　　It means seeing the world with a sense of fairness and humility, and recognizing our own humanity in the struggles of others.

　　It stems from a love of one’s country, but not at the expense of others – from patriotism, but not from narrow nationalism.

　　It includes the view that success isn’t being greater than others, but finding your place in a world where others succeed, too.

　　And that a strong nation, like a strong person, helps others to rise up and be independent.

　　It is the spirit that made possible the creation of the UN, out of the rubble and ruin and 60 million dead of World War Two; so that even before the task of defeating Nazism was complete, that generation of wartime leaders was forging the UN.

　　If governments and leaders are not keeping the flame of internationalism alive than its citizens, we must.

　　The challenge is how to restore that sense of balance and hopefulness in our countries, while not sacrificing all we have learnt about the value and necessity of internationalism.

　　Because a world in which we turn our back on our global responsibilities will be a world that produces greater insecurity, violence and danger for us and for our children.

　　This is not a clash between idealism and realism.

　　It is the recognition that there is no shortcut to peace and security, no substitute for the long, painstaking effort to end conflicts, expand human rights and strengthen the rule of law.

　　We have to challenge the idea that the strongest leaders are those willing to dismiss human rights on the grounds of national interests. The strongest leaders are those who are capable of doing both.

　　Having strong values and the will to act upon them doesn’t weaken our borders or our militaries – it is their essential foundation.

　　And none of this is to say that the UN is perfect. Because of course, we know it is not.

　　I have never met a field officer who has not railed against the shortcomings, as I imagine Sergio did in his darkest moments.

　　And he, like all of us, wanted a UN that was more decisive, less bureaucratic, and that lived up to its standards. But he never said it was pointless. And he never threw in the towel.

　　The UN is an imperfect organization because we are imperfect. It is not separate from us.

　　Our decisions, particularly those made by the Security Council, have played a part in creating the landscape that we are dealing with today.

　　We should always remember why the UN was formed, and what it is for, and take that responsibility very seriously.

　　We have to recognize the damage we do when we undermine the UN or use it selectively – or not at all – or when we rely on aid to do the job of diplomacy, or give the UN impossible tasks and then underfund it.

　　For example, today, there is not a single humanitarian appeal anywhere in the world that is funded even by half of what is required. In fact, worse than that. Appeals for countries on the brink of famine today are 17%, 7%, and 5% funded, for example.

　　And of course, emergency aid is not the long-term answer.

　　No one prefers that kind of aid. Not citizens of donor countries. Not governments. Not refugees. They do not want to be dependent.

　　It would be far better to be able to invest all of our funds in infrastructure and schools and trade and enterprises.

　　But let’s be clear, emergency aid has to continue because many states cannot or will not protect the rights of citizens around the world.

　　It is what we spend in countries where we have no diplomacy or our diplomacy is not working.

　　And until we do better at preventing and reducing conflict, we are doomed to be in a cycle of having to help feed or shelter people when societies collapse.

　　As another legendary UN leader, who was also killed in the line of duty, Dag Hammerskold, said “Everything will be all right – you know when? When people, just people, stop thinking of the United Nations as a weird Picasso abstraction and see it as a drawing they made themselves”.

　　The UN can only change if governments change their policies. And if we as citizens ask governments to do that.

　　It is moving, if you think about it: We are the future generations envisioned in the UN Charter.

　　When our grandparents resolved to “spare future generations the scourge of war”, as written, they were thinking of us.

　　But as well as dreaming for our safety, they also left us a responsibility.

　　President Roosevelt, addressing the US Congress in January, 1945, six months before the end of Second World War, said this: “In the field of foreign policy, we promise to stand together with the United Nations not for the war alone, but for the victory for which the war was fought”.

　　And he went on: “The firm foundation can be built and will be built. But the continuance and assurance of a living peace, in the long run, must be the work of the people themselves.”

　　So today, we have to ask ourselves if we are living up to that mission.

　　They gave us the start. What have we done with it?

　　It is clear to me that we have made huge strides. But our agreements and institutions are only as strong as our will to uphold them.

　　If we do not, for whatever reason, we bequeath a darker, more unstable world to all of those who come after us. It is not for this that previous generations shed blood and worked so hard on behalf of all of us.

　　The memory of those who came before us holds us true to our ideals.

　　Resting unchanged in time, they remind us [of] who we are and what we stand for.

　　They give us hope to stay in the fight, as Sergio did, until his last breath.

　　Fourteen years since his death, there is a stronger need than ever before for us to stay true to the ideals and purposes of the United Nations.

　　That is what I hope his memory holds for us to today.

　　We can’t all be Sergios. But I hope all of us can determine that we shall be a generation that renews its commitment to “unite our strength to maintain international peace and security”, and “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”

　　But in the final analysis, even we do not, even if that level of vision eludes us and we continue to simply manage rather than overcome our generation’s challenges, we just have to keep working determinedly, patiently.

　　And you can be certain, that as you do, that you follow the example of one of the UN’s finest sons: and that to do even a little of his good, to apply ourselves to the work he left unfinished, in whatever way we can, is a worthy task for all of us.

　　Thank you.

（编辑：何莹莹）