I recently reread an article of mine written in 1964, and I think it is still valid. There is not much difference. Many of the items on the agenda 37 years ago are still there.

If we go back in the history of different nations, violence and the use of force are part of their heritage. These are the traditions of mankind.

In Finland we have equal political rights for women and men. We do not regard ourselves according to sex.

There are big issues, like the reform of the Security Council. These kinds of questions are something the President of the General Assembly must keep his eye on.

What we can do as individuals may not be very much on the global scale, but we have to start the change by living as we are teaching.

If there is something I would like to do as President of the General Assembly, it is to place more emphasis on the issue of education, which enables a better life for women.

The Baltic Sea is becoming more and more polluted. Not everybody living near the shore of the Baltic Sea is protecting it. It is the water of life for countries like Finland and Sweden.