Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies.

It is my aspiration that health finally will be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for.

HIV/AIDS has become much more than a health issue. HIV/AIDS is a development issue, it's a security issue.

A developed country is one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment

I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.

In the past we could afford a long gestation period before undertaking major environmental policy initiatives. Today the time for a well-planned transition to a sustainable system is running out. We may be moving in the right direction, but we are moving too slowly. We are failing in our responsibility to future generations and even the present one.

There can be no doubt that these attacks are deliberate acts of terrorism, carefully planned and coordinated and as such I condemn them utterly. Terrorism must be fought resolutely wherever it appears.