If we are to make poverty history, we must have the active participation of States, civil society and the private sector, as well as individual volunteers.

If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.

I think that in the West, many citizens, especially younger citizens, take their freedoms and institutions for granted and focus on their frustrations with their governments' inability to solve pressing problems.

You need younger men in Africa, men and women in African politics.

The United Nations has long recognised that the imagination, ideals and energies of young men and women are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. And since its inception in 1948, AIESEC has contributed to this development by serving as an agent of positive change trough education and cultural exchange.

Let us work in partnerships between rich and poor to improve the opportunities of all human beings to build better lives.

Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.