Let us choose to unite the power of markets with the authority of universal ideals. Let us choose to reconcile the creative forces of private entrepreneurship with the needs of the disadvantaged and the requirements of future generations.

Microfinance is an idea whose time has come.

Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development... For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.

I don't see a situation where one side will win militarily, take over Syria, and there will be peace and quiet, a clean victory.

Like any large organisation, public or private, the UN is a complex machine.

I think that peacekeeping can do quite a lot, if they are given the right mandate with the commensurate resources to get the job done.

Nelson Mandela stands as an inspiration to us all