Sadly, a prize for peace is a rarity in this world. Most nations have monuments or memorials to war, bronze salutations to heroic battles, archways of triumph. But peace has no parade, no pantheon of victory.

Does anyone seriously contend that any nation can fend for itself?

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, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories.

We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face.

To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.

In the rush for justice it is important not to lose sight of principles the country holds dear.

Women themselves have the right to live in dignity, in freedom from want and freedom from fear. On this International Women's Day, let us rededicate ourselves to making that a reality.