September 8, 2011UN chief Ban says "revolution of hope" underway
Sydney, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said "a revolution of hope" was taking place in North Africa and beyond as he vowed the UN's continued support for the voice of the people.
"Across North Africa and beyond, a revolution of hope has taken hold," he said in a speech at Sydney University, singling out Libya, Syria and the Ivory Coast.
Glossing over persistent disputes among the UN's heavyweight members such as the United States and China, Ban said the world body would always be prepared to act when governments failed to protect their own citizens.
Continues
"The people of Libya and beyond have taken great risks to assert their basic freedoms and human rights. Now they need us to support these democratic transitions," he said.
"That is why the United Nations will keep working to help the Libyan people realise their legitimate aspirations. Libya was an instance of the world acting together to protect people when their government could not or would not."
The UN chief gave the example of the Ivory Coast, where ousted president Laurent Gbagbo's months-long battle to cling to power after losing elections in November brought the country to the brink of civil war.
"When the former president of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) tried to steal an election through bloodshed earlier this year, the UN stepped up and stopped it," said Ban.
"We sent a clear message across the region that democracy must be upheld and the voice of the people respected.
"The international community must do its part to protect people threatened with extreme violence for exercising basic rights."
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