i of fact i think everyone from texas is an optimist. can you imagine the challenges that people have that founded our state? indians, wide open hostile territory, tough weather but they persevered because they were optimists and they thought the fight was worth it. they thought the goal in the accomplishment and the hope for accomplishment was worth the struggle. so i'm still remaining optimistic despite the last few weeks that would challenge that optimism that we would actually break through here and get to consider and vote on the justice for victims of trafficking act and get help to the people that the majority leader senator mcconnell described. the children who cannot help themselves. for heaven sakes if we can't help the most vulnerable people

in our country, children who cannot help themselves who are the victims of modern-day slavery, what in the world can we do? so we mark 100 days here in the united states senate with the new republican majority, and as i look back, i don't think i don't think anybody can deny that under the majority leader stewardship we've had some significant accomplishments in a relatively short amount of time. sure it's been bumpy along the way. the xl pipeline was a significant bump in the road but we had strong bipartisan vote and unfortunately the president decided to be told that legislation, but after years of this chamber being used solely for the purpose of messaging and can ducting political show votes we are actually starting to get some things done. it's done. it's pretty exciting.

as somebody who's been here since 2002 it's hard to believe, i say that because i've actually been here during different phases and cycles of the senate's senates operating and i have to tell you, the last four years or so has been a dark. a stain on the reputation of the united states senate in terms of actually getting things done in the interest of the american people i understand the he said she said. the blame game is a world-class sport here in washington d.c. but most of our constituents could care less about the blame game. they want to see government function in their interests. consistent with our principles we are going to have some disagreements but they don't they hate the dysfunction. you know what i do too. i daresay the vast majority of the u.s. senators hate the dysfunction the senate has experienced so there is a new spirit of optimism and yes

hope. not the age of aquarius has suddenly broke out to teach love and understanding and were all going to hold hands and sing coombe by our. that's not going to happen but can we work together as americans to uphold the constitution and laws of the united states who zero a fiduciary duty to the people we represent. i represent 26.9 million people. that just staggers my imagination when i think about it. when i think about the responsibility associated with it, i am encouraged that we have the chance to help people, especially people who can't help themselves. one reason for my optimism about the new congress is that we've held a lot of votes. we had 15 votes last year in the congress. we had about a hundred in the

100 days we've been here. i've heard some of the colleagues saying i'm a little tired of voting as much as we have. especially the voter rama that lasted until 4:00 a.m. we passed a balanced budget in the united states senate without raising taxes. the congress hadn't passed a budget since 2009. what more fundamental, basic function of government than to pass a budget. the distinguished providing officer i am absolutely confident that that is one of the fundamental responsibilities of his estate government and his office in particular is to get

the fiscal house in order. the way you do that is by passing a a budget and determining what your priorities are and what you absolutely have to do. perhaps things you want to do but need to delay and things you simply can't afford. every state, every local government and yes the federal government should pass a budget and we will in short order. the senate has and now we have to reconcile our differences with the house which we will shortly. it's not just government, every family, every business has to work on a budget so that's progress and i'm happy for that. on tuesday night we actually fixed a problem that have been nagging the united states congress since 1997. back in 1997, congress, we weren't here,

the providing officer and i but congress had the bright idea were going to save money had the bright idea, were going to save money in healthcare by whacking the payments we make to providers and hospitals. well after a while we found out that if you don't pay doctors and hospitals for treating medical paid medicare patients they won't see them. so too are seniors who we made a promise, that we will continue to make sure medicare provides quality service and is assessable, all the sudden wasn't quite so accessible because people couldn't find a dr. who would take a new medicare patient. a new medicare patient. that's still a problem. so we came back over the intervening years and 17 times out of the 18 times that those cuts would have been imposed congress reversed them. we had an expression around here that unfortunately we had to use a lot called the doc fix.

that's an in elegant way to describe what we were doing but we were trying to preserve medicare and access to doctors and hospitals for our seniors who are beneficiaries of the medicare system. that represents some progress that we have fixed that once and for all. and then imagine my surprise that after the contentious issue of approval over the anticipated iranian u.s. along with our allies, nuclear negotiation over this deal that could be forthcoming this summer, imagine my surprise after the president said he was veto it if the sent him form relationship committee unanimously passed a bill out of the committee. all democrats and rick publicans voted for it, and

by the way, when the president began to count the numbers, he said, you know what, i think i'll sign that piece of legislation when it comes to my desk. i think that represents progress one other item that has made me somewhat optimistic on this 100 day of the new congress is that we are very close to working out a trade deal that the pre-president supports and republicans by and large support. honestly there's probably support. honestly there's probably more controversy on the democrat side than there is on the republican side, but in a world where 80% of the purchasing power in the world and 95% 95% of the population in the world exist beyond our shores, why in the world would we want to open up new markets? the stuff that we grow, our farmers and ranchers in the livestock they raise and the stuff we make. i think it makes good sense.

you can see why i'm optimistic about this new congress and what we've been able to do together on a bipartisan basis to make progress in the interest of the american people. the one thing that has me completely bamboozled is the added projections over this trafficking legislation that had 30 cosponsors, roughly an equal number of republicans and democrats the judiciary committee is no place for the faint of heart. we have a lot of disagreements. maybe that's because we have a lot of lawyers on the judiciary committee. we fight a lot about things we believe in strongly but this

anti- trafficking legislation sailed out of the judiciary committee on a unanimous basis. i hope we can work out these differences and i've made multiple suggestions and compromise in an effort to try to get everyone to yes. i agree with the majority leader's description of the sorted unspeakable evil of human trafficking. there are compelling reasons why we ought to do something to address it. i know that is where the hearts are of all of our colleagues but somehow we've gotten stuck

and we need to get unstuck and i hope today will be that day. human trafficking is a plague in all 50 states and in my state has unfortunately, way too much of its share. i have had the chance to meet many of the brave victims of human trafficking. one i met last week in austin. our friends at google convened a meeting in austin. the technology communications understands underage girls and victims of trafficking occur online and they come together to work with law enforcement and victims rights groups to come up with a comprehensive way to come at it. in google last week i met her. back in texas she's known for her work in nonprofits that are focused on ending domestic violence and human trafficking. i can't begin to tell you how inspiring she is and how her

words were. especially when you consider the horror, the absolute horror of what she has been through as a victim of human trafficking herself. starting at the age of seven. seven years old. she was sexually abused she was literally put in chains and a cage. she was treated like an animal in a basement and she was repeatedly sold to men who raped and abused her. out of this horror that she experienced as a young child she has brought light to her pain and i think her leadership in her anti- trafficking effort has helped her heal. she is one brave courageous young woman.

she founded a group called survivor healing and empowerment. it is a healing community for victims of rape and trafficking. today at 11 o'clock i hope all of our colleagues listen, not only to brooke's voice and her experience, experience, but each one of us could tell a story of someone from their state that they've met that would be helped by this legislation. legislation. i hope we don't tell them no. i hope we don't shut another door in their face. i see some of my colleagues on the floor and i want to give them a chance to speak before we vote at 11 just to say that the underlying legislation is not bipartisan. it would allow law-enforcement personnel to take down sex

trafficking. the goal is to provide at least $30 million through fines and penalties paid into this public treasury that would then go to help heal and rescue the victims of human trafficking. this is not tax money so it is deficit neutral. we are not raising taxes to do this. we are using the money for people are paying to do this through fines and penalties. we are making them pay to help find and rescue the victims. shortly will vote on another compromise that i've offered. i've tried to listen to the objectives of our friends across the isle and i don't want to relitigate those because frankly that's not productive. they seem to be locked in and they would say we are locked in

and we are trying to find a way forward. first and most importantly this amendment would completely replace a provision that members on the other side objective to regarding the language negotiated by leader pelosi. that pass the house with 392 votes, 180 democrats voted for this bill including pelosi. we have substituted that language for the original language. in the senate we had 92 senators vote for that same language and our colleagues across the aisle have repeatedly voted for similar language. the pelosi language from this bill would say any funds used to provide services to human

trafficking would be held to the same as the health services act. the majority leader said it well. if this language is good enough to help the doctors and hospitals, surely it's good enough to help young 7-year-old victims of human trafficking like brooke to further clarify and address the stated concerns of our friends across the aisle. this amendment would also clarify that all the money in the domestic trafficking victims fund must be derived from the general treasury. this is an objection i don't personally understand but we want to make it clear perhaps to help our colleagues get to yes that all of the money would be derived from the general treasury which of course is where all federal funding comes from and we would make clear that all of the money would be

public dollars. i don't really get this because tax dollars are private dollars until you give him to the government and then they are no longer private. fines and penalties are no longer private once you give them to the government than they are public. i want to eliminate any rationale for any objection and say explicitly that these would be public dollars. the requirements would not be placed on the fees and penalties. that seem to be a matter of concern we tried to address that. as i explained the amendment would do what i have tried to address the concerns that the democrat colleagues who have blocked the bills so far bill so far have continually expressed. the language is just the same as

the doc fix and we made clear that none of the fines and penalties themselves but rather funds derived from the general treasury would be used to pay for these services in an equivalent amount to the fines and penalties. i would just add parenthetically that as i was talking to one of my colleagues about it they said, will that money laundering. you're taking fines and penalties and you're transferring it and substituting it with the general fund. give me a break. what were trying to do is find a solution. i think we've given our colleagues every opportunity to get to yes on this. i know because i've i know because i've talked to a lot of them including the senator from illinois, people want to get to yes. i hope i hope we found a way to do that. i hope we won't let the political gamesmanship to get in

the way that would bring relief and healing to victims of human trafficking. i hope we will have that vote at 11:00 o'clock and it will be a bipartisan support to proceed to the bill and to pass the legislation. the senator from illinois how much time is a little remaining on the democrat side? >> 20 minutes. >> thank you all be very brief. i want to thank senator of minnesota further bipartisan effort to bring this issue to the floor and the judiciary committee. we had a hearing in a separate committee on the

subject and it was heartbreaking to hear about the exploitation of these young women at such a tender age. unspeakable things were happening to them. sadly in many states when they finally came into the custody of law enforcement, some of the children, these young girls were being charged as criminals until it was clear that they had been asked enslaved and exploited for so many years. the thinking is moving in the right direction and the suggestions are also in the right direction, so why don't we pass this bill? we have all this bipartisan support. one provision in this bill 39 years ago a congressman from illinois offered compromise language on the issue of abortion. it was just a few years after roe versus wade and was very controversial. he said we will prohibit the expenditure of taxpayer funds for abortions except in the case of rape, incest of the mother.

they've come to the conclusion this will be the standard that will be a played applied to the expenditure of tax payer funds and it is you renewed year after year after year. perhaps by accident or perhaps by design he crossed the line and started talking about not taxpayer funds but fines of those guilty of human trafficking and that has brought all of the debate and controversy. in fairness there have been active exchange of compromise language. we've counted 12 different versions we've sent over and he sent as many our way. it isn't as if both sides are hunkered down and are staring each other down. there's an honest effort to find a solution.

the vote would not be embodied in the vote that is supposed to happen at 11:00 o'clock. we all agree human trafficking should stop and victims should be compensated. >> the senator from connecticut. >> thank you mr. president. unfortunately we remain divided. there is so much common ground here, so many good ideas in this bill so much that unite us and so much that we have in common more than we have in conflict.

the justice conflict. the justice for victims of the trafficking act involves so much work by great colleagues and i'm proud to be a cosponsor of this bill. we are divided on one paragraph that is simply unacceptable. it is fundamental to the goal of this bill. the goal is to restore human dignity and freedom to victims and survivors of human trafficking. restoring freedom involves giving those survivors choices over whether or not they will bear children as a result of that trafficking. trafficking is modern-day slavery. it is sex slavery and

exploitation. at its core the human trafficking bill, before us today, is about restoring human dignity to those victims and survivors and enabling them to avoid the long-lasting consequences of that slavery. this legislation is in acknowledgment of our common commitment to the survivors and to providing them the services and support they need so much. one of them is abortion. where we are divided here is on guaranteeing that reproductive right the essence of freedom and dignity and choice. so it is well beyond a technicality here it is about the fundamental goal of this bill which are contradicted of by this provision in the law.

they proposed the amendment to change the words of this paragraph that we find objectionable but it doesn't change the substance. the basic substance or its practical effect. we are told that the provision in question doesn't matter because it includes a rape section but it requires the survivor to request, to ask whether or not the rape was really rape or whether or not it was a pretense where they must bear a rapists child. the hyde amendment a tie applies

to taxpayer funds and as my colleague from texas, good friend who is determined to address this problem of human trafficking there are no taxpayer funds in that $30 million that is taken from criminal fines and penalty. it is an entirely different source of funds. funds. as a former prosecutor i view those monies as restitution. they come from criminals and their used to try to support and serve the victims of that criminal activity. there's nothing more fundamental than funds being taken from criminal for the benefit of their victim. congress has never before

privileged the concerns of criminals over the rights of women and we should not start now. i respect my colleague from texas and other colleagues when they differ with me on this issue. he has stated with heartbreaking and eloquent terms the practical human impact of trafficking, sex slavery. i asked my colleague now to give these women the real freedom from that sex slavery, liberate them truly from this heinous and horrific violation of basic human rights by guaranteeing them one of the basic human rights which is the right to

make choices about their own body and their future and their hopes and dreams as they are liberated from this slavery. let this chamber in my colleague recognize the rights they have to truly be free from those who enslave them. i urge this body to strike the hyde language from 178 and to make good on its promise and as cochair as the bart bipartisan caucus to end human trafficking i agree completely that this cause ought to be bipartisan. it ought not divide us along any partisan line.

i am proud to have worked with members on both sides of the aisle and i hope we can come to agreement now with my good friend and my excellent colleague and others who have worked so hard and are so genuinely determined to solve this problem and to take a step only a first step, in the direction of combating human trafficking :

secretary-general ban ki-moon addressing current global challenges before the u.n.. the german and greek finance minister discusses economic policy issues in the country and throughout europe. next secretary-general ban ki-moon address and array of challenges before the u.n.. topics included the conference in yemen and syria to iran in your deal isis and climate change. the event is hosted by the national press club. it runs an hour. [inaudible conversations] >> good evening and welcome. my name is john hughes. i'm an editor for bloomberg first word which is our breaking news desk here in washington and i am the president of the

national press club. we are the world's leading professional organization for journalists. we are committed to our profession's future through programs just like this and the fight for a free press worldwide worldwide. for more information visit our web site press.org. to donate to pirg rams offered to our clubs journalism institute, visit press.org/ press.org/institute. on behalf of members worldwide i want to welcome you all here to our live audience to the days newspaper dinner. i'd also like to welcome our c-span a public radio audiences. you can follow the action on twitter by using the hashtag npc dinner. remember, the public events or dinners. applause is not evidence of a

lack of journalistic objectivity objectivity. after a guest speech we will have a question and answer period. i will ask as many questions as time permits. our head table includes guess of our speaker and also working journalists to our club members. let me introduce them to you now. i would ask each person to stand briefly as names are announced. from the audiences right the washington correspondent for egypt's tv network. kathy, executive director of communications, consortium media center and a member of the npc journalism institute board. rachel oswald, foreign affairs writer for cq world call and vice chair of the npc press freedom committee.

u.n. undersecretary general for economic and social affairs and a guest of our speaker. jeff ballou al-jazeera media network and vice chairman of the npc board of governors. donna leinwand lachey broke -- breaking news reporter for "usa today," vice chair of the speakers committee and the former ftc president. skipping over our speaker for a moment the treasury reporter for "bloomberg news" and the speakers committee member who organized today's dinner. thank you. the u.n. undersecretary general for peacekeeping operations and a guest at the speaker. washington bureau chief for io load news.

associate editor and journalist for scientific america. mark, senior associate editor and kiplinger's personal finance and treasurer of the national press club. [applause] the united nations celebrates its 70th birthday later this year. that's seven decades of international peacekeeping humanitarian aid assistance with economic development and support of human rights. while particulars of the u.n. agenda change from time to time the underlying goal has remained constant to prevent another conflict like world war ii. ban ki-moon the foreign

minister of south korea serving a second term as u.n. secretary-general. he has been on the job since 2007 and he is the eighth person to hold this post. during his tenure the u.n. has just wanted to crisis in darfur were, the proliferation of weapons of mass distraction, the effects of local warming and terrorism. he also faces challenges such as water shortages worldwide, the ebola outbreak in western africa and civil conflict in ukraine and syria. despite these immediate challenges he has focused on long-term goals as well such as ending violence against women and improving education for the largest generation of young people the world has ever known. one of sub or's predecessor said

the position of secretary-general is quote the most impossible job on earth end quote. we look forward to hearing the secret of how to handle a job such as those. please join me in giving a warm the national press club welcome to united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon. [applause] >> thank you for your very kind introduction mr. john hughes president of the national press club. members of the npc distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen, it's a great honor and pleasure to meet with you and thank you for your kind invitation and thank you for taking time today.

i know that you are eager to have tonight's main course so that you have finished your main course but you must be insurance did in the main course, the question and answer session. before that, i would like to say as some food for thought. visiting i asked one of our very senior advisers who has been working longer than 30 or 40 years, long serving advisers, i asked him i have so much trouble with what is happening in this

world, but have you ever seen during your press life with united nations such a time when we are having so many buyers taking place all around the world at once at a time like this. i can name at least 10 hotspots immediately and continuing economic difficulties around the world. he said he has never experienced such a time and usually it's one or two crises happening here and there but now we have a list of them tend headline crises. in addition to this headline crises you follow on a daily basis we have many forgotten crises were frozen crises.

i will name the forgotten her furs and cases. you would know better than i do because you have been following them all the time. we face really many crises at once. there are a minimum of t. million -- around the world. that's our job to provide daily food sanitation, water, education. it's a huge burden. there are many people who are sick, many people who are out of -- the united nations responsibility is getting more and more tough. the united nations has asked for $16 billion to cover humanitarian relief. almost five times what we needed a decade ago.

that's a huge increase exponential increase. billions of people face hatred and persecution. billions suffer from hunger and exploitation. billions of dollars continue to be squandered on nuclear weapons and other arsenals. beyond these numbers we see several transformative trends. first, new economic powers have emerged. second, more people are migrating than ever before seeking better opportunities. more people live in megacities. people are coming to the city's making a lot of problems for governors. extremism and terrorism and

crimes have taken on more violent forms. weather patterns are destroying and killing many people and infrastructure. states alone cannot solve these problems. not a single country however powerful for example we are living in the united states. people often think that they united states is the most powerful, the most resourceful country. they look to the united nations. the united nations cannot handle this alone. we need collective power solidarity. otherwise our world will have more and more troubles.

ladies and gentlemen, millions of people continue to suffer from the devastating consequences of government failures, injustice, inequality, violation of human rights and unbearable poverty. now let me just mention several cases. what i am going to say is not -- but serious situations. let us think about syria. this is the fifth year with the syrian people have been killed and displaced. meanwhile the parties continue to show little or almost no willingness to solve this through dialogue. this is why i've asked my special envoy to do maximum

efforts to relaunch a political dialogue as a way to implement geneva convention. if anyone is truly serious about engaging in meaningful negotiations to end this nightmare he has to walk on this matter. i would like to make a special plea on the palestinians in the refugee camps. they are caught between the military civil government and the brutality. they have little way out. the aid can find little way in and their suffering is largely out of the spotlight.

i have been working very hard recently to protect 18,000 people who are trapped in between. there are at least 3500 children who need our immediate protection. yemen is also in flames. ladies and gentlemen we have -- who is taking care of all the humanitarian works of welcome. even before the latest escalations, two out of three yemenis relied on humanitarian assistance. foreign security were higher than they poorest areas of africa.

hundreds are dead. humanitarian supplies are being brought and unicef has reported an astounding one third of the fighters are children. that is why i am calling for an immediate cease-fire in yemen by all the parties. it is time to support lifesaving aids and the passage to real peace. [applause] the saudis have ushered in and they understand that there must be a political process. i call on all yemenis to participate in good faith. the united nations supported diplomatic process remains the

best way for regional stability. in nigeria a new government can promote their return home of the schoolchildren who have been kidnapped during the last year. in south sudan more than 150,000 people are now being accommodated within the united nations. the united states nations was never designed to accommodate that many refugees. the situation is very fragile and i welcome the framework of p5+1 and iran.

to remove iran's nuclear program and remove sanctions. once a comprehensive agreement is finalized by the end of june the united nations will do our best to help implementation process including through monetary verification. by the international atomic energy agency, iaea. this breakthrough can also create space for efforts to address the many other serious challenges in the region. we have all been horrified by the terrorist attacks and violence committed by groups such as al-shabaab m. boko haram and others. your colleagues in the media have been among the victims and i continued to stress indeed for journalists to have what they

need to fight further. [applause] the united nations wants to present a conference of plan of action to address this extremism, violent extremism and terrorism to a general assembly this year. next week at the united nations i together with the president of the general assembly, are going to convene a high-level debate on the conciliation and tolerance, how it can address violent extremism by leveling and enhancing mutual respect and reconciliation.

all of these are very important issues. without addressing these issues we will not be able to have peace and sustainable development in our societies. we are working very closely with civilizations and i've invited many villagers and leaders. i believe that there are very important roles to be played by religious leaders and educators to teach their followers and their students what is the correct meaning of mutual respect and understanding and reconciliations and harmony in living together. these are very important issues and that's why as i said i'm going to present the copper has a plan of action. we must ensure counterterrorism efforts respect human rights and international humanitarian law.

as we have seen time and again over reaction is the stream is best recruiting tool. ladies and gentlemen we must not let the smoke from these fires up scare proper changes. we must not be distracted by all this so-called headline news. there are many more important issues to make our world better and there are longer-term visions for development, sustainable development and how to address this climate change issue. for the past 15 years the world has been pursuing many development goals. an eight-point blueprint for reducing poverty. the world has lifted 7 million

people from out of poverty. we have averted millions of deaths from all area tuberculosis and aids. millions of children including girls. they have better access to education. our target was to have all the school-aged children have a primary education but unfortunately we still have 50 million school children out of school. we have to bring them back to school through new vision. our challenge is now to finish this. that is why the united nations member states are working very hard to shape and develop an agenda with a set of sustainable development goals. we have identified 17 goals which will be able to address

the oldest spectrums better people-centered and sensitive. economically socially and environmentally. beyond the focus of shared prosperity and harmony a new agenda will emphasize the crucial role of justice, institutions and fundamental freedoms. and for the first time, the it will apply to all countries even the richest that are seeing rising inequality and ending discrimination against women. tackling climate change is an urgent part of the picture. this climate change is a defining issue of our times.

but the international community has been talking and they have not taken action now. we have to take action now. it may be too late but it may not be too late if we take action now. when i first became secretary-general in 2007 i first met president bush. at the time we were talking about what kind of agenda i should discuss with president bush. not only security and peace issues were raised i wanted to raise the climate change issues. i was advised by many senior advisers you had better not to discuss this with president bush. but i raised this issue. at the time the press carried only one single line that i also discussed climate change with

president bush that later that year, later that year in 2007 when the negotiators were in the bali further bali roadmap i was able to have the program itself of president bush and the american government. i really appreciated it. there was an important step at that time. there are still some people who do not want to acknowledge there is climate change but there is climate change. by any standard, scientific evidence clearly tell us that climate change is happening. it's approaching much much faster than one may expect. moreover no one can deny the shifts that are already underway underway. investment in renewable energy

are growing rapidly. the cost of solar and wind energy are plummeting and are often less expensive alternatives. not only is -- but so are the economics. climate action pays. the markets of the future will bring sustainable solutions. over the next 15 years we will make massive investments in energy and other infrastructure. we can do this sustainably or we can lock ourselves into the past. that raises the global thermostat higher still. the choice is quite clear. scientists are saying we may be

stepping toward a tipping point. depending upon how you -- that we may be able to work toward a sustainable path or we may be -- we may have progressed for succeeding generations. therefore we must act now. the united states summit is intended for climate action. i commend president obama for his leadership ambitions. in announcing u.s.-china -- in november last year. that was a major impact and i also commend the european union for their very solid visionary plans to address climate change. the u.s. and china and european

unions champing -- championing is putting all of us on the right path to think every country has a role to play. i am emphasizing that china has made important commitments and people everywhere are more intense than ever on finding a common way forward. the world is now recognizing a basic truth of our times. we need to buy insurance for the planet. we must all be ambitious as we look to conclude an agreement at the top climate change conference in paris in december. there's a strong moral prevention -- vision to these efforts. i will visit the vatican later

this month and meet with his holiness pope francis to discuss common concerns including the environment that he plans in the month ahead. i think this will be the first time for any secretary-general to be invited by the pope. [applause] for my part i have invited pope francis to the united nations and president obama and all the leaders of the world to a special summit meeting in september at the united nations asking them to adopt this visionary and ambitious sustainable development agenda, and i'm sure all the leaders will come and declare their vigilance to the world as a way

of celebrating the 70th anniversary of the united nations. this week's meetings are the world bank and imf in washington on an important building block. another key step will be the third international conference on financing for development which be -- will be held next july. ladies and gentlemen we are the first generation that can and poverty and we are the last generation to address climate change. this is a fact that we must act now. in the year 2015 is a year of global action ambitious changes

for humanity from safety to sustainability the united nations relies on the active engagement of the united states. i know from my own experience growing up in war-torn korea what a transformation the united states working with the united nations can help make possible. i have seen in just the past years the remarkable solidarity of the united states with the people of guinea liberia and sierra leone including the outbreak of ebola crisis. the united nations coordinated a wide-ranging response and we are now within reach of our zero case.

our goal is to get these countries to zero cases and remained zero cases so we will be able to declare that these countries in this world is ebola free. [applause] i'm going to meet the presidents of these three countries in washington tomorrow. we will discuss again how we can help those countries be able to declare ebola free as soon as possible. the same time we have a very important mission to do. recently all this month i have launched a high-level panel of independent leaders and experts to have a lessons learned process. what has gone wrong, what has been a week and unfortunately if

we have to experience another epidemic crisis than how we came mobilize financially and provide logistical support to those countries. ladies and gentlemen, i will try to finish by saying that i count on the united states to continue to support the role of the united nations. as i said, when i was young our country was very poor. i was just six years old when the korea -- broke out and we have seen united nations effects in the united nations brought not only security support but social and economic assistance. the united nations was the beacon of hope to us, to me.

now i am humbled whenever i travel around the world i still see many people who look to the united nations as their beacon of hope. now without your help the united nations cannot deliver. in the middle of this the united states can play a very important role and that is why i am speaking to the people of the united states and you may represent all different organizations but i really need the people of the united states and government to provide generous support or humanitarian issues and also show some strong political leadership roles. this is the 70th anniversary of the united nations at a time when we face major decisions

that will shape lives for generations to calm. this is a time of test but far more one of tremendous opportunities. as the distinctions between the national and international continue to fall away, we can and must come together to track a course towards a safer and more sustainable future for all of us. ladies and gentlemen, you have a very important role as a journalist. you are connecting between the united nations and the world. the people should be enlightened by your views and educating them on what is happening now but more importantly how we should work together to make this world better everywhere.

everybody's human dignity's and human rights will be respected and i count on your strong engagement and leadership. thank you very much. [applause] [applause] >> thank you mr. secretary-general. this year marks anniversaries including the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii the 40th anniversary of the end of the vietnam war yet we still see so many conflicts wearing up around the world then you mentioned some of them in your speech. has the world's ability to resolve complex diplomatically improved since the end of world war ii and vietnam or do these ongoing troubles show that diplomacy has not lived up to

its promise? >> i think we have many different means and tools to resolve conflict issues. we have first evolved when there is actual fighting we have a peacekeeping operation. we maintain now 120000 military police and civil servants working in 16 different hotspots raid at the same time we have a very dedicated and experienced mediation team diplomatic facilitation's. preventive diplomacy is much more important, which we are using to prevent. when we see some symptoms of problems we immediately send our

expert mediating teams. we can send anyplace within 72 hours to the place where we see the symptoms. sometimes despite our diplomatic efforts, the virus may happen and it has been such a way. we are living a sex site and a very troubled sid -- did situation but what is necessary at this time is the political will how to resolve all of these issues through dialogue and peaceful way and most important priorities. through this we have been saving a lot of lives and protect marginalized people particularly women and girls who

have been physically abused of their human rights. we will continue to improve our capacity to resolve these issues. >> on the issue of human who called for a cease-fire and yemen yet the country remains fractured. do you truly expect your call to be respected and can there be stability in yemen and the un's envoy there is no longer in place? >> i myself visited him in a couple of years ago when there was a heightened political environment where and when we were about to help them establish a unity government, a solid nation -- solidarity of dialogue and as you are well

aware that hutis and former president saleh have used military means. i was the beginning of this crisis at this time. we are about to see a very harmonious resolution of this government. i took note of what the saudis and cooperation councilmembers. because of the yemeni government and president. now with this for weeks into military operations we have seen many casualties of civilians and many people wounded and destruction of infrastructure. yemen is one of the poorest of countries.

still -- they are destroying their future. therefore as the secretary-general i have been urging there should be an immediate cessation of violence and a return to political dialogue. i still believe that the dialogue is the best option. now as you have already read my special adviser has resigned and i'm now in the process of finding another special adviser who can immediately be deployed for political solutions. thank you. >> you receive several questions about syria including one saying the u.n. security council has received a video that details alleged chemical weapons use on civilians in syria and will the

u.n. take any specific action in response but also questions about disarray in syria and the war what will it take to ultimately get to a solution in syria and is president bashar al-assad have to go? >> you have asked all the aspects of the syrian question. i've been trying to address this issue during the last four years, since the beginning of this crisis. i think march of 2011. when it comes to chemical weapons these are weapons of mass distraction which is completely prohibited. using chemical weapons is a crime against humanity.

that's why the first time the security council who has been divided during the last four years was able to show their unity of power. the secretary council has adopted upon my request a strong resolution. we were able to see the destruction of chemical weapons. then all the facilities are being destroyed dismantle. we are very much concerned by the news that the syrian government has been using chlorine and other chemical weapons. the security council has taken this very seriously and the opcw has dispatched their experts to

investigate this. when it is sure that there are chemical weapons used then we have to take very decisive action to eliminate this. it is absolutely unacceptable that chemical weapons are used on anybody. now why the syrian situation has not been resolved. during four years 220,000 people have been killed. 12 million people have been displaced and refugee to sell more than half of the population has been affected. the united nations has been mobilizing all possible humanitarian agencies providing humanitarian assistance.

there were 4 million refugees who are now being accommodated in five countries and also trying to provide humanitarian assistance inside syria. but there are many people where the united nations have not been able to have access because of fighting, because of fighting inside. this is quite a different -- difficult situation. first of all it's a completely divided society. it's in disarray. divided among the syrian people. they are fighting between the two, the syrian regime and the opposition. the opposition are all divided. the regional powers are divided

and the united nations the security council is divided therefore the three most important parties are all divided. there are so many divisions then there is no way for us to address this issue. that is why recently i have instructed my special envoy to do all possible efforts to relaunch the political dialogue to implement the geneva communiqué as soon as possible. now as he is in the process of consulting with the key partners, the key partners. i certainly hope that we'll be able to have a resumption of political dialogue as soon as possible. there is an issue of president

assad to much ado about him. there've there have been many different views, whether he should go out or whether he should be part of the solutions. we will have to see how to address this issue. it's a matter first of all to the matter to be decided by the people of syria and how to dress this issue that we have to continue discuss -- continue to discuss. >> you discussed climate change and importance of pressing forward and the challenge of pressing forward. does there need to be more leverage applied to get countries and companies to move forward on this issue? should there be a consideration of civil penalties by respective governments for people who don't adopt policies in this area?

>> i have explained enough therefore if i say anything it would be repetition but the last point of your question if any country or any community will not be participating and engaging in our climate -- common global efforts, i'm afraid they will be punished by natural disasters. there is no such rule that we punish or sanction any government but that is why i'm asking world leaders to first of all show, mobilize their political will. this is the most important part. the political leaders, they must have a firm conviction that this

climate change is a top priorities. there is a tendency to believe that whatever you invest in climate change there's a separate economic development. economic development and investing in climate change are two sides of one coin. if you invest wisely in addressing climate change that will help boost their national economy and will be beneficial. it's a wise investment. i am going to ask the finance ministers who are now in washington d.c. to participate in the imf and world bank annual conference. they have to have the correct vision. it's not only government leaders leaders, it is communities and

civil society leaders. they have to be all united. one of the big experiences which i have learned that secretary-general is that without a tripartite partnership, government communities and civil society, that nothing can be done. we need strong support. i'm very encouraged that leaders speak voluntarily themselves. let's do this. we are ready to do that. when i convened a special summit meeting on climate change in september last year there were many business leaders who committed at least $20 billion in one day. i am asking all the leaders to have trajectory for $100 billion by 2020 and thereafter annually $100 million.

i was able to have $10 billion last december as the initial capitalization of green climate fund. it happened to be located in my country, seoul korea. it's not because of that the screen climate fund should be fully operationalized. we have to have 100 odeon dollars by 2020 and there is a way of keeping confidence and trust in many developing worlds so they should be supported in their efforts to adaptation. because most of these developing countries do not have the capacity to mitigate and adapt to this changing situation. therefore it's only natural that the developed world they should

be ready to provide technological and financial support. at the same time the south corp. is very important. there are many emerging economies like china india south africa. those countries should also play their commensurable role in working together with the developed world. therefore i am asking the world leaders should show political leadership the business community and civil society will follow and i'm asking again the united states, the richest and most resourceful country should leave these campaigns. thank you. >> we received some questions about journalists being held captive in conflict zones.

how could the u.n. better implement the u.n. security council resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists covering conflicts? we have a specific question of jason from the "washington post" and there are others that are being held as well. is there anything the u.n. can do in these situations? >> unfortunately in the course of covering the news we have seen many journalists who have even been killed and detained and arrested and harassed. this is not acceptable. this is a violation of freedom of expression. therefore it's important that fundamentally important, that their freedom and access to the news should be fully protected.

as for a specific case, i am aware of this case where he is detained by a -- government. there should be full protection and access to the legal and humanitarian assistance and access. it's important that wherever the charges may have been, for any reporters and journalists their freedom of expression and their right should be fully protected and again i'm urging the authorities to take necessary actions on that. apopka. >> we had several questions related to the u.n. effort to

create a new set of sustainable development goals to be considered by the u.n. in september. how was is the world going to pay for these goals one questioner wants to know and how will the u.n. ensure that these goals are well advanced and successfully implemented? >> there is sustainable development goals which are now being negotiated in the united nations two of the most important priorities. i call them plan priorities for the united nations. as i said earlier in my remarks the end pg have been the basic basic -- during the last 15 years. after 15 years we know that not all goals have been achieved. therefore whatever has been

unrealized will have to be carried over but this time this vision should be much broader and more comprehensive. addressing all the spectrums of my life economically and environmentally. this should be people-centered and private sensitive and friendly. we have to both address our -- on our planet earth. if i may add the way we are using all energies and resources seem to suggest that people believe, people may think that we have a two planet earth but we have only one planet earth. we have to really care him nature.

nature doesn't wait for us. it just impacts us and therefore it's human beings would have to adjust ourselves and be more sensitive to our nature. that is one of the important things. the sustainable development goals which have been identified identified, 17 goals with many targets, how to address. the most important thing is how to support these goals. we should have a robust mechanism to support soap these 17 goals can be implemented as we have envisioned. that is why the united nations going to have a high level comp runs in july. this will be an international conference for finance and development. this was going to be very

important. if we are not successful in this meeting all of these sustainable development goals for climate change may just be something what do we say, pie in the sky. something nice, flowers and pictures. we have to have a real practical implementable framework to address these issues. therefore this international conference for financing and development will be very important. i'm asking the world leaders to lead their delegations and show their political will again. [applause] >> we are almost out of time but before i asked the last question

i want to remind your audience about the upcoming speakers. secretary ray mabus will adjust the club april 30, the chief evangelist for google and father of the internet will speak may 4 may 4. lieutenant general michelle johnson the first woman to be superintendent at the air force academy will speak may 8. i would now like to present our guests with the traditional national press club mug. ..

easy even i dance to come to him style at the time but somebody must've had very good because the privacy has been leaked. i don't have much fear of time to be frank. i have been extremely busy as you may imagine but sometimes i

i like to see an action movie. that's the best way to get some tension free. i think two days ago i met a very special guest the double 07. i advocate for elimination of these mines and she accepted. i was grateful for him using his global power. i'm eighth generation therefore

i am 008. she said instantly i will talk to my producer. when i retire from my job i will become 008. i told her i have a license to kill. now i will give you a license to save for something that is very important in human humanitarian. now lastly i have been married 45 years with my wife. she has been extremely patient

very cooperative, and understanding that when i retire i will bring my wife to a nice restaurant, but most importantly i'm looking forward to days when i have more time with my grandchildren. you have a responsibility to your kids you sometimes have to be tough and discipline, but with grandchildren you only have to spoil them and whenever they say i want you to be strict that will go out the window. i am looking forward to a day

when i will be tension free and spending more time with my family. thank you very much for this opportunity. thank you so much mr. secretary-general. i'd like to ask our live guardians to stay in your seats until the secretary-general leaves the room. thank you very much. i'd like to thank the national press club staff including the journalism institute center for organizing this. if you would like a copy of this program or to learn more about it, go to our website.

thank you very much, we are adjourned. on the next washington general journal they report on legal loopholes. how to add new ingredients to food without safety reviews.

they discuss issues related to women including paycheck equality family leave act and pregnancy discrimination. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. the u.s. will take over next week at its meeting in canada. the center for strategic and international studies will held a study on the u.s. agenda. speakers will include the committee chair who will outline economic opportunities in the arctic reason. region. five coverages at 9:00 a.m. eastern. this weekend the c-span sponsored with comcast to learn

about the history. they may or may not have been searching for the fountain of youth. a lot of people said he was out for additional property for the king. we do know he came ashore after searching for good harbor, took on water and wood. this area has one of the few freshwater springs and is also the location of the 15651st settlement of saint augustine. fifty-five years before the pilgrims went to limit rock.

he is not well known outside the state of florida. he had been a cofounder of a standard oil company with rockefeller. he was a man who always wanted great enterprise and as it turned out florida was it. he realize he needed to own the railroad between jacksonville and saint augustine to ensure he could get to his hotel conveniently. it was beginning to grow on flag lee. he was a visionary. watch all of our events from saint augustine saturday at noon eastern on book tv.

germany's finance member minister talks about economic policy issues throughout europe. in exchange for financial assistance. he was hosted by the brookings institute in washington d.c. where he and other ministers are talking about international monetary. this is an hour and 20 minutes. >> good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. it is my pleasure to welcome you to the brookings institution. those of you who have come to the from the other side of the atlantic, thank you. this is a particularly important event and i want to say a word about that.

we are very pleased that a number of very distinct figures are figures in the audience here and i want to point out that ambassador peter is in germany this year. he is a friend of many of us here and a friend of the institution. brookings is delighted today to welcome and host finance minister wolfgang schäuble. the importance in the german government and their role in europe is reflected i think by the representation of three units here at the brookings institute and a number of our scholars.

it is staying organized by our center on the united states and europe, the international development program and our program on fiscal and monetary policy. were very pleased that one of our members of the board of trustees has come down from new york this afternoon. the minister's visit could hardly be more timely. they are confronting serious challenges economic challenges political challenges. thinking of the rise in nationalism and euro skepticism is lawmaker extremism and the viability is now being

questioned and in some minds and doubt. germany has played and will continue to play a pivotal role in managing the problems. wolfgang schäuble has for decades been a defender of european integration. following his opening remarks we will be joined by the director. for those of you who to eat hashtag euro. we look forward to hearing your remarks and thank you for being with with us. there will be a conversation

here at a conversation here at the table and we will open that up as long as time allows. thank you very much. >> thank you very much for the introduction and for inviting me i am very honored. i can only address a few of the problems you just mentioned because i am only the finance minister. it was quite successful after all. you might think that our decision-making processes are

complicated and you might think that your policies will lead to little or no growth. i can simply tell you that once the economy is growing again and every country is expected to grow but i want to raise a more fundamental question. how can advanced economies achieve growth? for the past quarter-century there was a credit boom in 1997

and after that it came back in 2007. at the beginning of each of these cycles people thought we were entering a new era of prosperity. it became clear long ago that the instrument no longer works the way it used to. you can see this clearly when japan tried to use this policy. in my view expanding monetary policy but i can contribute them

to be one of the causes. in my view economic policy does not predict economic growth of the long-term. one reason for this is that policies that promote sustainable growth promote long-term expectations. consumers expect policymakers to create long-term sustainable economic activity. the global activity continued to give cause. the debt stands at $199 trillion. it is up 57 trillion dollars in

2007 when the financial crisis started. in china it is nearly quadrupled since 2007. it appears to be built on debt. in the united states the debt ceiling will have to be raised soon. the government shutdown that took place in october 2013 and the alarming amount issued by companies is degrading.

i do not mention the dollar because it is not being grass by prosperity. the eurozone is higher than ever. we are only trying to achieve lower debt ratios. the most important lesson is can we adhere to the rules? i think we can. we have to.

you have to keep in mind. the state has to adhere to the rules to keep the economic area in tact. sometimes more, sometimes less that's the direction. we were succeeding in overcoming our challenges. we will continue to stand as a model to the french national government.

if anyone else has a better idea, please tell me. i will be happy to take a look at it. first we intend to make sure the government spending grows more slowly. government spending must not grow faster than gdp does. second we continue to implement reform. it must boost the prosperity of the economic european colonies. that is what reform is for. making the labor market more flexible and are reform in particular must improve education and training.

third we are boosting whatever we can. we are setting up a new investment fund in europe which stands to gain 300 billion euros. it will open new sources of financing for new companies. we have to ensure companies to invest more money in infrastructure. we have been putting this agenda

in europe for quite a few years now. sometimes more successfully, sometimes less. the formula is working. your peering companies that have already implemented real reform are starting to see results. they are growing faster than ever. we can't provide financial assistance without providing something in return. we can't help you come country that can't help itself. if you separate decision-making policy and if you separate opportunity from risk, you can succeed. as long as individual members

remain comfortable there can be no liability in europe. even the united states the government does not assume responsibility for individual. it wouldn't solve a single problem. it would create a problem of expectations. we in europe must play close

attention to the problem. and take responsibility for what needs to be done. what is succeeding in changing itself? sometimes change comes slowly. sometimes it comes surprisingly fast. last year we launched the banking union but even when change doesn't come quickly it doesn't mean that it has failed. in fact it's usually successful. we call for reform and assistance.

this may well be the most important long-term investment we face today. in europe still be able to cope only if our members fix our own economies and society to society. we need to fight our internal economic grievances. if we become weaker in germany we won't be able to overcome the challenges and we can't allow this to happen. it will be decided only on the basis of economic strength. and of course we in europe

continue to look to the united states for our security but the conflict in russia is a conflict that will be one with economic strength. european sanctions are having an effect on russia. we can't afford these sanctions as long as. visit domination of physical space that counts? this is what russia stands for. that is not the united states europe. in our joint efforts to ensure

success europe can be an effective help for the united states only if we have a fiscal economy. that is what we are trying to do. we are following our own formula >> thank you very much for a very comprehensive and focused and relatively short speech which is sometimes rare in this room. it's very good. let me ask the first question on the spending issue. you said spending should not grow faster than gdp.

you talked about government spending as a whole but as you know there's a lot of debate that spending that creates productive assets including digital age education, and frustration are actually creates more. at the time when germany has a 300 billion-dollar plus in the balance don't you see a much more important role to public investment which doesn't have to be physical? the right come kind of education in the digital age is part of that.

isn't that a win-win situation for everyone? germany's growth rate goes up and the surplus goes down and to some degree it helps the whole eurozone. in my view the question is a little bit too thin. even if you pay low interest for a long-term very reluctant in this regard. even if you pay low in tryst, you increase your debt. sometimes you have to pay your debt or you try to create in increasing budget issue.