sis. during his decade of dominance in american foreign policy, he brokered historic deals and engineered profound shifts in the international relations landscape that affect us to this day. witness today the still reverberating breakthrough with china on the 40th anniversary of the nixon/kissinger visit, and recounted in dr. kissinger's excellent book, and you're welcome, dr. kissinger for that plug of your book. in his life and career since leaving government, dr. kissinger has continued to be an adviser to presidents and has exercised extraordinary influence on the decisions of statesmen around the world. dr. kissinger, i'm also told you've been something of a mentor to the secretary general and to so many other world leaders in quite unsang fashion. you are also the atlantic council's longest serving board member, and we have profited

from your generous spirit, your towering intellect, and, yes, your wicked sense of humor. ladies and gentlemen, dr. henry kissinger. [ applause ] >> mr. secretary general, ladies and gentlemen, on one occasion after an eloquent introduction like this, a lady came up to me at the following reception and said "i understand you are a

fascinating man," she said. "fascinate me." [ laughter ] it was one of the less successful conversations. that i have had. in 1951, before i was henry kissinger -- [ laughter ] -- i was an intern at an organization called the operations research office of the department of the army, and they send me to korea to study the impact of the u.s. army on korean life, for which i was

spectacularly ill equipped. but it gave me an opportunity to travel around the country in the middle of the korean war. the country was devastated. the largest building in seoul was the headquarters of the japanese government that had since been turned down. no one would have believed it possible that a day would come

that a secretary general of the united nations would be a distinguished korean leader or that korea would look as it does today. it would have seemed totally improbable that a korean diplomat would travel around the world, acting in some respect as a conscience of mankind, a secretary general of the united nations who is active in places as far-flung as syria, sudan,

burma, seeking to mediate and allay suffering. that this was possible at all is a tribute to the faith and dedication of the korean people who had the vision to overcome their suffering and their destruction and emerge as one of the leading countries of asia and of the world. and it is equally true due to

the qualities of the secretary general who has as a diplomat and now in his current position taken a position of wise and subtle leadership. his conduct is unassuming. his demeanor is modest. and as he has said on one occasion, modesty is an aspect of demeanor. it is not an attribute of vision and purpose. he has shown vision and purpose,

and he has done it from the delicate position of having to earn the confidence of the many conflicting tendencies that exist in the world today. this is really the first period in which international affairs have become truly global in the sense that actions in any part of the world affect every other part, and in every part of the world is conscious of what the other parts do. and in each capacity as secretary general, ban ki-moon

has put forward a five-year action plan that deals with climate and environmental challenges, nonproliferation, counterterrorism, combatting infectious diseases, strengthening the international financial system, ensuring global growth and sustainable development. and so it is no accident that the first asian leader to receive this award from the atlantic council should receive it not primarily for the efforts he conducted on behalf of his nation, but for the efforts he has conducted on behalf of

humanity of providing a forum where disputes can be heard, a mechanism where conciliation can be attempted and a possibility in which serious efforts can be made to discuss the many technical problems in a world in which the traditional conflicts are no longer dominant, but new visions are needed for those issues that can only be dealt with on a global basis.

so i'm very grateful to the atlantic council for giving me this opportunity to pay tribute to a distinguished leader. and i am obliged to point out to you that the atlantic council organizers, not fully confident that i would acquit myself adequately of this have asked me not only to introduce the secretary general, but to introduce a video of the secretary general. [ laughter ] after which i will give the award for the distinguished international leadership to my

friend, the secretary general of the united nations. [ applause ] >> i had during the last ten days 192 events, including 120 bilateral meetings with the head of state, head of governments and foreign ministers. i chaired the high level meeting with pakistan, high level meeting with sudan, and somalia. >> so a huge amount of work gets done. but also the opportunity for everyone to have a voice. talking about the issues that they care about. >> climate change and poverty, global health issues. we were able to mobilize $40 billion to reduce the mortality of women and the children who have been dying from preventible diseases. >> it's so amazing to watch. one day he gives like ten speeches and meeting with maybe 25, 30 different leaders all different topics, different priorities. >> i wake up at 4:00 a.m.

that gives me the best time to prepare without any disruptions. once i'm in the office, i do not have almost no private time. it's like i'm sitting on a conveyor belt. i have very limited time with my family members, unfortunately. i'm here with my youngest granddaughter. i am immensely grateful to my wife, my children who have been very patient, understanding my situation. >> he has 192 constituencies that he needs to look after, 192 nations with interests that he must fairly reflect. >> when i was a young child like you, there was no classrooms for me. i used to study in the outside in the dirt. my background as a person who was born in the very poor country has risen as one of the tenth world in economic power,

that i can play a bridging role between developed countries. i start every day, every morning as if this is the first day in my office as secretary general. each time i have met those young people who similarly wouldn't haven't any hope, but really wanted to have a hope from me, then you cannot but be humble. how united nations can do more for them. today we are being tested in all we do, let us send a clear message. there can be no peace without justice. [ applause ]

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♪ >> dr. kissinger, thank you for that very kind introduction. the world has looked to your wisdom and experience for many decades now, and your contribution has been great. i thank you, dr. kissinger, for your very strong support of the united nations and for myself as the secretary general. [ applause ]

ladies and gentlemen, let me join in congratulating the other honorees of this evening, ann-sofie moto, paul pullman, and the list of men and women in the united states armed forces, and his royal highness prince harry. this is really distinguished company indeed. [ applause ] general colin powell, maestro andrew previn, honorable members of the congress, excellencies is, members of the diplomatic core, participants, ladies and gentlemen, thank you as well for your warm welcome. and thank you to the board of the atlantic council, chairman

hagel and president kempfe for this honor. i take it as a symbol of the partnership of the united states, the united nations, and on behalf of all the staff and peacekeeping operations staff. and imhumbly accept this honor. seldom if ever has our principles been more relevant. seldom if ever has this partnership been more vital than at this moment. ladies and gentlemen, we just celebrated and commented the list of men and women of u.s. armed forces. as the secretary general of the united nations, my thoughts are with more than 120,000 u.n.

peacekeeping operation staff from more than 120 countries, contribution countries who are working day and night on the very difficult and dangerous circumstances. my deepest admirations to all of them and to all the people who are working tirelessly for peace and stability around the world. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, let us cast our eyes across the political landscape. in syria, the violence still continues. we are in a race against time to prevent the full-scale civil war. death on a potentially massive scale. tensions between israel and iran

remain dangerous. recently launched another missile and appears to be contemplating another test in defiance of the international community. we see family coming in, military coups in mali, sudan and south sudan on the brink of conflict that claimed two million lives. add to this the crisis in your area. climate change, the pressure of a growing population of seven billion on our increasingly fragile planet. we have planetary limitations. almost every year we see growing insecurity, growing injustice,

growing social inequality. if i were to speak like an economist, i might say we have an oversupply of problems. a deficit of solutions. a deficit of leadership. that reflects the great changes transing our modern world. powers are shifting. the old order is breaking down. and we do not yet know the shape of the new. 20 years ago at the end of the cold war, the united states and its traditional allies could be counted on to lead the world through uncertainty and change. today that is much more

difficult. and yet tonight i want to say clearly we need leadership and your leadership. in this times of uncertainty during this era of change and transformation, we need the sort of leadership that has long distinguished this venerable atlantic council, a leadership dedicated to the common good, a global common good. a leadership of nations acting in concert as we have seen in truly global stewardship. this is the leadership that created the united nations and its founding charter. and this is the leadership that keep principles alive and strong. ladies and gentlemen, as you may know, i lived through the korean

war, as was eloquently introduced by dr. kissinger. the united nations led by the united states helped us through that dark hour. they came to us to rescue on the brinks of collapse. forever after the united nations has been a beacon of hope and still is for billions of others around the world. whenever i see all of them who are looking to the united nations, i'm humbled just thinking that what kind of a support i can bring to them. today as then, i believe the united nations can and must be the solution to the wars' great

challenges. engagement through the united nations is the way forward to share the costs and responsibilities of leadership, to uphold universal values and to steer the world through this great transition. that is why in january, as i begin my second term, i set out a road map for my five-year second term as secretary general. there you need five imperatives for collective global action opportunities to create a future we want. how to fight climate change and chart a new path of sustainable growth and development. how to conflict and better response to natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies. there are many man-made tragedies, man-made crises.

how to create a more just, secure, and equitable world grounded in universal human rights, and how to support nations in transition for democracy. we are many people still in arab and north africa are struggling for their rights and for their legitimate aspirations, legitimate rights for human dignity. and how to give the war's women and young people greater voice and opportunity. let me say a few words about the common thread that weaves through all of them. that is the importance of putting people first. this is what politicians often say. but not many politicians are putting people first.

the role of justice and fundamental freedoms and essential quality of human dignity, this is what united nations and i as secretary general is trying to do, achieve, putting people first. ladies and gentlemen -- [ applause ] during the past year, our collective values were severely tested. greater than we might realize, the international community responded with courage, divisiveness, and unity. the incumbent president refused to stand down after having lost an election in cote d'ivoire. then he threatened his people with a civil war in order to preserve his own power, illegal

power for democracy and human rights. today he is awaiting trial in the international criminal court in the hague, and the legitimate president is in office. when moammar gadhafi of libya threatened to kill his own people, we acted. in doing so, we get force to fundamental new principle that is the responsibility to protect. and in each case, it is important to recognize that we acted collectively under an umbrella of legitimacy provided by the united nations and regional organizations, the african union, developed states, and others. general brent scowcroft, who has been such a strong leader of

this atlantic council said himself that this is the way of future. and i could not agree more. for events in modern memory have been more inspiring -- fewer events in modern memory have been more inspiring or more challenging than the arab spring. from the outset of this transition, transformations, i called, the united nations have called all leaders to listen to their people, carefully, sincerely, what they are challenges, what their concerns are, what their aspirations are. and to enter into an inclusive dialogue with them, to act before it was too late. now, we must help these nations in transition. that is one of my priorities.

in tunisia, egypt, libya, and elsewhere. we are working for solutions that focus on people. building democratic institutions, helping to promote human rights, creating jobs and economies, economic opportunities, especially for women and young people. the challenge in syria is especially difficult. the government continues to these people. every day unfortunately we see the most appalling images, troops firing in city centers. even children. security forces are arresting and torturing people with great brutality. meanwhile, attacks by the opposition and other armed groups have escalated. as of today, united nations has

deployed 59 supervision monitoring missions, and we will expedite this number. by thursday this week, we'll have more than 130. and by 15 of this may, we'll have more than 230 people. and we are accelerating to implement security council regulations to compliment of 300 military supervisors and approximately 100 civilians before the end of this month. our most immediate goal is to save human lives, to see the end of this violence. and the presence of u.n. monitors has in some cases reduced the intensity of violence in syria. but the situation is still very precarious and fragile. but we must also