UN SPEECHES
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The 2000s

Millennium & Hope

The turn of the millennium brought a focus on new beginnings, the Millennium Development Goals, and a renewed commitment to peace. Kofi Annan's influence was paramount, while historical figures like Gandhi and King remained constant touchstones.

Most Cited Figures (2000-2009)

The 2000s saw diverse citations, with Kofi Annan leading as the sitting Secretary-General. The rhetoric often centered on development and resolving long-standing conflicts, invoking figures of liberation and peace.

RankPersonMentionsCategory
#1Kofi Annan818UN Leader
#2Ban Ki-moon195UN Leader
#3Yasser Arafat82World Leader
#4Nelson Mandela57Civil Rights Leader
#5Aung San Suu Kyi56Civil Rights Leader
#6Saddam Hussein42World Leader
#7Tony Blair38World Leader
#8Pope John Paul II28Religious Figure
#9Simon Bolivar27Historical Figure
#10Dag Hammarskjöld20UN Leader
#11Fidel Castro19World Leader
#12Franklin D. Roosevelt18World Leader
#13Jeffrey Sachs16Economist
#14Julius Nyerere14World Leader
#15Yitzhak Rabin13World Leader
#16John F. Kennedy13World Leader
#17Mahatma Gandhi9Civil Rights Leader
#18Benazir Bhutto8World Leader
#19Jawaharlal Nehru8World Leader
#20José Martí7Historical Figure

Notable Quotations

"The earth has enough resources to meet people"
Mahatma Gandhi•Cited by India (2008)
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"that the memory of evil will serve as a shield against evil; that the memory of death will serve as a shield against death"
Elie Wiesel•Cited by Costa Rica (2008)
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"Our guiding light must be the needs and hopes of peoples everywhere"
Kofi Annan•Cited by Lesotho (2008)
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"Whatever the form of political and social organization adopted by nations, the most immediate and pressing issue is the survival of the natural environment. To defend nature is to defend humankind."
Octavio Paz•Cited by Mexico (2008)
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"The truth is that nothing in the twenty-first century will work well without China"
Tony Blair•Cited by Singapore (2008)
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