“I have been urging the leaders to listen to the aspirations and challenges of their own people, and engage in dialogue and take very bold measures. Normally, to their regret, these measures and bold reforms come too late, too little.”

We have seen in the past where leaders have not been open-minded or have not been flexible. That’s why the people came out to the streets and shouted and chanted for more reforms and more freedoms.

People everywhere look to the United States to use its remarkable power to help lift humanity up and to work for the common good.

Women must be full partners in development, so they can lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.

My observation is China is thinking more as a global player than regionally, in both politics and economics.

Only through women’s full and equal participation in all areas of public and private life can we hope to achieve the sustainable, peaceful and just society promised in the United Nations Charter.

Climate change, demographics, water, food, energy, global health, women’s empowerment – these issues are all intertwined. We cannot look at one strand in isolation. Instead, we must examine how these strands are woven together.

The unity in diversity of the United States is one of the country’s greatest strengths.

The longer we delay, the more we will pay.

Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family

Reason doesn’t mean very much in a country like North Korea.

With her courage and determination, Malala has shown what terrorists fear most: a girl with a book.

I am willing to take any measures when it comes to the fundamental principle of human rights.

In a world of plenty, no one, not a single person, should go hungry. But almost 1 billion still do not have enough to eat. I want to see an end to hunger everywhere within my lifetime.

Many say our world is at a tipping point. If we do not act together, if we do not act responsibly, if we do not act now, we risk slipping into a cycle of poverty, degradation, and despair.

I believe in a world of justice and human rights for all. A world where girls can grow up free of fear of abuse. A world where women are treated with the respect and dignity that is their right. A world where poverty is not acceptable. My dear young friends, you can make this your world.

World military spending has now risen to over $1.2 trillion. This incredible sum represents 2.5 per cent of GDP (global gross domestic product). Even if 1 per cent of it were redirected towards development, the world would be much closer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.