Koichiro Matsuura Quotations

We did everything possible to prevent this happening but we have failed miserably.

Fourteen member states have already started putting things in place, ... They have shown their readiness.

From prehistoric times until today, humanity's dealings with water have greatly influenced the sustainability of societies.

For scientific achievements to serve the most possible people, scientists should work in a responsible way, with respect for cultural diversity, personal freedom and human dignity,

Good governance is essential for managing our increasingly stretched supplies of freshwater and indispensable for tackling poverty.

It is abominable to witness the cold and calculated destruction of cultural properties which were the heritage of the Afghan people, and, indeed, of the whole of humanity.

Managing water is as much cultural as technical, reflecting how peoples and communities relate themselves to nature.

When a language dies it is a vision of the world that disappears.

We welcome this project for its scope and potential.

Despite the tense security situation in Iraq, it is paramount that all those willing to help establish democracy in Iraq be mindful of the right of the media to exercise their profession freely,

A literate world is a possible and desirable one. There are enough resources. What is now needed is the collective will of the international community to ensure that the necessary support is forthcoming.

Achieving the right to basic education for all is thus one of the biggest moral challenges of our times.

it is inconceivable that poverty eradication can make much headway in the absence of major advances in literacy.

International Literacy Day is an occasion to celebrate the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies everywhere

Ensuring the access of all citizens to government information and to essential information for human development is a must for every democratic society.

It is intolerable that around 1 in 5 of the world's adults are illiterate. How can we build equitable information societies or thriving democracies if so many remain without the basic tools of literacy?

As an empowerment right, education is the primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalised adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty, and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities.