Stakeholders can help 'turn words into deeds' says Annan at Helsinki conference

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on civil society and the corporate sector to mobilize the political will towards achieving the interconnected goals of human development, security and human rights.

“The human family will not enjoy development without security, it will not enjoy security without development and it will not enjoy either without respect for human rights,” he said in a message delivered by Under-Secretary-General Jose Antonio Ocampo to civil society groups and private concerns attending the Helsinki Conference 2005, focusing on globalization and democracy.

“Vital issues on are the table – on financing for development, comprehensive national development strategies, health and environmental issues; on terrorism and non-proliferation; on post conflict reconstruction, human rights and reform of the UN itself,” he added.

Referring to his report, “In Larger Freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all,” he said the core message is the same and that as the world's problems grow more complex, the UN can no longer limit its decision-making processes exclusively to governments.

He called on stakeholders to “narrow the implementation gap” and agree “on the practical steps to turn words into deeds.”

“After all, the ultimate value of what will be decided next week, [and at this conference], will be measured by its impact on men and women in need. It is in their safety and security, in their prosperity and sense of opportunity, that our progress will be most visible, and our setbacks most keenly felt,” he added, referring to the UN 2005 World Summit as well as the Helsinki conference.

The Helsinki Conference 2005 is described as “a multi-stakeholder dialogue and networking event for addressing the challenge of making ambitious targets of the world community a reality.”