WASHINGTON -- March 21 -- Former Senator Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation, issued the following statement regarding the release of “In Larger Freedom: Towards Security, Development and Human Rights for All – a report issued today by Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

“Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on global leaders to strengthen their collective ability to tackle the most critical security and social challenges. Annan’s report provides a unique opportunity for the United States to work with the UN and play a leadership role in addressing issues of terrorism, poverty, human rights and the environment. At the same time, the report identifies steps that will help make the UN itself a more effective and efficient organization. The serious challenges addressed by the Secretary-General’s report cannot be met by any one nation acting alone. As a global leader, the U.S. is well positioned to help the UN and the world community to address these fundamental challenges and make the world body a stronger organization.”

The full report and supplemental information can be accessed at www.un.org/largerfreedom

The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with businessman and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support United Nations’ causes. The UN Foundation promotes a more peaceful, prosperous, and just world through the support of the UN. Through its grant making and by building new and innovative public-private partnerships, the UN Foundation acts to meet the most pressing health, humanitarian, socioeconomic, and environmental challenges of the 21st century. (www.unfoundation.org)

The UN Foundation also supports UN Dispatch (www.undispatch.com), a blog intended to promote thoughtful and balanced discussion about the United Nations, and to provide an outlet for important, and often overlooked, news and views on the UN.

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