(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was honored by the Harvard Foundation with the 2014 Humanitarian of the Year Award for his initiatives to address major global issues.
At the award ceremony, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ban said with this award, the Foundation also paid tribute to the work of the UN and in particular the thousands of relief workers, development personnel, peacekeepers, human rights defenders, Ebola health responders and others who bring the Organization's ideals to life.
"On behalf of the brave and dedicated UN staffers delivering for people across the world, I thank you for this recognition," he happily expressed.
Ban told the attendees that as he prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations next year, the world can take heart from the progress since two world wars led to the Organization's founding.
At the same time, he stressed, billions of people still live in conditions of deprivation, violence against women blights all societies, as does discrimination against minorities, he added.
Furthermore, the UN official said nuclear weapons cannot be used without jeopardizing civilians. "Even a limited or regional nuclear war can alter our climate and produce famine conditions," he noted.
In his speech, he said that humanitarian perspective on nuclear weapons is attracting growing attention, as people are becoming more familiar with the environmental effects of decades of nuclear tests.
Moreover, he tackled the subjects of human rights, Ebola, attacks on Holy Sites and other current issues of the world.
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