Speech by Mrs Hendricks, Celebration of the 5th Anniversary, Düsseldorf, 3 October 1995 (English version)
	Reunification of Germany It is a great honour for me to be invited to participate in the celebration of the 5th Anniversary of the Reunification of Germany, an event that just a short time ago was unimaginable. The fall of the Berlin Wall, that horrible symbol of the cold war and the painful division of Europe, has not only given us reasons to rejoice but also presented us with a great challenge. We now have the opportunity and the urgent duty to reorder the post cold-war world and to advance towards the 21st century with renewed faith in the ideals of democracy, a new vision for the future. After nearly ten years as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I have come to the conclusion that individual countries, regional and international organisations and, above all, the United Nations must immediately change the way that we deal with the many problems confronting us in the world today, in particular armed conflicts across borders as well as within the borders of a country. We must learn to favour preventive diplomacy and, when necessary, military actions to arriving with costly humanitarian aid after the massacres, barbarism and mass exodus of civilians have begun, in order to insure that our planet will not become a global refugee camp. I am sure that the New United Germany will play an important role as one of the leaders. Firstly, in a stronger United Europe, a Europe that will hopefully and soon find its desperately needed common political voice, and courage as well as the means and actions that will inspire the respect and the credibility needed to insure that the horror and shame of the tragedy of Ex-Yugoslavia can never happen again on European soil. And, secondly, in a United Nations whose Universal Declaration of Human Rights, if truly implemented throughout the world, will stand as the ultimate reference for individuals and nations. Helping us to honour the uniqueness of each one of us and to inspire respect and why not maybe even love for one another on spite of our differences.
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