Queen addresses United Nations General Assembly in New York
THE QUEEN TOLD THE UNITED NATIONS IT HAD 'MOVED FROM BEING A HIGH-MINDED ASPIRATION TO BEING A REAL FORCE FOR COMMON GOOD' AS SHE ADDRESSED THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1957. IN A REFLECTIVE SPEECH TO AN ASSEMBLY WHOSE MEMBERS STATES HAVE INCREASED FROM 77 TO 192 SINCE HER LAST VISIT, TEH QUEEN PRAISED TEH UN FOR ITS WORK IN REDUCING CONFLICT, OFFERING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND TACKLING THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY. THE 'WAGING OF PEACE' WAS 'PERHAPS TEH HARDEST LEADERSHIP OF ALL', SHE SAID. HOWEVER, SHE WARNED THAT 'SO MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE', QUOTING DAG HAMMARSKJOLD, A FORMER UN SECRETARY-GENERAL, WHO 'ONCE SAID THAT 'CONSTANT ATTENTION BY A GOOD NURSE MAY BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS A MAJOR OPERATION BY A SURGEON'. SHE ADDED: 'GOOD NURSES GET BETTER WITH PRACTICE; SADLY THE SUPPLY OF PATIENTS NEVER CEASES'. THE QUEEN ALSO WARNED THAT 'NEW CHALLENGES' SUCH AS TERRORISM AND GLOBAL WARMING HAD EMERGED THAT HAD 'TESTED THIS ORGANIZATION AS MUCH AS ITS MEMBER STATES'. ON CLIMATE CHANGE, 'CAREFUL ACCOUNT MUST BE TAKEN OF THE RISKS FACING SMALLER, MORE VULNERABLE NATIONS, MANY OF THEM FROM THE COMMONWEALTH', SHE SAID. SHE SAID SHE HOPED THAT, IN ANOTHER 53 YEARS, 'OUR SINCERITY, OUR WILLINGNESS TO TAKE A LEAD, AND OUR DETERMINATION TO DO THE RIGHT THING, WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME'. THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH SPENT ONLY FIVE HOURS IN NEW YORK, SWELTERING UNDER HEAT HEALTH WARNINGS AS TEMPERATURES SOARED TO A RECORD 103 DEGREES. THEY WERE GREETED AT THE UN's MANHATTAN HEADQUARTERS BY BEN KI-MOON, THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, WHO TOLD THE ASSEMBLY THE QUEEN WAS AN 'ANCHOR FOR OUR AGE' AND A 'LEADING SYMBOL OF GRACE, CONSTANCY AND DIGNITY'. AFTER ADDRESSING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THE QUEEN BRIEFLY MET COMMONWEALTH LEADERS BEFORE SHE WAS DRIVEN TO THE SITE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. A BUCKINGHAM PALACE SPOKESMAN SAID THE QUEEN WAS USE TO THE HEAT AND WAS TAKING NO EXTRA PRECAUTIONS.
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