Introduction by Professor Hans Küng
 

Mr. Secretary General, Ms. Nane Annan, dear Rector Schaich, dear colleagues and students, ladies and gentlemen,

When I was informed by a phone call from New York in April that your visit to Tübingen, dear Secretary General, had to be postponed, I answered immediately that this was not a catastrophe because it might be quite possible that we would find an even better moment in the future, a moment which would not be overshadowed by the disastrous war in the Middle East. Although the war is not over and the world situation continues to be very serious, the UN has proved in the meantime to be not »irrelevant« but highly necessary. Under these circumstances your visit today seems to be a real Christmas gift for the university and indeed for the whole city of Tübingen. And our Global Ethic Foundation is very proud that you accepted our invitation to come to our university. For myself this is of course an extraordinary privilege and a personal encouragement. Let me express my warmest thanks to you and welcome you on behalf of the Global Ethic Foundation to the University of Tübingen.

Everybody interested in the work of the UN will realize, dear Kofi Annan, that you are a unique person in a unique position. As the Secretary General of the United Nations you have no army and no money, you can neither levy taxes nor move military divisions, you have not even a personal aircraft for your countless trips around the world. And yet you enjoy perhaps the highest level of credibility in the very arena where power and might have dominated.
Of course, one would have to give a different meaning to the word »power« if attributed to a Secretary-General of the United Nations: not power in the sense of »might makes right«, not power based on the military but on morality, perhaps power as credibility. Could it be that the very fact that the Secretary General has no money and no weapons, yet still has an impact on various portions of the world, is a sign of another success of this incredible human endeavor: to have power without the main ingredients of it? The person in that position will find himself in good company in the years to come, for power without money or weapons has become a more familiar feature, especially in the global civil society. In fact, it seems that the strength of anybody occupying that position resides in ideas, principles, values, and communication.

The figure of the Secretary-General has been able to adapt to the changing international environment. This flexibility has made it possible for the person who occupies that position to become more useful to the international community and to the member states in particular at different times. Very rightly, the role of that anomalous position seems to have been most successful when it has helped the member states to do what they would not or could not do. And it was through the Secretary-General that relevant actors that were not states at all, were able to have their voices heard and, in some cases, constructively engage with governments. The Secretary-General has indeed become a useful interlocutor with civil society, the private sector, academia, religious organizations and advocacy groups, all of whom have acquired a role in the shaping of our new societies. So the success of this human endeavor may have been the creation of a significant international figure, even one without the traditional attributes of power.

This is the portrait of the office of the Secretary-General which our »Group of eminent persons« which you convened, drew in our report for the UN General Assembly: »Crossing the Divide. Dialogue Among Civilizations«. To be frank, our group would not have had the courage to speak so positively about this office if we had not in this most difficult period of world history such an exemplary person to represent it. The office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations is not a job; it is a mission. We admire your integrity, your strong personal ethic and your conviction that such an ethic should not only permeate relations between individuals but also international relations. The Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 confirms your commitment in a unique way. We could indeed not think of a more convincing person to deliver the Third Global Ethic lecture and we are most happy that you have chosen a topic of such decisive relevance for humanity: »Do we still have universal values?«.

May I now kindly ask you to grant us the privilege of your lecture. Ladies and Gentlemen: the Secretary General of the United Nations.