'Act Boldly and Collectively'

" Fellow delegates. And ladies and gentleman. It is my honor to address you for the first time of the 44 president. Of the United States. I come before you. Humbled by the responsibility that the American people have placed upon me. Mindful of the enormous challenges. Of our moment in history. And determined to act boldly and collectively. On behalf of justice and prosperity. At home and abroad. I've been in office for just nine months. -- some days it seems a lot longer. I am well aware. Of the expectations that a company. My presidency. Around the world. These expectations are not about me. Rather they are -- I believe in -- discontent with the status quo. -- was allowed us to be increasingly defined by our differences. And outpaced by our problems. But they are also rooted in hope. The hope that real change is possible. And the hope that America will be a leader in bringing about such change. I took office at a time when many around the world that have come to view America with skepticism. And distrust. A part of this was due to misperceptions and misinformation. About my country. Part of this was due to opposition to specific policies. And a belief that on certain critical issues. America had acted unilaterally. Without regard for the interests of others. And this is spread and almost reflexive. Anti Americanism. Which too often has served as an excuse. For collective in action. -- like all of you my responsibility. Is to act in the interest of my nation and my people. I will never apologize. For defending those -- But. It is my deeply held beliefs. Than in the year 2009. More than at any point in human history. The interests of nations and peoples -- share. The religious convictions that we hold in our hearts. Can forge new bonds among people or they can -- apart. The technology we harness can light the path to peace. Or forever -- The energy we use can sustain our planet or destroy it. What happens. To the hope of a single child anywhere. Can enrich our world. Or improper. In this -- We come from any place. What we share a common future. No longer do we have the luxury of indulging our differences to the exclusion of the work. We must do to got. I've -- this message from London -- car up. From Port of Spain to Moscow from opera to Cairo and it is what I will speak about today. Because the time has come. -- world to move in a new direction. We must embrace a new era of engagement based on mutual interest. And mutual respect and all work must begin now. We know. The future will be forged by deeds. And not simply words. Speak to the -- will not solve our problem. You'll take persistent action. For those who question. The character and cause of my nation. I ask you to look at the concrete actions we have taken. In just nine months. On my first day in office. I prohibited. Without exception or equivocation. The use of torture by the United States of America. I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay close. And we are doing the hard work of forging a framework to combat extremism within the rule of law. Every nation must not. America will live its values. And we will lead by example. We've sent a clear and focused goal. To worked with all members of this body to disrupt dismantle and defeat. Al-Qaeda. And its extremist allies network that has killed thousands of people of many faiths and nations. Met plotted to blow up this very build. In Afghanistan -- pockets Don we have many nations here are helping these governments develop the capacity to take the lead in the -- While working to advance opportunity and security. For their people. In Iraq we are responsibly ending a war. We have removed American combat brigades from Iraqi cities and set a deadline of next August to remove all our combat brigades. From Iraqi territory. And I have made clear that we won't help Iraqis transition. -- full responsibility for their future. And keep our commitment to remove all American troops by the end of 2000 -- I have outline. A comprehensive agenda but to seek the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. In Moscow the United States and Russia announced that we would pursue substantial reductions in our strategic warheads and launchers. -- conference on disarmament we agreed that our work plan to negotiate an end to the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons. And this week my secretary of state will become the first senior American representative. Manuel members conference but the comprehensive test ban for it. Upon taking office. I -- a special onboard for Middle East peace. America has worked steadily and aggressively to advance the cause of two states. Israel and Palestine. In which peace and security take root and the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians are respected. To confront climate change we have invested eighty billion dollars in clean energy. We have substantially increased our fuel efficiency standards we have provided new -- for conservation. Launched an energy partnership across the Americas and moved from a bystander. To a leader. In international climate negotiations. To overcome an economic crisis that touches every quarter of the world we worked with the G-8 -- nations. To forge a coordinated international response of over two trillion dollars in stimulus. To bring the global economy back from the brink. We mobilize resources that help combat the crisis from spreading further to developing countries. And we join with others to launch a twenty billion dollar global food security initiative. There will lend a hand to those who need it most and help them build their own past. We've also -- engaged the United Nations. We have paid our bills. We have joined the human rights counts. We have signed the convention. Of the rights of persons with disabilities. We have fully embrace the millennium development goals and we address our priorities here. In this institution. For instance through the Security Council meeting that I -- tomorrow on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. And through the issues that I will discuss today. This is what we have already done. But that's just the beginning. Some of our actions have yielded progress. Some -- have laid the groundwork for progress in the future. But make no mistake. This cannot solely be Americans and up. Those -- to chastise America for acting alone. In the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems along. We have sought. In word and -- A new era of engagement with the world. And now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for. A global response to global challenges. -- we are honest with ourselves. We need to admit that we are not living up to that responsibility. Consider the course that we're on if we fail to confront the status quo. Extremist sowing terror in pockets of the world. Protracted conflict the grind on and on. Genocide. Mass atrocities. More nations -- nuclear weapons melting ice caps and ravaged populations. Persistent poverty and pandemic disease. I say this not to -- fear but the state a fact. The magnitude of our challenges has yet to be met by the measure of our actions. This body was founded on the belief. But the -- the world could solve their problems together. Franklin Roosevelt. Who died before he could see -- vision for this institution become a reality put it this way and I quote. The structure of world peace. Cannot be the work of one man. Or one party. Or one nation. It cannot be a piece of large nations or of small nations. It must be a piece which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world. The cooperative effort of the whole world. Those words -- even more true today. When it is not simply peace but our very health and prosperity that we hold in -- Yet. We also know that. This body is made up of Sovereign States. And sadly but not surprisingly this body has often become a forum for sowing discord instead of forging common ground. -- venue for playing politics and exploiting grievances rather than solving problems. After all it is easy to walk up to this podium and point figures point fingers and and stoke divisions. Nothing is easier than blaming others for our troubles. And absolving -- of responsibility for our choices and our actions anybody can do that. Responsibility. And leadership on the -- first century demand more. In an era when our destiny is shared. Power is no longer a zero sum game. No one nation can. Or should try to dominate another nation. No world order that elevates one nation or. Group of people over another will succeed. No balance of power among nations will hold. The traditional divisions between nations of the south and the north make no sense in an interconnected world. Nor -- alignments of nations rooted in the cleavage is of a long gone Cold War. The time has come to realize that the old habits. Old arguments. Are irrelevant to the challenges faced by our people. -- nations to act in opposition to the very goals but they claim personal. And to vote often in this body against the interests of their own people. They build up walls between us and the future that our people sick. The time has come for those walls to come back. Together we must build new coalitions. That bridge all the bottles. Coalitions of different faiths and creeps up north and south east west -- black white and brown. The choice -- We can be remembered as a generation that -- to drag arguments of the twentieth century in 21. But put off hard choices refused to look ahead. Failed to keep pace because we define ourselves by what we were against instead of what we were four. Or we can be a generation that chooses to see the shoreline. Beyond the rough waters and it. That comes together to serve the common interest of human beings and finally gives meaning to the promise embedded in the name given to this institution. The United. Nations. That is the future America wants. The future of peace and prosperity that we could only reach if we recognize that all nations have rights. But all nations. Have responsibilities as well. That is the bargain that makes this work. I must be the guiding principle of international cooperation. Today eliminate. Put forward four pillars. That I believe are fundamental to the future that we want for our children. Non proliferation and disarmament. The promotion of peace and security. The preservation of our planet. And a global economy that advances opportunity. For all people. First. We must stop the spread of nuclear weapons. And seek the goal of world without. This institution was founded at the dawn of the atomic -- in part because man's capacity to kill. Had to be content. For decades we averted disaster. Even under the shadow of superpower standoff. But today the threat of proliferation is growing in scope and complexity. If we fail to act. We will invite nuclear arms races in every region and the prospect of wars and acts of terror on a scale. We can hardly imagine. A fragile consensus stands in the way of this frightening outcome. And that is the basic. The nuclear non proliferation -- It says that all nations have the right to peaceful nuclear rhetoric. That nations -- have nuclear weapons have a responsibility to move toward disarmament. And those without them have the responsibility. To forsake. The next twelve months could be pivotal in determining whether this compact will be strengthened. Or we'll slowly there's all. America intends to keep our under the -- We will pursue a new agreement -- Russia to substantially. Reduce our strategic warheads on launchers. We will move forward with ratification. Of the test ban -- and work with others to bring the treaty into force. So that nuclear testing is permanently prohibit. We will complete a nuclear posture review that opens the door to deeper cuts and reduces the role. Of nuclear weapons. And we will call upon countries to begin negotiations in January on a treaty to -- the production. A fissile material for weapons. -- also host a summit next April that reaffirms each nation's responsibility. To secure nuclear material on its territory. And to help those who can't because we must never allow a single nuclear device to fall into the hands of a violent extremists. And we will work to strengthen the institutions and initiatives that combat. Nuclear smuggling them back. All of this must support efforts to strengthen. BMP take. Those nations that refuse to live up to their obligations must face consequences. Let me be clear this is not about singling out individual nations. It is about standing up for the rights of all nations that do live up to their responsibilities. Because the world in which IAEA inspections are voided. And the United Nations demands are ignored. -- all people are sick. And all nations less secure. In their actions to -- the governments of North Korea and Iran. -- to take us down that's -- We respect the rights. As members of the community of nations. I've said before and I will repeat I am committed to diplomacy that opens a path to greater prosperity and more secure. Peace for both nations. If they live up to their obligations. But in the governments of Iran and North Korea choose to ignore international standards. If they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people. -- they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both East Asia and the Middle East. And they must be held accountable. The world must stand together to demonstrate -- international law is not an empty promise. And the -- will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear. That brings me to the second pillar. For our future the pursuit of peace. The United Nations was born of the belief that the people of the world can live their lives raised their families and resolve their differences peacefully. And yet we know that and too many parts of the world this ideal remains an obstruction. A distant drink. We can either accept that outcome is inevitable and tolerate constant and crippling conflict. Or we can recognize that the yearning for peace is universe. And reassert our resolve to end conflicts around the world. That effort must begin with a unshakable determination that the murder of innocent men women and children. We'll never be tolerated. On this no one can be just -- there there can be no dispute. The violent extremists who promote conflict by distorting -- of discredited -- themselves. They offer nothing but hatred and destruction. In confronting them America will forge lasting partnerships to target terrorists. Share intelligence and coordinate law enforcement and protect our people. We won't permit no -- take -- for al-Qaeda to launch attacks from Afghanistan or any other nation. We will stand by our friends on the front lines as -- and many nations will do would pledging support for the Pakistani people tomorrow. And we will pursue positive engagement that builds bridges among faiths in new partnerships for opportunities. Our efforts to promote peace. However cannot be limited to defeating violent extremists. The most powerful weapon in our arsenal is the hope of human beings the belief that the future belongs to those who would build and not destroy. The competence the complex can't and any new day can begin. And that is why we will support we will strengthen our support for effective peacekeeping. While energizing our efforts to prevent conflicts before they --"