BAN LAUDS AWARD-WINNING CHARITY FOR CARRYING ON LEGACY OF LATE TOM LANTOS

BAN LAUDS AWARD-WINNING CHARITY FOR CARRYING ON LEGACY OF LATE TOM LANTOS
New York, Oct 17 2008 5:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has pledged to do his part to advance the ideals espoused by long-time United Nations supporter Tom Lantos, as he congratulated the charity set up in the late United States congressman's name for being honoured for the work it does in carrying forward his legacy.

Mr. Lantos, Chairman of the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, was a personal friend of the Secretary-General. He passed away in February of this year.

"I was deeply saddened when I learned of his untimely passing. But I was comforted by the conviction that his powerful voice – a voice of wisdom and compassion – would continue to resonate beyond his lifetime," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11867.doc.htm">said last night at an event in New York at which the Tom Lantos Foundation was presented with the Global Humanitarian Award by the aid organization Airline Ambassadors.

"The fact that the Lantos Foundation is being honoured tonight is proof that his legacy is still very much alive, challenging all of us to carry forward the cause of tolerance, justice and peace that he passionately served throughout his life," Mr. Ban told the audience, which included Mr. Lantos' wife, Annette.

The Secretary-General added that as a Holocaust survivor, Mr. Lantos had endured one of the worst atrocities of the Second World War. However, "far from being defeated by this searing experience, he resolved all the more strongly to make the world a better place.

"Congressman Lantos was all too aware of the worst in man, but he inspired us to bring out the best," said Mr. Ban.
Oct 17 2008 5:10PM
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