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 9 October 2009
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Secretary-General, IAEA congratulate Barack Obama on Nobel Prize win

09/10/2009

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "wholeheartedly congratulates" US President Barack Obama, winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

In a statement, the Secretary-General says Mr. Obama "embodies the new spirit of dialogue and engagement on the world's biggest problems: climate change, nuclear disarmament and a wide range of peace and security challenges."

On Friday, the Nobel Prize committee bestowed the award on the US President "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency has also welcomed the announcement.

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says he was "absolutely delighted" at the decision.

"In less than a year, he galvanized the world. For the first time, everybody has hope that we might be able to establish a world at peace with itself; that we might be able to have a system that is not based on nuclear weapons, a system of security that is inclusive, that is humane. But more than that, he is committed to restore moral decency into our lives, into our relations with each other as individuals, as nations."

He says US President Obama "has brought a new vision of a world based on human decency, fairness and freedom which is an inspiration to us all."

Dianne Penn, United Nations Radio
(duration: 1'29")

Sound bites

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency cut 1

"In less than a year, he galvanized the world. For the first time, everybody has hope that we might be able to establish a world at peace with itself; that we might be able to have a system that is not based on nuclear weapons, a system of security that is inclusive, that is humane. But more than that, he is committed to restore moral decency into our lives, into our relations with each other as individuals, as nations."
Duration: 00:00:31

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency cut 2

"I think the committee understood fully, as they have done in 2005, that we really need to address that number one security threat we face in the world which is to get rid of these inhumane weapons, and Obama has taken the leadership after two wasted decades, completely wasted decades. He managed to put nuclear disarmament on the top of the international agenda. He had presided over for the first time in 60 years, over a Security Council meeting, summit meeting, dedicated to recommit to nuclear disarmament through concrete steps. He's engaged in serious negotiation with Russia to slash drastically their nuclear arsenals. He is pushing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty through Congress. He is advocating a treaty that prohibits the production of nuclear material for weapon purposes. He is doing so many concrete steps, in fact, to make a world free from nuclear weapons a reality. And that is something, I think, the committee by giving him the prize today has applauded and said 'You are doing the right thing, keep doing what you are doing'-- exactly the same message they have sent to the agency in 2005."
Duration: 00:01:21

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cut

"I would like to wholeheartedly welcome and congratulate US President Barack Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. This is great news for President Obama, for the people of the United States, and for the United Nations. We are entering an era of renewed multilateralism; A new era where the challenges facing humankind demand global common cause and uncommon global efforts. President Obama embodies a new spirit of dialogue and engagement on the world's biggest problems: climate change, nuclear disarmament and a wide range of peace and security challenges. President Obama's commitment to work through the United Nations gives the world's people fresh hope and fresh prospects. We at the United Nations highly applaud him and the Nobel committee for its choice. I look forward to further deepening the US-UN partnership as a key building block to a better and safer world for all."
Duration: 00:01:14