On September 4, Former President Jimmy Carter of the United States
delivered the U Thant lecture at the United Nations University in
Tokyo. Both the auditorium and the overflow annex were completely
filled, and the audience's response was excited and enthusiastic.

President Carter spoke on the need for further aid to the African
Continent, with specific reference to sub-Saharan Africa. The
Carter Center, which the former president chairs, has been working
with The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Africa Association for
17 years on a agricultural development program called SG-2000. A
brief description of this highly successful program appears in
the text of President Carter's speech, which is reproduced below
in its entirety.


Rector Hans J.A. Van Ginkel, Professor Zakri. Other distinguished
scholars, dignitaries, and friends:

I want to express my personal thanks to Prime Minister KoizumI and
the people of Japan for their hospitality during my visit to Tokyo,
and to my partners in The Nippon Foundation: Chairwoman Ayako Sono
and President Yohei Sasakawa, who helped to arrange the invitation
for me to deliver this lecture.

I have addressed many audiences in Japan, of course, including a
town hall question and answer session on live television during the
summit meeting of 1979. I remember that my first speech in Japan
after leaving the white house was in 1981, to a very small college
near Osaka. The audience was very nervous, and I decided to tell a
joke to put them at ease. To save time, I chose my briefest one
instead of some funnier ones that I knew. When the interpreter
finished, I was amazed when the audience roared in laughter.

After my speech was over, I was eager to ask the interpreter, "how
did you tell my joke? It was the best response I've ever had." At
first he was very evasive but finally admitted, "I told the
audience, 'President Carter told a funny story. Everyone must
laugh!'"

It is an honor for me to participate in this distinguished forum,
which recognizes the notable accomplishments of the third secretary
general of the United Nations, who suggested the establishment of
this special university to explore the role of the United Nations
in addressing global problems. It is appropriate to remember U
Thant's fervent efforts to preserve world peace during the Cuban
missile crisis, a civil war in the Congo, a conflict between India
and Pakistan, the Vietnam War, and, not surprisingly, a crisis in
the Middle East.

It is interesting to note how intransigent some of those challenges
have been, which we are still facing thirty years later in the
Congo, Kashmir, the Middle East, and U.S.-Cuba relations. It is
reassuring to know, however, that America's greatest concern now
about Vietnam is that some of their catfish might reach U.S.
Consumers.


The subject assigned to me today is "agriculture, development, and
human rights in the future of Africa." we cannot forget that
Secretary-General U Thant was instrumental in increasing
dramatically united nations activities in the economic and social
development of less industrialized countries like his own.

U Thant was especially prescient in recognizing the necessity for
all nations to deal with military, economic, and social challenges
by working in partnership with one another and not unilaterally. It
has become ever more clear that the proper forum for these common
efforts is the United Nations. Another U.N. Hero, Ralph Bunche,
described the institution as exhibiting a "fortunate flexibility"
not merely to preserve peace but also to make change, even radical
change, without violence.

Understandably, we are all immersed in a flood of publicity about
the world threat of terrorism, the uncertain occupation of Iraq,
continuing problems in Afghanistan, and little progress toward
peace between Israel and its neighbors.

There are now at least eight nations in the world with nuclear
weapons, and during the past few days Japan, the United States and
other countries have been involved in discussions in Beijing to
address the possible addition of another. This is a prospect of
deep concern to all of us.

These are all serious problems and must be addressed by the
international community. One response is that the U.S. This year
will spend almost $400 billion for military purposes, about equal
to the defense budgets of all other nations.

These kinds of obvious threats to peace must be addressed
forthrightly, the same as would be a case of measles, influenza, or
pneumonia, where the symptoms and need for immediate treatment are
obvious and cannot be postponed.

Today, I want to discuss another affliction, much more similar to
cancer. We may have received the bad news, but it is difficult to
acknowledge its seriousness because there is no immediate pain or a
rash, and we hope that the diagnosis might be incorrect, or that
somehow it may remain in remission for many years. In Oslo last
year, I described this affliction as the greatest challenge the
world faces in this new millennium.