Dear
speech-fans and friends,
This
summer has been everything but quiet, which means a rich harvest of speeches.
Here
is a short selection of empowering stories, varied quotes, rhythmic tricolons,
and memorable antimetaboles delivered in July and August.
Welcome
back !
Isabelle
Speeches
to call for action
Ladies and gentlemen, never underestimate the power of how you are, and will, transform people's lives.
It's no small thing to show the world that what's always been done, can be done
better.
So, spread your story far, wide and fast! Even the smallest of patient
innovations can bring hope and happiness!
Commissioner Moedas, 13 July 2015, Sharing Solutions, Improving Life
through Citizen Innovation
Change is
happening before our eyes at an alarming pace. It is up to us to take action
before it is too late.
But
addressing climate change is not only about saving our planet. It is also about
saving ourselves from poverty, unemployment, war, and oppression.
Why?
Because the rise in temperatures creates an entire range of effects;
from floods to heatwaves and wildfires;
from new diseases and health hazards to draughts and food shortage,
from extinction of animals to entire populations fleeing their territories in
search of liveable conditions.
We cannot simply watch this happen.
Vice-President Šefčovič, 1 July 2015, World Summit of Climate and
Territories
L’enjeu
[de la conférence de Paris COP 21], c’est de conclure un accord qui puisse être
global, contraignant, différencié, qui s’applique partout et qui puisse être
respecté. (…)
Nous
avons besoin de tous pour parvenir à ces accords.
Nous
avons besoin des chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement qui représentent la
légitimité,
besoin
des acteurs locaux qui s’engagent,
besoin
des entreprises ;
mais
nous avons aussi besoin des citoyens du monde.
Nul
ne peut prétendre les représenter. Ils sont eux-mêmes uniques et multiples :
des milliards d’individus qui s’interrogent sur ce qu’est la destinée humaine.
D’une
certaine façon, c’est vous qui les représentez. Ils se reconnaissent dans les
convictions que vous portez, dans les cultes que vous pratiquez, dans les
philosophies que vous partagez, dans les cultures que vous incarnez.
Président Hollande, 21 July
2015, Ouverture du Sommet des consciences pour le climat
What we were able to do
on the continent should be repeated here.
I have to tell you,
coming from this small Grand Duchy I am coming from: Germany invaded Luxembourg
twice in a century. I lost members of my family in concentration camps so I
never knew them because they had passed away. My father, one of 12 children, was
incorporated by force, together with three of his brothers into the German
Wehrmacht. They had to fight, in a hatred uniform, against those who were
trying to liberate my country.
If it was possible on
this European continent to make peace,
after all these family
tragedies,
after all these countries
and nation tragedies,
why should not it be
possible to do the same here?
President Juncker, 17 July 2015, House of Representatives of Cyprus
How credible
the European Union is in human rights issues depends in the current situation
on how we in Europe treat those who seek refuge with us.
We should not forget that countless Irish and Germans once set off across the
Atlantic to escape hardship and a lack of freedom in their own countries or to
embark on a new life.
The history of our countries is in fact such that we ought to have
understanding for those who flee.
Bundespräsident Gauck, 15 July 2015, Honorary doctorate by the National
University of Ireland
As Africa
changes, I’ve called on the world to change its approach to Africa.
(Applause.) So many Africans have told me,
we don’t want just aid, we want trade that fuels progress. W
e don’t want patrons, we want partners who help us build our own capacity to
grow. (Applause.)
We don’t want the indignity of dependence, we want to make our own choices and
determine our own future.
President Obama, 28 July 2015, Remarks to the people of Africa
Speeches
to win heards and minds
This week,
the United States and our international partners finally achieved something
that decades of animosity has not – a deal that will prevent Iran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon.
This deal
will make America and the world safer and more secure. Still, you’re
going to hear a lot of overheated and often dishonest arguments about it in the
weeks ahead.
So today, I want to take a moment to take those on one by one, and explain what
this deal does and what it means.
First, you’ll
hear some critics argue that this deal somehow makes it easier for Iran to
obtain a nuclear weapon.
Now, if you think it sounds strange that the United States, Great Britain,
France, Germany, Russia, China, and some of the world’s best nuclear scientists
would agree to something like that, you’re right. (…)
President Obama, 18 July 2015, A comprehensive, long-term deal with Iran
Who
will you quote to win the audience?
There will be
negotiations (for the COP 21) and they will be tough, but there will not be
winners and losers. Either we all win or we all lose.
As Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently said, "this is
not a discussion between the global North and South. It is a discussion between
this generation and the generations to come".
And as Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pointed out "there is no plan
B because there is not planet B".
Other world opinion shapers, from the Pope to pop icons, have taken up their
responsibility in using their voice and influence to keep climate change
visibly on the table.
Vice-President Šefčovič, 1 July 2015, World Summit of Climate and
Territories
It’s now more
than 50 years since President Kennedy stood before the American people
and said, “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to
negotiate.”
President Obama, 14 July 2015, Statement on Iran
So I can
understand the suspicion of those who see climate action as some sort of cover
for anti-growth, anti-capitalist, proto-socialism.
But it was Margaret
Thatcher who first put climate change on the international agenda.
She told the
World Climate Conference in 1990 that “The danger of global warming is real
enough for us to make changes and sacrifices, so that we do not live at the
expense of future generations.”
Humour
to make your point
There
is a certain perception among foreigners about French people.
You
love arts, music, food, wine – and holidays.
In
New York, I looked for Ambassador Delattre. He was not there.
I
thought he must be enjoying his summer holidays.
Now
that I am joining you for this “Semaine des ambassadeurs”, I realize that I
have to change my perception of French people.
You
work even during the summer without taking vacations!
(…)
of course, the climate conference in Paris later this year is at the very top
of the international agenda.
I have to
also say that Africa’s democratic progress is also at risk when leaders refuse
to step aside when their terms end.
Now, let me be honest with you -- I do not understand this. I am in my second
term. It has been an extraordinary privilege for me to serve as President
of the United States. I cannot imagine a greater honor or a more
interesting job. I love my work.
But under our Constitution, I cannot run again.
I can't run again. I actually think I'm a pretty good President -- I
think if I ran I could win.
But I can't.
President Obama, 28 July 2015, Remarks to the people of Africa
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