During Governor Dukakis’s 90th Birthday Celebration held on November 2, 2023, at Harvard University Loeb House, Governor Dukakis delivered remarks on World Peace and Security:
“Dear honored guests,
Thank you for gathering today to commemorate my 90th birthday and discuss issues of global importance.
We have a responsibility to ensure the well-being of our world and the generations that will follow us. If there is a single theme that defines the challenge, it is the persistent need for peace and security. The world is in turmoil – a state of affairs that cannot be allowed to persist.
A pressing issue is the conflict in Ukraine. We must advocate for peace and call for Russia’s withdrawal from Ukrainian territory. We have a moral obligation to demand adherence to every nation’s right to sovereignty and self-determination – it’s the foundation of the international order.
The situation in Gaza likewise calls for a fair resolution to the conflict, one where peace and justice prevail for all people in the region and where dialogue and cooperation replace threats and violence as the instruments of policy.
For too long, many nations have suffered from prolonged conflict and instability. It is past time to invest in people’s education and disinvest in the weapons of war. Education alone is not sufficient but, without it, people of every nation, background, and faith will not have the secure lives they so justly deserve.
In closing, I want to say that the Boston Global Forum has no higher purpose than to do what it can to foster a world where the aspiration for peace becomes a global reality.
Thank you again for helping me celebrate my 90th and for all that you do, and have yet to do, to enhance international peace and security.”
Governor Michael Dukakis delivering his remarks at the event