Annan and General Assembly President Han Seung-soo were hailed for "their work for a better organized and more peaceful world." The two accepted the prize on the Centennial anniversary of the award.

While delivering the nobel lecture following the award ceremony, Annan defined the UN as a forum, "where all nations could join forces to affirm the dignity and the worth of every person and to secure peace and development for all people." He went on to say that the UN charter starts with the words, "We the people," and in doing so it does not forget that the "people" include individuals from around the world and the UN is fully committed to the people.

He said a "new insecurity has entered every mind" after the attacks of September 11 on the United States. This event has made the world realize that "humanity is indivisible," according to Annan. The new threats, he said, seem to make no distinction between nations or regions.

"Today's real borders are not between nations, but between powerful and powerless, free and fettered, privileged and humiliated," said Annan speaking of the current situation in the world. He said the international community has entered the 21st century through a "gate of fire."

Annan stressed that in this century, the UN's mission "will be defined by a new, more profound awareness of the sanctity and dignity of every human life, regardless of race and religion." In order to do this, he said that the focus of the UN must be on the individual. If the UN manages to help an individual, the achievement their larger goals-- to fight poverty, prevent conflict and cure diseases, will seem closer at hand.

Annan accepted the Nobel Peace Prize "humbly," defining it as a "statement of hope and courage with unique resonance and authority."