13 quotes from François Hollande at Davos 2015

Below are key quotes from a special address by François Hollande at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos. You can watch the French President’s speech in full here. Quotes have been translated from French to English.

On the threats faced by France
“You’ve been paying close attention to France in the last few weeks. You’ve seen the French people come together, proud of their values, and I am sure you were deeply struck by the dignity of all those who protested, who came to say they were not afraid.”

“[Terrorism] uses all the technologies available to it, including those that can – if used properly – promote prosperity and the exchange of information and ideas. I’m talking about the internet, which terrorism is using as a weapon of indoctrination, a weapon of manipulation, a weapon of confusion.”

“France has reacted and it has taken appropriate measures but there also needs to be a global international response. It needs to be international and it needs to be shared… also by business, particularly the largest corporations.”

On the international community
“We have to find solutions to conflicts that have been going on for too long… [including] Syria and… Iraq.”

“France cannot act alone, but whenever it can, it will. But the international community needs to provide answers as well. Each time we let a conflict last, terrorism benefits.”

“We cannot claim to be a great nation if we are not capable of giving the world what it expects from us, from France.”

On climate change
“I call upon the whole of business to make an economic contribution to the most fragile of states, in the name of solidarity and security. I call on you also to counter another threat which is one that looms over the very future of this world: we need to fight global warming.”

“France will be hosting a conference on climate change later this year. But we’re not just coming for a meeting. Paris needs to result in a binding global agreement that will map out an effective fight against climate change – that is the major challenge of the twenty-first century.”

“The time is past when humankind thought it could selfishly draw on exhaustible resources. We know now the world is not a commodity, is not a source of revenue; it’s a common good, it’s our heritage. And the consequences of climate change are fully known now – we’re not talking about theories anymore, we’re talking about certainties.”

“We are faced with a moral and political responsibility, because a botched solution to a crisis might result in exacerbating the consequences of climate change.”

Image: Francois Hollande, President of France gestures during the ‘Special Address’ at the Annual Meeting 2015 of the World Economic Forum at the congress centre in Davos, January 23, 2015. WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM/swiss-image.ch/Photo Michele Limina