Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the Opening of the 'War and Peace in Liberia' Photo Exhibit [as prepared for delivery].

It's a great pleasure to be here with you this evening. I want to express my deep gratitude to the Bronx Documentary Center, the United Nations Foundation and all our partners and friends who made this powerful exhibition possible.

We are here to remember the conflict and violence that tore into an entire region of West Africa, and the efforts that went into supporting the return to peace.

We are also here to celebrate the work of two of the finest -- and bravest -- photo-journalists of our time. Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros created images that helped to move the international community to action in Liberia. Their courage and tenacity made a difference. Sadly, they were killed years later as they continued to pursue their life's work of shining a light on conflict.

These pictures speak to us. They are a powerful, moving and sensitive account of the war in Liberia, full of emotional honesty and empathy.

On these walls are the faces of those who suffered: Men, women and children; civilians and fighters; young and old.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Perhaps what moves me most about these pictures is that we also see hope.

We see progress. We see rebuilding. We see the first steps on a new path towards sustainable development and at the end peace.

Above all, we see the determination of the people of Liberia to move forward towards a brighter future.

We see the powerful effects of international engagement-from the region, led by my own country, Nigeria, and through the United Nations, which deployed peace operations into Liberia and the neighbouring countries of Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone.

In March, I had the privilege of sharing some very emotional moments as I joined the government and people of Liberia to celebrate their hard-won peace. I was in Monrovia to mark the end of our peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Mission in Liberia, known as UNMIL.

Some 16,000 peacekeepers from more than a dozen countries served with UNMIL over its 15-year deployment. Over 200 peacekeepers lost their lives and hundreds more died while serving with regional peacekeeping forces.

I want to pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of those who gave their lives for peace in Liberia. Please join me in a moment of silence to honour them, their countries, their families, and all the victims of conflict in this region.

Ladies and gentlemen,

During my visit, I saw first-hand the progress that Liberia has made.

Thousands...