OSLO (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan collected the centenary Nobel Peace Prize on Monday, urging more focus on human rights in a U.N. quest to end poverty, prevent conflicts and foster democracy.
Annan, who shares the 951,600 prize with the United Nations, said the world body should be led in the 21st century by the idea that to save one life was ``to save humanity itself.''
In his acceptance speech, the 63-year-old Ghanaian said: ''We have entered the third millennium through a gate of fire,'' referring to the September 11 attacks on the United States and conflicts from Afghanistan to the Middle East.
``If today, after the horror of 11 September, we see better, and we see further -- we will realize that humanity is indivisible. New threats make no distinction between races, nations or regions. A new insecurity has entered every mind, regardless of wealth or status,'' he added.
And he laid out three key priorities for the 21st century -- eradicating poverty, preventing conflict and promoting democracy.
He collected the prize -- a gold medal and a diploma -- at a glittering ceremony in Oslo's City Hall, guarded by hundreds of armed police after the attacks on the United States. Fighter jets were on patrol above the city.
South Korean Foreign Minister Han Seung-soo, the President of the 189-member U.N. General Assembly, received the award on behalf of the United Nations, founded in 1945 and which now counts more than 50,000 employees.