President Barack Obama on Tuesday assured the United Nations that the world is now a much safer place than it was five years ago.

The United States government has "begun to review the way that we gather intelligence so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share," the president said.

"As a result of this work and cooperation with allies and partners, the world is more stable than it was five years ago," Obama added.

The president later added that "even a glance at today’s headlines indicates that dangers remain. In Kenya, we’ve seen terrorists target innocent civilians in a crowded shopping mall. And our hearts go out to the families of those who’ve been affected."

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