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1981-09-24

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1982-09-24

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un-general-debate

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1. “I hope that the Secretary-General's important and courageous comments will help to change the attitude of Member States towards adopting more responsible, more rational and more moderate approaches to the world community's problems. Australia is ready to play its part. 127. We are a growing middle Power. White our historical links are with Europe, we are situated in the South-East Asian and South Pacific region. We are thus a country with interests spanning both the developing and the developed worlds. We see our role as one of exercising a reasoned, responsible and steady influence in the world community. We have a strong and abiding belief in the essential validity of the United Nations. The Secretary-General can count on Australia's support.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

2. “While it may be argued that publicly held expectations of progress had been too high, it is undeniable that a serious crisis of pubic confidence now exists about the capacity of the United Nations to carry out some of its most central) responsibilities. 126. Yet we must not turn away from the United Nations in frustration. Each nation must actively look for ways in which to strengthen public faith in the Organization and its potential capacity for negotiation and conciliation. We need less debate, less rhetoric and fewer resolutions; and more constructive effort, more effective action to resolve the major issues, including those of disarmament and development, which face us all.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

3. “Nevertheless Australia considers that the session did help clear the air. It did establish, if not a meeting of minds, a better understanding of the essential basis of mutual con¬fidence if progress in arms control and disarmament is to be realized. It showed that a better under¬standing leading to an improvement in relations between East and West, essentially between the superpowers, is imperative if there is to be any significant progress in disarmament and, indeed, in other issues of strategic and political concern. 123. I conclude by returning to the earlier theme of the role and promise of the United Nations. State¬ments made in this debate already indicate a sense of failure, frustration or disappointment felt by many about the United Nations during the course of the year.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

4. “UNHCR has assisted and continues to assist millions of refugees and displaced persons, but it needs the assurance of a continuing mandate, not a fixed-term mandate, and a vigorous pursuit of durable solutions, especially volun¬tary repatriation. It needs, too, a widened acceptance by the entire international community of the moral obligation to provide at least temporary refuge to those compelled to leave their own countries. Australia proposed a code of conduct embodying this principle of temporary refuge in Geneva two years ago. We shall be pursuing the initiative further in the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner and at a later stage here in the General Assembly itself. 124. For many Governments and ordinary citizens the second special session on disarmament was a disappointment and its results limited.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

5. “Meanwhile, new areas of humanitarian concern are being considered. We have particularly welcomed the recent emphasis on the protection of indigenous populations. Australia was active in encouraging the establishment by the Economic and Social Council this year of a working group on indigenous populations. 123. Yet another area, regrettably, of increasing concern is the plight of refugees throughout the world. The facts are stark: a world refugee population of at least 8 million to 10 miHion, an increasing number of other displaced persons and movements of peoples within regions in response to pressures of poverty or deprivation. UNHCR has helped to cope with this huge problem; success, however, has been mixed.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

6. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the two International Covenants on Human Rights provide the world community with a set of standards for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. The adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief is a further step along this road. Working through the Commission on Human Rights, ILO and other relevant bodies, the United Nations system has been able significantly to mitigate some of the worst breaches of human rights. Human rights in South Africa and countries such as Poland, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Guatemala have come under increasing scrutiny. Australia will remain active in these important areas. 122.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

7. “I interpreted the Versailles language to mean: here is an opportunity to launch global negotiations now. If it is rejected, I believe it could be some time before we get another chance. Indeed, if the debate is allowed to drift again into the details of what groups should be constituted here to handle the talks, and thus what the agenda and degree of decentralization should be, this will amount to turning the clock back to a much earlier and more difficult phase in the discussions. 120. As in the North-South so in the humanitarian area the United Nations has an important role to play. Here it can point to a number of significant achievements. In some cases results have been attained only after arduous and lengthy negotiations. This has often obscured the significance of the ultimate result. 121.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

8. “In other words, the Australian Government, having considered the matter, has already taken the decision that, if the other major trading nations were to apply the approach we have outlined, or to attempt something like it, we would immediately join it. 118. It follows from what I have said that this is an area which must be addressed multilateral^ and in which States will inevitably be looking to progressive, balanced global reductions in trade barriers, export subsidies and other trade-distorting measures as a condition of their own participation. It is a further rationale for getting on with global negotiations. 119. Now is not the time for a detailed analysis of the present difficulties in launching global negotia¬tions, but a basis emerged from the Versailles Eco¬nomic Summit.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

9. “Australia is acutely aware of the obstacles to progress and of the entrenched national interest and rigidities which have to be overcome. The Australian Government has promoted the concept of collective reduction of protectionism by Governments aimed at providing a stimulus to world trade. The Australian proposal involves a standstill on all trade-distorting assistance measures and, following the standstill, a gradual wind-back of this assistance. We intend to pursue these proposals vigorously at the forthcoming GATT ministerial meeting and afterwards at the sixth session of UNCTAD. 117. What distinguishes the Australian approach is that we are ready to commit ourselves to action along these lines—provided that other comparable countries do likewise.”

   1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

10. “The benefits of such an approach were demon¬strated in the recent law of the sea negotiations. It was a remarkable achievement for a Conference of ISO countries to draft and reach consensus on hun¬dreds of articles of new international treaty law. While the Convention on the Law of the Sea perhaps never could have been entirely satisfactory to all parties, it represents a major step forward in the codification of maritime law and in co-operation between nations. This experience shows that we must not relax efforts to tackle the seemingly insoluble as well as the apparently soluble. 116. Among present international economic prob¬lems none concerns the Australian Government more than protectionism and restraints on trade.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

11. “A par¬ticularly disturbing aspect is the concentration in areas with limited ability to service and repay bor¬rowings, the cost of which has in some cases tripled since the time of the original loan. 114. Australia wants a break in the impasse in the North-South dialogue. There is a need to galvanize the kind of political will evident at the Common¬wealth Heads of Government Meeting at Melbourne in September/October 1981, and at the International Meeting on Co-operation and Development, at Cancun in October 1981. In both cases it was shown to be possible to break across traditional North- South lines. Australia accepts the North-South frame¬work, and the developing country Group of 77 as a valid negotiating partner. But we also see merit in more flexible and open contacts across North-South lines as a means of bridging differences. 115.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

12. “As a clearing-house for ideas and as an instrument for technical assistance and co-operation, the United Nations and its agencies have fulfilled a unique and valuable role. 112. In the North-South area, too, there has been progress, although we have not yet achieved our ultimate goals. Australia shares what I take to be the general sense of disappointment at the failure thus fhr to launch global negotiations. We also share in the concern, so evident at the recent meetings of IMF and World Bank in Toronto, about what thefuture holds. Finding durable solutions to the financial and economic problems besetting the world has never been more urgent. 113. One major issue rightly causing growing con¬cern is the extent of the world's indebtedness.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

13. “The Secretary-General in his report on the work of the Organization reflects a sense of cautious optimism about Namibia. Let us hope that that optimism is well placed. A peaceful solution to this long-standing problem would clearly be a very great achievement, if such a solution is worked out, it will owe much to the persistent efforts of the contact group and the front-line States. Australia continues to stand ready to contribute an engineering and head¬quarters unit of about 300 men to UNTAG to help oversee and supervise the independence process. 111. Decolonization is not the only area of United Nations success. There have been, and continue to be, considerable achievements in the economic, social and technical fields—so much so perhaps that we sometimes take these achievements for granted.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

14. “It is the lack of that co-operation in the past which has so often frustrated the work of the Council. But some such evolution along the lines the Secretary-General has outlined is essential if the present drift is to be arrested. 109. Not that the recent record has been all bad; we should recall and reflect upon some of the signifi¬cant achievements of the United Nations. One notable example is decolonization. The Organization has made it possible for very many peoples to attain indepen¬dence and thereby make their own contribution to the international community. 110. There are today very few situations where non-self-governing peoples have yet to exercise their right of self-determination. Namibia, however, remains on the agenda.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

15. “The Secretary-General has gone further; he has urged the need for improving the collective security provisions of the Charter provided under Chapter VII. Specifically he has proposed—and Australia supports him—that Member States should use their collective influence to ensure respect for decisions of the Security Council. In an ideal situation Security Council peace¬keeping orders would be backed up by guarantees of collective action, including guarantees by the per¬manent members, to ensure compliance with all deci¬sions of the Council. 108. We recognize that these constructive ideas of the Secretary-General will be the subject of intensive scrutiny. They presuppose, as he says, at least a modicum of co-operation among the permanent members.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

16. “There is clearly a role for the Secretary-General himself, acting within the terms of Article 99 of the Charter, to bring potentially dangerous situations to the attention of the Security Council. The Council itself should be able to move more promptly into a dispute without, as the Secretary-General says, waiting for those directly involved to bring the dispute to its atten¬tion. The Council and the Secretary-General acting together could do much to defuse smouldering conflicts through, for example, the early dispatch of fact-finding and good offices missions. Such measures could con¬stitute a diplomatic early warning system designed to identify and isolate disputes before they degenerate into armed conflict. 107.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

17. “Distressingly, for many Member States, the Council's writ hardly runs at all. And what applies to the Security Council applies even more in the General Assembly and other organs of the United Nations. 106. All that, as the Secretary-General has aptly observed, amounts to a crisis in the multilateral approach to resolving world problems, and to a crisis of confidence in the United Nations itself. But we must not be overawed by the problems. Their effects can be moderated if not overcome. The Secretary- General himself has proposed a number of measures which could improve the situation. Some of his propo¬sals, moreover, could be realized immediately. That is the case, for example, with his concern that there should be more systematic use of the Security Council.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

18. “In an unusually candid report on the state bf the United Nations, the Secretary-General has this year set out the concerns so many of us feel about the present weaknesses in the Organization. We commend him for doing so. The recent record is dismal. As the Secretary-General has observed, we are perilously near to a new international anarchy. 103. The Security Council, the primary organ for the maintenance of international peace and security, finds its resolutions routinely ignored. Those provi¬sions of the Charter dealing with collective action for peace and security have been rendered ineffective. Too often Member States have contrived to avoid bringing particular problems to the Security Council, or to do so too late for the Council to have any effective impact.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

19. “It will need courage and imagination on both sides to deal with it. Otherwise there will be no peace in the Middle East— and the Middle East without peace will remain a threat to the peace of the world. 103. The Middle East is only one area of conflict. Other crises in other areas seem to arise with fright¬ening frequency. It is only too apparent that the international machinery developed here in New York to contain and settle conflicts has not been working as it should. The fact is that some Member States, including Australia, have had to go outside the United Nations framework for alternative peace-keeping arrangements. Examples are the Sinai Multinational Force and Observers, in which Australia is a par¬ticipant, and the current international force in Lebanon. 104.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

20. “Israel must also recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, rights which should include a homeland for the Palestinians alongside Israel. Israel, pre-eminently among nations, should understand the significance of a national homeland for a dispersed people. 101. Equally important is the need for movement from the Arab side. We recognize that the proposals from the Twelfth Arab Summit Conference at Fez provided an implicit recognition of Israel by calling for the Security Council to guarantee peace among all States of the region. Why, however, cannot the implicit be made explicit? All Arab nations should clearly accept what so far Egypt alone has accepted, namely, that Israel has a right to exist in peace and security behind stable borders. 102. So the problem has two aspects.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

21. “Australians share the view of civilized men and women everywhere on the need for, and welcome, a full and independent inquiry into these appalling events. 99. Beyond Beirut, however, there is a wider tragedy of 30 years and more of the Middle East conflict that inexcusably still defies resolution and clouds the future of the region. One can only hope that the events in Beirut will shock more countries into a realization of the need for a comprehensive settlement. 100. Australia has always been deeply conscious of the age-long suffering of the Jewish people and their right to a homeland. We understand Israel's concern that it be able to live in peace, free of terrorist attacks. Recognition of Israel's right to exist in peace can, however, settle only one side of the Middle East problem.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

22. “On behalf of the Aus¬tralian Government, Sir, I congratulate you on your election to the presidency of the thirty seventh sessions of the General Assembly. It gives me particular pleasure to pay a tribute to the Secretary-General, who has shown great imagination and integrity in his first year in office. 98. No one can ignore the somber mood of the Assembly as it faces the critical issues of the day, particularly the terrible events of three weeks ago in Lebanon. Even in a world used to acts of violence, the Beirut massacres have numbed and shocked us all Outrage, however strongly worded and deeply felt, must appear inadequate to innocent non-com¬batants whose unhappy history has been written in blood and tears.”

    1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)

23. “But we will have to work within its framework and capitalize on its possibilities if we are to achieve a fundamental and long-lasting reconciliation of the interests of developed and developing countries.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

24. “Let us hope that the summit meeting of Heads of Government in Cancun and the Commonwealth meeting will be able to provide a new momentum and a new commitment to the progress towards an effective global dialog. Let us also recognize that a global round, to be effective, must allow for the participation of all interested countries. All Member States must be persuaded that their interests will be protected and that they will have the opportunity to contribute in a real way to the process of negotiation. The United Nations must have a major role in the process. 263. The world community has only one universal body, the United Nations. The Organization has its limitations. It has its shortcomings.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

25. “I wish to refer also to the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, which is drafting a legal regime to cover the resources of the oceans. The international community has worked in close cooperation for almost a decade to finalize that new legal regime, which places great emphasis on equity and international resource sharing. It is my Government's sincere hope that next year a convention on the law of the sea, enjoying widespread support, may be opened for signature. I believe that would be a major demonstration of what may be achieved by cooperation between developed and developing countries. 262. I have today focused attention on Australia's interests in the achievement of progress in the NorthSouth dialog. We must not lose the opportunity we have this year to make a historic contribution to progress in North South questions.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

26. “Australia ranked ninth among the countries to announce contributions at the International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa held earlier this year. Our food aid allocations are increasingly being directed to the famine and emergency situations which have arisen in Africa. 260. Australia, with other developed countries, supported the principle of economic cooperation among developing countries at the fifth session of UNCTAD in 1979. We welcome the potential identified by the Caracas SouthSouth meeting last May for practical cooperation among developing countries in a wide range of economic areas. We are hopeful that SouthSouth cooperation will develop in a way which is complementary to the achievement of improved relations between North and South. 261.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

27. “The outcome of the recent United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries recently held in Paris is a significant and positive step in relations between developed and developing nations. The action it has proposed will help to ease the problems of the poorer countries. Australia is one of the few donors actually located among developing nations and its aid priorities reflect its regional links and associations in the South Pacific and in north and south Asia. Australia has, however, more than doubled its assistance to the least developed countries over the period 1978 to 1981. 259. In the coming year we shall be increasing our contributions to UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF. Similar substantial increases are programmed in our contributions to UNHCR and UNRWA.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

28. “Official development assistance remains an important instrument for growth. It is particularly effective when provided in support of domestic efforts and policies designed to promote self-reliant development. 257. Australia has recently increased its aid program substantially to just under three quarters of a billion United States dollars in the current Australian financial year. The increase planned for the present financial year of more than $US 110 million is evidence of our acceptance of official development assistance as a key element in the NorthSouth dialog. It will allow us to undertake various important new practical initiatives in the main areas of NorthSouth discussion, such as food, energy and international finance. 258.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

29. “Sound, practical economic measures, tailored to the resource endowments and capabilities of each country, are necessary. Recent years have seen progress in those areas, with contributions from UNIDO and the regional commissions and the development banks. 255. Australia is also concerned with the related problems of protection and structural adjustment. These raise complex issues for all countries and Australia is no exception though on a per capita basis we are already a major importer of manufactured goods from developing countries. The Australian Government has recently commissioned an independent inquiry into our domestic tariff arrangements. The objective of that inquiry, which is to be completed within six months, is to identify possible measures for further general reductions in longterm protection levels. 256.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

30. “The new enlarged access to the Fund's resources, the establishment of a food facility and an interest subsidy account are innovative and important developments. 253. There remains a need for the Fund to continue to adapt its activities to changing circumstances. Australia would support increased IMF capacity to assist the financing and adjustment of large financial deficits and in that context welcomes the recently concluded borrowing agreements to assist in ensuring that adequate resources are made available to countries in balance of payments difficulties. 254. Australia recognizes the importance of industrialization for the developing countries. Industrialization provides the main avenue for achieving rapid economic growth, improved employment opportunities and higher standards of living.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

31. “High energy costs, inflation, steep in creases in interest rates and changing exchange rates have all had their impact. Debt management problems appear to be particularly harsh for those developing countries which are at the two extremes: those which are going through a process of dynamic growth face difficulties in financing that growth, while the low-income countries are having difficulty in paying for imports, particularly energy. 252. Australia welcomes the response so far by IMF to these difficult problems which confront the developing countries. The IMF has shown flexibility in its approach and has made an important contribution to the recycling process. Australia supports soundly based improvements in the Fund which will benefit developing countries.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

32. “The international community must address these critical problems, while not neglecting the needs of all countries for conventional fuels. Measures to implement the Program of Action adopted by the Conference must now be taken. For its part, Australia has agreed to support financial proposals from that Program. 250. Australia supports the establishment of the proposed World Bank energy affiliate to develop new sources of oil supply and to promote the use of alternative energy sources. However, greater lending for those purposes should not be delayed until some new body is established. We therefore welcome the recent increase in energy lending by the World Bank. 251. The debt situation for many countries now imposes a severe burden.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

33. “In that context special attention should be given to the scope for increasing commodity processing within commodity-exporting countries. 248. We are all aware of the severe problems of higher energy prices for non-oil producing developing countries. Although national Governments themselves must introduce energy policies aimed at encouraging conservation, conversion and development of new resources, the international community again can play an important part. 249. The United Nations Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy, held in Nairobi, was able to demonstrate that the United Nations could make a positive contribution to the discussion of energy matters. It also highlighted some of the special problems of developing countries, including the supply of the most ancient of energy sources fuel wood.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

34. “That is an aspect which could be given more attention than it has in the past. 246. There is an urgent need for international bodies to consider ways and means of better accommodating developing countries within the international trading system. Both the global negotiations, when they take place, and the forthcoming GATT meeting of trade ministers should address that issue. 247. Important contributions can also be made in the field of commodities. Commodity trade is fundamental to the wellbeing of the developing countries and price stabilization alone will not provide the means to greater prosperity. There is only limited scope for the introduction of buffer stock finance schemes and these are not appropriate for all commodities. Other aspects of the UNCTAD Integrated Program for Commodities must be seriously, explored.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

35. “The position has continued to deteriorate, with the major industrialized countries introducing further protectionist measures. Moreover, the fact that many of these measures are not introduced through the conventional institutional framework means that the developing countries are unable to challenge their introduction or to seek redress where they are treated inequitably. 245. There is another angle to all this. To the extent that both the North and the South stand to benefit from improved world economic conditions and higher levels of NorthSouth trade, it can be shown that the participants in NorthSouth dialog are not necessarily participants in a "zero-sum game". There does not have to be a winner and a loser. The gains from higher levels of trade are shared by both importer and exporter, by both North and South.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

36. “The developing countries are having an increasing impact on world trade. Their exports continue to increase more rapidly than the world average and they are the fastest growing importers of the products of the major industrialized countries. 243. Increased opportunities for trade offer the most effective means to bring greater prosperity to the developing countries. However, the prospect of increased protectionism, when coupled with the significant deterioration in the terms of trade of non-oil developing countries as a group, means that the outlook of those countries is increasingly uncertain. 244. Despite the achievements of the last global round, the multilateral trade negotiations still left the developing countries facing higher levels of protection than the industrialized countries.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

37. “In recognition of the continuing need of developing countries, Australia recently announced a number of initiatives relating to food security. Those include an increase in food aid to over $US 120 million this financial year and the establishment of an Australian center for International Agricultural Research. The principal aim of the center will be to contribute to the solution of agricultural problems in developing countries. A trust fund will be established for the center with an initial commitment of $US 28 million over four years. 241. The general situation in world trade is particularly difficult. Economic difficulties in the major world economies have gone hand in hand with mounting protectionist pressures. Some form of protection is now applied to almost 30 per cent of world trade. 242.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

38. “There is also a need for international measures which will assist world food security in both the short and long terms. Australia has consistently supported such measures. They include increased food grain aid commitments to meet the World Food Conference target of 10 million tonnes per year and a concerted effort to reach agreement on the replenishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. I also believe that a significant contribution could be made to world food security by the negotiation of an international grain agreement, with economic provisions which would safeguard the common interests of both exporting and importing countries while recognizing the special needs of developing countries. 240.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

39. “My Government hopes they will be able to carry a clear and unequivocal message from the whole membership of the Commonwealth that there should be new progress in NorthSouth relations and that at this session the General Assembly should resume efforts to achieve an effective framework for the global negotiations. 237. I should now like to make some specific comments on the principal issues on the NorthSouth agenda. 238. One of the most pressing problems facing the developing countries is food production and food security. Clearly, the only longterm solution lies in the developing countries increasing their own production, through increased investment in agriculture and the adoption of appropriate national food strategies. 239.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

40. “Discussions with participating Heads of Government have indicated that special attention will be given to food and food security, trade and industrialization, international Financial questions and energy. 235. Commonwealth leaders will have the opportunity to examine those matters at that meeting, which comes shortly before the NorthSouth summit meeting to be held in Mexico in October. They have indicated that they wish to do so, and I am confident that the results of that review will make a positive contribution to the work of nations attending the meeting in Cancun and to the work of this Assembly. 236. Seven Heads of Government who will be in Melbourne will go to Cancun.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

41. “It includes major industrialized States, newly industrializing States, least developed countries, island developing States and oil-exporting developing States. Its frank and informal way of working has helped build consensus among its members, 234. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will be considering many of the subjects before this Assembly. It will take up the questions of decolonization and racism in Africa, particularly as they relate to Namibia and South Africa; the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the Vietnamese occupation of Kampuchea; arms control and disarmament; the Indian Ocean; human rights; and the law of the sea. Nevertheless, a principal focus of the meeting will be the present state of NorthSouth relations.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

42. “I am aware that nonCommonwealth Members of the General Assembly may not be fully aware of the role and function of the Commonwealth. 232. The notion of the Commonwealth as a colonial relic has now been well and truly dispelled. The modem Commonwealth has been responsive to the needs and aspirations of its members. Moreover, it has made several important contributions to the international community, including arrangements for majority rule in Zimbabwe and support for establishment of the Common Bind. 233. The Commonwealth has some distinct advantages as a forum for the consideration of NorthSouth issues. Over a quarter of the States represented here today are members of the Commonwealth.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

43. “The potential contribution of the private sector must be recognized and it must be given the opportunity to participate. We are sure that the global negotiations process, conducted in a multilateral framework, will be able to provide a role for the private sector. Our approach to global negotiations must embrace all aspects of economic endeavor. 230. The problems of a difficult world economic situation have not prevented the efforts of member countries to get NorthSouth cooperation moving again. Recent meetings in Caracas, Ottawa, Nairobi, Cancun and Paris have held out some prospect of progress. 231. In a few days time there will be an opportunity to review the state of NorthSouth relations when the biennial meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government takes place in Australia.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

44. “If we cannot do that we shall find, even though the negotiations may begin, that the process will constantly be placed in jeopardy because the expectations exceed the results that are politically possible or economically feasible. If the process of global negotiations is to be resumed in the most promising context we should all carefully review our demands and expectations, in terms not only of what can be achieved but also of the timescale which might be necessary. We must devise proposals and procedures which will enable all nations and groups to make the maximum contributions within the realistic limits of their politics and capabilities. 229. In event, Governments alone cannot create the climate of international prosperity which will be necessary if we are to achieve the goals of the NorthSouth dialog.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

45. “We subsequently chose the alternative of fighting inflation as a first priority, restricting government spending, cutting back government deficits and making careful use of monetary policy. That strategy has resulted in a significant reduction in inflation and unemployment, higher rates of growth and a greater inflow of the overseas capital so vital to the development of our national resources. 228. But Australia recognizes that for progress to be made in the NorthSouth dialog industrialized nations must do more than simply use whatever strategies they see fit to put their own houses in order. Those nations, whose participation will be vital to the success of any global round of negotiations, must be persuaded that on balance their domestic and external interests can be pie served and indeed furthered.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

46. “In mentioning Australia's distinctive economic performance, I am aware that within the market economies different economic strategies will have to be used, as appropriate, to produce the results both North and South are looking for. Over the last decade Australia has used two strategies, with very different results. 226. We initially looked to government to provide the solution to our economic problems, in the expectation that government could provide a comprehensive shelter from the harsh economic realities of the times. Rapid growth of government spending and relaxation of restraints on the money supply were translated directly into unacceptably high levels of inflation. The damage to employment and investment was immediate and severs. 227.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

47. “Those economies generate the vast majority of the world's wealth and clearly, any setbacks they suffer will be felt far beyond their own borders. The fact is that the prospects for the peoples of the world's less developed nations hinge largely on the economic fortunes of those motor economies. In looking at how progress can be made in the NorthSouth dialog, we must not lose sight of the stake all nations have in a strong and dynamic international economic system. 225. Australia's recent economic performance is in contrast to that of most of the other industrialized nations. We have made real progress in fighting some of the most intractable economic problems. I suggest it is worthwhile to examine how we have done it.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

48. “Nations cannot put up the shutters and attempt to live in self-imposed isolation. We must respond not only to the demands of our own national communities but to those of the world as a whole. 223. In approaching the NorthSouth dialog, we must concentrate on its essential elements. Over time, procedures and agreements will have to be devised which generate benefits for us all, not in equal measure perhaps, and certainly more for the most disadvantaged, but nevertheless benefits for us all. 224. In Australia's view, genuine progress in North South questions will only be achieved if we acknowledge fully some of the realities of the international economy. We should recognize that the major industrialized countries of the North will be asked to carry the biggest share of the burden.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

49. “Nevertheless, there have been some encouraging developments notably the agreement to set up the Common Fund for Commodities and the creation of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The need to manage the growing interdependence of States demands that we do much more. 221. If the NorthSouth dialog is managed effectively and in a spirit of cooperation and compromise the international economic system will be able to make necessary and equitable adjustments. We can avoid serious disruptions, which would be damaging for developed and developing countries alike. 222. To do that we need to understand the consequences of greater interdependence. Recognition of interdependence is essential, not only for prosperity, but also for longterm peace and security.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)

50. “Our belief in the need for change stems from our conviction that new attitudes and new arrangements and, above all, a new commitment are needed to tackle the most fundamental problems of the present international economic system. We believe that merely preserving the status quo is not enough and that all nations will gain from a growing and more integrated world economy. 220. Over the last seven years a number of significant declarations have been made under the auspices of the United Nations. Many of these resolutions are landmarks in the search for a new basis for international cooperation. Unfortunately, we have so far found it very difficult to put the spirit of them into practice. Rhetoric, conflict and division have characterized debate over NorthSouth issues.”

    1981-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 36 (1981)