YouSaid · the spoken record

Ahouanmenou

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS AHOUANMENOU

lines on the record: 41
first: 1971-09-24
most recent: 1972-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

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“Let us join our efforts to make of the United Nations a real, effective source of solutions to conflicts and of the improvement of the standards of living of hundreds of millions of human beings who still live in need and poverty, because the objectives of peace must be based, to quote Seneca, "on a common mode of existence, on a way of living for others, if we really want to live for ourselves". 217. Let us together, then, solemnly undertake to translate into fact those wise words of Seneca so that the Second United Nations Development Decade can be the decade of peace and a better future for everyone.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“From all the speeches that have been made from this rostrum there emerges the unanimous and constant will of all States to live in peace, to rid themselves of the threats facing humanity, and to ensure coming generations of a better future, a future of greater justice and dignity. We are convinced that the United Nations can and must be the instrument of our actions if we want to meet those aspirations. We issue an urgent appeal to countries large and small to strengthen the means available to our Organization With a view to permitting it rapidly to triumph over its difficulties and meet the hopes reposed in it by all the peoples.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The success of this development requires that the transfer of this capital and technology take place without overwhelming the recipient countries by exorbitant repayment schedules and without placing them in a situation that prevents them from controlling their own economic priorities and their own social structures. 215. In spite of the great concern aroused by the conduct of the affluent countries in the face of the problems of development confronting the third world, my Government appreciates the resolutions adopted in Santiago in favor of the least advanced countries and hopes that the special measures to be taken will rapidly be made effective in order to reduce the enormous lag of those countries. 216.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“As far as concerns assistance, the objective of the International Development Strategy is, as we know, that of bringing to at least 6 per cent the average annual rate of growth of the gross national product of developing countries. We are therefore entitled to hope that the new Decade will see a qualitative increase in assistance from the rich to the poor countries. Unfortunately, in this regard it is regrettable that the means advocated by the third world in Santiago have not won the total support of the donor countries. 214. For its development, the third world fundamentally needs capital, as also technical expertise and the practical abilities necessary to use such expertise.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Furthermore, we think it is urgent for general agreement to be reached on the stabilization and improvement of commodity prices. 212. Furthermore, the present monetary situation has aggravated the deterioration in terms of trade and the various readjustments made necessary by the situation have even further increased the indebtedness of the developing countries. Our Organization should without further delay contemplate compensatory measures for the countries of the third world and associate them with all negotiations on reforming the international monetary system in the light of the influence any reform will inevitably have upon the economies of the developing countries. 213.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Thus at the third session of UNCTAD, held at Santiago, Chile, with regard to the primary problems, the search for solutions which might have given rise to some hope for the third world came up against the opposition of the rich countries, whose concern to avoid undertaking commitments of a general kind became even clearer than it had been at previous conferences. In fact, everyone preferred to make use in his zone of influence of concessions as instruments of pressure. It is, incidentally, remarkable that in actual practice in the last decade the elements of inequality and domination in relations between rich and poor countries have been intensified. Consequently, the least we can ask of the affluent countries is that they refrain from aggravating a situation that is already extremely alarming.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In spite of all these efforts the United Nations still remains powerless to solve the great problems of development faced by the third world. 210. In the realm of trade, the efforts of certain industrialized countries to apply an appropriate policy of access to their markets in order to increase the export earnings of the developing countries are certainly substantial. But the process is slow, and the products concerned often represent only a small proportion of total exports, particularly so far as concerns processed products. That is why my country notes with infinite regret the failure of all attempts to find appropriate solutions to the principal problems raised at various international meetings. 211.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“An opinion often expressed from this rostrum as also in the course of many international conferences is that total disarmament would be the surest guarantee of international peace and security. We should like to reaffirm that, and to make it clear that the allocation of the tremendous resources devoted to the manufacture of military devices to the needs of the third world would be the noblest and most effective form for the international co-operation humanity requires in order to assuage substantially the poverty and tribulations of the "have-nots" in both the developed and the developing countries. 208. In the economic and social field, all efforts converge towards the search for balance, and all nations are trying to overcome the numerous difficulties they face by incessantly increasing co-operation and assistance. 209.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Although in practice this agreement constitutes nothing but the freezing of the number of missiles in the nuclear arsenals of the two super-Powers, it does permit the hope that discussions with a view to general and complete disarmament will have a favorable outcome. 206. Thanks to the sustained efforts of the international community, many agreements have now been reached in the field of the limitation of arms and, indeed, in the field of the prohibition of nuclear tests. We would with the Secretary-General express the hope that those efforts will go on and rapidly bring about the necessary political decision for the final conclusion of an agreement on the total prohibition of nuclear tests. 207.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“It is for that peace and peaceful coexistence that we should be happy one day to see the Chinese of Peking and the Chinese of Taipei sitting around the same table, animated by the same desire to bring about the normalization of a situation which more than 20 years of history have imposed upon China. 205. Still within the framework of detente and international security, the nine-day visit of the President of the United States to the Soviet Union after a quarter-century of cold war marked a decisive turning-point in the process of detente and disarmament. Indeed, the great success of that visit will be the agreement on the limitation of strategic arms.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Our Organization is now at the crossroads. The entry into the United Nations on 25 October 1971 of the most populous nation on earth is in itself a sign that a new era has begun for the great family we form in this Assembly. If we have welcomed that admission as the prelude to the strengthening of the role of the United Nations, we are entitled today to express our gratification at another event that will inevitably have a beneficial effect on the evolution of international relations. The historic visit of the Chief Executive of the United States to the People's Republic of China at the beginning of this year was for the whole world an illustration of the essential truth that differences in ideology are not incompatible with the search for peace and coexistence.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The Indo-Pakistan agreement on bilateral relations based on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter was brought about thanks to the wisdom of the heads of the Governments of the two countries, who thus affirmed their faith in the virtues of dialog for the peaceful settlement of international disputes. 203. The difficult heritage of the past cannot be swept away at a single stroke. But what counts is the will of all parties to hold themselves ready for the discussion of problems that are often quite acute. This will was clearly expressed by the two Governments, and we want from this rostrum to express to them our admiration and our pleasure, as well as our hope that there will be rapid agreement on the fate of the prisoners of war and displaced persons in accordance with the wishes expressed by the Security Council. 204.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Thus, on its own initiative, Korea has found its own path towards reunification without foreign intervention thanks to the wisdom and determination of its leaders. We take great pleasure at this happy course of events and hope that all the members of the international community will refrain from adopting any position which might jeopardize what has already been achieved and will endeavor to encourage the two parties to persist in their search for a restoration of peace. 202. Another date which will go down in the history of international relations is that of 3 July 1972, on which the leaders of India and Pakistan decided to let bygones be bygones and sat down at the negotiation table at Simla.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“However, in spite of all the difficulties which still persist in bringing about a peaceful settlement of this conflict, we continue to believe that reason will finally triumph on both sides and that external influences will be brought to bear in the direction of safeguarding peace rather than that of maintaining a precarious order dictated by mere material interests. It is to this end that we very much hope that there will be continuation of negotiations under the aegis of the Secretary-General, and we would request all peace-loving nations to give him their support. 201. Our optimism as to the possibility of bringing about a peaceful situation in the world has just found some justification in the direct contacts which have recently taken place last May between South and North Korea.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The state of affairs in the Middle East has remained stagnant since our last session in this same hall, and one might wonder with some concern whether this "no peace, no war" situation will persist for a long time to come. On both sides of the cease-fire line, armed enemies in possession of the most advanced and sophisticated forms of human and material destruction are in a state of confrontation. All the efforts of our Organization to persuade the parties to proceed from declarations of intent to the actual negotiation of a true and lasting peace have not yet met with any success.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The tragic internal conflict which rent the Sudan for almost 17 years has just been brought to a happy end thanks to the mediation of the African Conference of Churches and His Majesty Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. This is a great victory for the people of the Sudan and its leaders, who brought about the triumph of tolerance and wisdom in order to make national reconciliation possible. I should like to take this opportunity to express to the Secretary-General our appreciation for his efforts on behalf of the United Nations to render assistance to the Government of the Sudan and to help it in rehabilitating the people of the southern region of the country. 200.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“In spite of the reluctance of the administering Power and of some others to associate themselves with the Security Council resolutions on Rhodesia, the conclusions of the Pearce Commission have made it quite clear that henceforth there is no point in trying to decide the destiny of African peoples without their own participation. This is a lesson which should be pondered, particularly by the South African, Rhodesian and Portuguese Governments. 198. Furthermore, the agreement recently reached with the South African authorities for the appointment of a representative of the Secretary-General for Namibia constitutes a step forward, for which we wish to congratulate our Secretary-General. Nevertheless, I should like to make it clear that for us the final goal still remains self-determination and independence for the people of Namibia. 199.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“We should like still to hope that the reasons of the heart and of morality will succeed in replacing the cold logic of material interests which the folly of men has tended to place in the position of highest priority. 197. Some striking facts of contemporary political affairs in recent months do justify some hope. The meetings of the Security Council in the African city of Addis Ababa in January and February of this year was the occasion for us to convince the great Powers of the Tightness of our cause and to bring to the attention of world public opinion the fact that our struggle against racial oppression and colonialism perpetrated against a large portion of our continent is a just one.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The passivity with which some people view the repeated violations of fundamental human rights which manifest themselves in the form of a cruel racial discrimination in southern Africa and the atrocious wars of reconquest in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea (Bissau) calls into question the whole international code of ethics which gave birth to this Organization. But if there are nations which still believe in the validity of the purposes and the objectives of the Charter then the time has come for them to take a stand in choosing between a new awakening for the construction of a better world for everyone and a return to a quite recent past when the right of might prevailed over the might of right.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Everything suggests that Africa will be for a long time to come the sick continent of the century and the most long suffering one or our planet. With the multitude of problems which beset it on all fronts and the procession of misfortunes and frustrations which have afflicted entire generations in this world which is supposed to be so modern and civilized, we are entitled to wonder whether men have not reached a point of resignation where they take a kind of gloomy delight in witnessing the contrasts constituted by liberty and unconcern.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Kurt Waldheim, about whom you will allow me to say a few words, has already showed that he measures up in more than one respect to the task that faces him. His many trips to Africa, Europe and more recently to Asia have been the occasion for broad diplomatic action whose impact on the international situation will be very important for the future of our Organization. His efforts to improve the financial situation of the Organization cannot be overlooked because they have already yielded appreciable results. We must recognize that in such a short time our Secretary-General has performed some positive tasks in the service of the Organization. For that alone he deserves our warm congratulations and admiration. 196.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“This nobility and this breadth of soul of your countrymen, together with your personal qualities, which are familiar to us all, allow us to predict that your election to the presidency of this Assembly will inject new life in the Organization, which will truly make of it a center for the search for peace and international security. 194. Permit me now, Mr. President, to pay a particular tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Adam Malik, for his great competence, tact and courtesy in conducting the proceedings of the twenty-sixth session. 195. It is in the nature of things that any human enterprise from time to time requires an injection of new resources of invention and ingenuity to ensure its normal progress and to improve its results. Our new Secretary-General, Mr.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“The Treaty of Warsaw, concluded and signed on 18 November 1970 between the People's Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany, 13 can in itself justify the confidence we have in your country, through you, in organizing and conducting the proceedings of this session. With its acute sensitivity to measure and balance, the heritage of a culture drawn from the sources of the Europe of classicism, the people of Poland has always set an example of moderation and justice in its relations with the rest of the world. This people, which was divided more than once in the course of its history, has preserved its unity thanks to its genius and the force of its persevering and enduring nationalism.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“Mr. President, representing my country once again in the General Assembly of our Organization, it is a pleasant duty for me to express to you my warmest congratulations on your election to the presidency of the twenty-seventh session of the General Assembly. This honor done to your personal qualities is also a tribute to the great country you represent for its indefatigable contribution to the cause of peace. And there is no reason to conceal the fact here that Poland itself has recently given evidence of its attachment to peace when its leaders agreed a little more than a year ago to settle peacefully an old frontier quarrel which rendered precarious a true normalization of the situation stemming from the Second World War.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“It is quite simple, and we might perhaps all do well to ponder it: "The sun that shines upon us was not put there to see us weeping for ever."”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“232, It is high time that the resources of the earth were enjoyed by all who inhabit it; that the luxury and comfort enjoyed by some no longer served to insult the dignity of those in need who aspire only to work and make a fair profit to enable them to lead a decent life. ^33. It is time that those who have been isolated by circumstances should now join the family of the United Nations. 234. It is time for our Assembly to cease being a debating society and to become a place where we "an all pool our energies and where everyone can gird his loins for the great march, the march to peace and development. 235. In the face of so much misunderstanding, intolerance, brutality, stubbornness and enmity among peoples, I sometimes recall a phrase from a song which one of my school-teachers taught me.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“It is here that we should recall that for more than 20 years the Republic of China has loyally participated in the solution of numerous and difficult problems that have arisen in the United Nations. And, may we add, in its participation it has never spared either time or effort in assisting us. 230, The 25 years of the United Nations' existence have furnished irrefutable proof that our planet possesses all the material resources and all the human potentialities required to create a world of happiness and prosperity. 231, The arms race inflicts on humanity a painful and needless hemorrhage. It gives rise to a gigantic waste of money that might be much better used in the fight against the many diseases that afflict humanity, in improving unequal standards of living, in bringing solace to the poor of the world.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“As for us, we believe that the world will be built through the efforts of all men united in solidarity in the great crusade, the crusade for peace, Thus the Government of Dahomey is in no way opposed to having the People's Republic of China seated in our Assembly. 228. But if it is true that the construction of our world requires all the energy and all the intelligence possible, if it is true that admission to the United Nations has never been a function of the size and importance of the country concerned, then in the name of what sacrosanct truth are we passively to accept the exclusion of the Republic of China from the great universal family represented by our Assembly? 229.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“227, Throughout the whole world everyone is talking about the admission into this Assembly of a great people, namely the People's Republic of China. This problem is of world-wide dimensions and importance and has understandably aroused and excited world public opinion. How many words have already been spoken and how many more will still be spoken! For is it not true that it is neither decent nor realistic to confine in isolation and to go on ignoring any longer the existence of about 800 million human beings? Who can say that it is fair deliberately to exclude from the international "club" a country that represents one quarter of the world's population?”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“224, If, as the International Strategy and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development provide, there could be some arrangement far a policy of basic commodity prices, we think that the developing countries would thus be encouraged in promoting their development. 225. As to assistance by developed countries to developing countries, we trust that the progress of the negotiations on disarmament will lead to a positive conclusion, and make it possible to devote the resources thus freed to international co-operation and the advancement of the poorer peoples. 226. We appreciate the assistance which is given to us now and all the assistance which we will receive in the future to improve the destiny of our people and raise their standard of living.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“222, Was it not our awareness of this gap between the rich and the poor which led our Assembly 11 years ago to proclaim the First United Nations Development Decade [resolution 1710 (XVI)], Of course, we cannot be proud of the results obtained during the First Decade, because at our twenty-fifth session we noted that the gap between the rich and the poor, far from closing, has widened, and so poverty throughout the world has become even greater, 223, Thus, in a gesture of indignation, our Assembly proclaimed the Second United Nations Development Decade [resolution 2626 (XXV)], I hope this proclamation, a true act of faith, will always be borne in mind in the years to come.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Everything happens n if the problems of the small peoples dM not concern the big countries, but who can say that Urn peace of the rich will not one day be upset by the great misery and poverty of the poor? Let us be careful.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Finally, we might have believed that, confronted with such a challenge, the United Nations would, in a search for realism and honesty, have imposed respect for the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter to which we all adhered. 220. The facts show that cur Organization has not always been effective. But what explanation can we give for this? Everyone realizes that the colonialism which we have so often denounced has hidden support which is essential to it. Everyone knows that the economic sanctions decided upon by the Organization would have had beneficial effects if the profit motive, which has become the leit-motiv of a harsh and ferocious world, had not won out over respect for the human person. Everyone knows that a certain amount of un-confessed trade has encouraged regimes which we can scarcely approve or support. 221.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“We might have believed that, according to the democratic principles of Western civilization, Portugal, in the wake of the European march towards decolonization, would have recognized the right of peoples to self-determination and would have abandoned the illusory legal fiction which would have the Tagus River find its origin in the mountains of Kilimanjaro. 218. We might have believed that the numerous appeals to reason, the condemnations and economic sanctions I have mentioned here Would have led South Africa and Rhodesia to renounce an ideology which is repellent and mystifying, However, it seems that none of these measures will dissuade those who have decided to flout morality and the respect of the human person. 219.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“We need only recall the hope which they place in the Jarring mission and the favorable welcome they have given to the initiative of the 10 wise men of the Organization of African Unity to send the mission of four Heads of State to Egypt and Israel so as to find a solution to the crisis. The Government of Dahomey would join the many voices heard here in wishing full success to that mission. 216. Who would deny the discreet and unflagging action of the United Nations to create the psychological conditions which made these results possible? But, then, is it not time to ask what are the causes of the powerlessness of the Organization in seeking a solution to the problems of decolonization and racism on the African continent? 217.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Lately we have noted with satisfaction a certain thaw wherever the great Powers have decided to intervene to establish peace, whether in Europe, in the Near East or in Viet-Nam. The African continent, unfortunately, is still the theater of Fratricidal struggles where the inspiration of colonialism is not always absent, The positive results of negotiations on the status of Berlin and the initiative of the United States Government for a rapprochement with the People's Republic of China are facts which show that goodwill and perseverance can lead to the broad highways of peace. 215. In the Near East, although the situation does not encourage exaggerated optimism, the parties involved seem to want to achieve a lasting peace acceptable to all.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Under resolution 1514 (XV) most of the African and Asian countries represented here today in the Organization of the United Nations wer« able to attain their independence and accede to international sovereignty, but it was also in the implementation of that resolution that our Organization experienced some of its severest tests and bitterest disappointments. 213. Is it not true, in effect, that, in defiance of international morals and deliberately disregarding the condemnations of the United Nations, South Africa, Portugal and Rhodesia, assured of impunity, continued to perpetrate the ignoble policy of racial discrimination and exploitation of the black man? No one overlooks the grave threat of these practices to international peace and security. 214.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“The celebration was a time when we could all examine our Organization and draw up a list of its failures and successes and plan better conditions for the attainment of the objectives of the Charter. 211. Drawing up a program of action [resolution 2621 (XXV)] for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples [resolution 1514 (XV)] and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations *' [resolution 2625 (XXV)] and the International DevelopmentiJtfategy for the Second United Nations Development" Decade [resolution 2626 (XXV)] constitutes the basis for our future action. 212.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Who in the world does not recall and will not long recall his fine and laborious efforts to achieve a detente in Europe, and the consolidation, of peace in the Middle East and in the Far East, thus making a great and noble contribution to the cause of humanity? 208. Finally, I would be gravely remiss if I did not congratulate the outgoing President, Mr. Hambro, for the clairvoyance and the brilliance with which he conducted the debates of this Assembly. 209. We have just celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Organization of the United Nations. Just as after a holiday season one might be tempted to see in this twenty-sixth session an interval where we restore our strength. 210.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“Since then the spirit of Bandung has remained alive, because it has led to the independence of most Afro-Asian countries and has enabled them to consolidate their national sovereignty. 206. Destiny, which links Asia to Africa, going on beyond our two continents, has been joined here in our Organization with the pragmatism and rationalism of Europe and thus has achieved the universality of the Charter. 207. But, speaking of the Afro-Asian world, you will allow me to turn for a moment towards that other illustrious Asian, the Secretary-General, U Thant, whose numerous and undeniable qualities have won him a place at the head of this world Organization. The news reached us of the quasi-irrevocable decision of U Thant to abandon his functions as Secretary-General for personal reasons. We are saddened at the thought of his departure.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)
“204. May I be allowed, on behalf of my delegation at this twenty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly, to extend to the President my warmest congratulations upon his election to this high post. In addition to your numerous personal qualities, you are from a country Indonesia which is dear to us for more than one reason. For Bandung 1955 evokes in the mind of every African an era when the Afro-Asian world, united and in solidarity against colonialism, animated by the same vigilance against the domination of peoples and the enslavement of the third world, undertook the reconquest of its dignity. We are indebted to your country and to the people of Indonesia and its leaders who have shown such perspicacity and have understood that the past united us and that our strength in our struggle depended upon our solidarity. 205.”
1971-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 26 (1971)