YouSaid · the spoken record

Sharp

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS SHARP

lines on the record: 134
first: 1968-09-24
most recent: 1973-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

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“Mr. President, the Canadian delegation looks forward with hope and determination to the proceedings of the twenty-seventh session, over which you will preside. We count upon you for that same wisdom and judgment which characterized your distinguished predecessor's term of office. Your election is a mark of our high regard for you and for your country. Poland symbolizes for the world the unquenchable flame of national will blazing out after centuries of darkness. We remember that the terrible war which brought this Organization into existence began in the defense of Poland's national independence. We remember, too, the debt every country in the world not least my own owes to the Polish people in all the arts of civilization. How fitting it is, Mr.”
1972-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 27 (1972)
“It needs a United Nations that has renewed itself, that has transformed itself from an arena in which Governments jostle for transient political advantage into a place of action where issues are faced, solutions are found and problems resolved. Such a United Nations would do more than serve the ambitions of member Governments, it would begin to meet the needs of the peoples of the world in whose name the Charter was proclaimed. Canada's faith in the United Nations ideal is unimpaired, and we will continue to work with others to strengthen and renew this great body upon which so many of man's hopes are fixed.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“There is no need to call into question the basic structure of the Organization. But the fact that we do not wish to rebuild the house does not mean that we should delay essential repairs to the plumbing and the wiring. For this reason I call upon Member States to give urgent and continuing attention to the essential detailed work that is required, without losing sight of the fundamental need for all of us to reexamine our own attitudes to our responsibilities under the Charter. 59. The relevance and the competence of the United Nations are being called into question all over the world. The world community needs the United Nations.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“Areas to be studied would obviously include documentation, rules of procedure and related questions. The proposed committee would also study the ways in which items are allocated to the main committees of the Assembly, Recommendations would take into account the need to ensure that all important political items were properly placed and adequately considered in future Assemblies. 57. The effectiveness of the General Assembly and the United Nations will always depend upon the will and determination of the Member States. Changes in procedure and organization cannot of themselves improve the quality of the General Assembly's performance. They can enable the will of the Assembly to be translated into action more swiftly, accurately and effectively. We should not underrate such improvements, and the Canadian delegation does not. 58.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“My delegation has in mind that any reforms to be effective, must attract the widest possible support and be based on a consensus to be endorsed by the Assembly, hopefully at the next session. 55. In terms of the material and operations to be studied, the committee's mandate should be wide. This study would take into account the nature of the Assembly's work, its priorities and organization and the effectiveness of its machinery. At the same time, the committee's mandate should be narrow in that it would restrict its recommendations to the procedure and organization of the Assembly as envisaged within the limits of the Charter. 56. Our proposal is a modest one, but I believe that even limited changes could have a very beneficial effect on our working methods and on the results achieved.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“This is neither an original nor a new idea, but at this quarter-century mark in United Nations history we in this Assembly face again the task of self improvement. 53. It was this belief that led my Government, with the support of twelve countries, to request the inclusion in the agenda of an item for consideration by the Assembly entitled "Rationalization of the procedures and organization of the General Assembly". This proposal [A/7992 and Corr.1], which will have a number of additional cosponsors from various regions, envisages the establishment of a committee with equitable representation from all groups. 54. The committee would report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly at its next session, thus allowing the committee time to give thorough study to the problems before it.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“The Canadian delegation believes that in this year of anniversary we should seek practical ways of improving the United Nations capacity for converting common purpose into common action. It is ever more difficult for this Assembly to cope with the number and complexity of international programs and projects it has set in motion. Important work is often postponed or left incomplete. This compounds organizational and administrative problems and imposes additional expenses, burdens and obligations . 52. This is the time, in our opinion, to follow up the improvements in the Second Committee last year and, rather than proceeding piecemeal, to take a comprehensive look at the General Assembly's procedures and organization.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“In my speech on behalf of Canada last year [1769th meeting], I drew attention to the need for renewal of the United Nations. Events in the past twelve months, some of which I have spoken of, have brought a new sense of urgency to this need. Procedural improvements can help, and I will have something to say about this in a few moments. They cannot in themselves meet the need. 50. In its work for mankind the United Nations is today facing new threats, new constraints and new obstacles. The very assumptions upon which the Organization operates must be reexamined if the aims of the Charter are to be advanced. This advance will depend on the readiness of Members to exploit opportunities, to bring new attitudes to bear and to set practical objectives for the Organization. 51.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“Canada has made available the services of a distinguished public servant, Mr. Maurice Strong, to be Secretary General of the 1972 conference . 47. All around the globe nations are in a state of uncertainty about the economic outlook. 48. World prosperity and world security are indivisible and depend upon the strength of the world economy. Over the years the United Nations has set up partly in anticipation of needs, partly in response to demands a large and impressive family of intergovernmental bodies and other international instruments for strengthening cooperation in important fields such as finance, trade, and economic and social activity. Their contributions to better world conditions rank high on the record of United Nations achievement. The continuing need is to keep them effective. 49.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“We can be thankful that deteriorating situations in other parts of the world have not been used to impede the movement toward the relaxation of tension between the superPowers. The strategic arms limitation talks continue, rapprochement between West Germany and the Soviet Union has been taking places, and similar improvements are foreshadowed. 44. While international conflicts, and especially outbreaks of violence, of necessity occupy the attention of many Member Governments, they must not be allowed to overshadow equally important developments of concern to the entire world community. 45. Developing nations see a crisis in the international development programme. Canada shares their concern and is making an increasing contribution. 46. Environmental issues are looming larger each day. The United Nations, I am happy to say, is responding.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“If the Middle East conflict, with all its new dimensions, were the only threat facing the world, that would be sufficient to occupy fully the energies, imagination and resources of the world community. But in other parts of the world there are formidable obstacles to peace and security. 41. We have found no answers to the continuing race conflict in southern Africa. It continues to smolder more and more dangerously and if nothing is done might end in a conflagration engulfing the southern half of the continent. 42. In IndoChina, war burns with varying degrees of intensity while the talks Paris show little sign of coming to grips with the real issues. 43. Europe remains divided but there have been some encouraging developments.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“Air hijacking must come to be regarded as abhorrent, never to be condoned or justified, regardless of the motives of the hijackers. 38. Even without these new complications the peace talks in the Middle East are stalled because of substantial charges and counter-charges of ceasefire violations. The parties and the sponsoring Powers that brought about the ceasefire must be aware of the dangers implicit in this situation of deadlock and deterioration. 39. I believe that the United Nations is on trial in the face of an obvious threat to the peace in the Middle East. This means that all of us, the Member nations, are on trial. If we are to meet this challenge we must stand behind and support the efforts Ambassador Gun nar Jarring and others are making to bring peace to that troubled area. 40.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“In the course of these events we have seen new dimensions added to what is already a growing threat to world order. I refer to acts of air piracy. In the Middle East a significant new dimension is the holding of innocent people hostage for ransom for political and other purposes, one of these being to compound the difficulties already surrounding the ceasefire. 37. No Government in the world today can fail to be concerned about the far-reaching implications of this kind of international lawlessness. It is my strong conviction, and the strong conviction of my Government also, that legal and technical arrangements such as those being discussed in the International Civil Aviation Organization, necessary as they are, cannot produce the whole solution.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“Angie BrooksRandolph, who fulfilled her responsibilities with grace and distinction, bringing to her task long experience at the United Nations and special knowledge of the African questions which occupied so much of our attention during her year of office. 36. Only a few weeks ago, the ceasefire in the Middle East and the proposals for negotiations to settle the conflict there gave cause for some cautious optimism. Today we are faced with a deadly serious situation in the Kingdom of Jordan, a situation which has already manifested itself in new violence and bloodshed. The struggle between forces within Jordan threatens to involve neighboring countries and there is a constant risk of widening conflict involving more distant Powers.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“The General Assembly is fortunate indeed to have as its President, in this year of anniversary, a distinguished citizen of Norway, a country that gave the United Nations its first Secretary General and has always made a constructive contribution to our work here. As the General Assembly knows, our President is a member of a family that for half a century or more has played an active part in international organizations. I wish you well, Mr. President, in your new responsibilities and assure you of the active support of the Canadian delegation. 35. I would also like to congratulate the retiring President, Mrs.”
1970-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 25 (1970)
“They will be fulfilled if we can lift our eyes from the marrow concerns of transient political advantage and national self-interest to a broader horizon that encompasses the whole family of man. We are all bound up together. It is together that we must learn to live in peace, it is together that we must apply all our resources to the betterment of the human condition. The United Nations can be the supreme instrument for the achievement of those great tasks. It can also become no more than a monument to man’s lost hopes and lost opportunities. It is the Member countries that will determine what course this Organization will follow, and like you, Madam President, we have faith.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“As a contribution to meeting this need, we expect to introduce legislation in the forthcoming session of the Canadian Parliament to provide for the establishment of a Canadian international development research centre. The goal of this centre will be to devise and develop new ways to apply science and technology and the latest techniques of analysis to overcoming the very subtle combinations of political, economic and social factors that hinder the process of development. Although the direction and operation of the centre will be a Canadian responsibility, it is intended to enlist the aid of experts and scholars from all parts of the world. 80. To keep the peace and to improve the conditions of life on earth: these are tasks that call for all that is best in us.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The level of the Canadian development assistance programme has increased very substantially in recent years and, despite the application of budgetary restraints to high-priority domestic programmes, it will continue to grow. 78. Moreover, we are making a determined effort to improve. the quality of our development assistance and our capacity to administer the larger programme that we envisage for the future. Our experience has convinced us that development is hindered as much by a lack of knowledge, or a failure to apply the knowledge already available, as by inadequate resources. At this particular moment in time the knowledge gap is even more critical than the resource gap. 79.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Never before has there been such a concerted assault by mankind on poverty and restricted opportunity. Yet even greater efforts are required to broaden the base of public support throughout the world for the cause of international development in the Second United Nations Development Decade. Setting guidelines and targets is only a beginning. Success or failure will ultimately depend on the determination of us all, the developed and developing countries and the international institutions, as together we come to grips with specific development projects. 77. Let me for a moment relate these considerations to Canadian policy. It is our declared national objective to improve the lot of the poor and underprivileged through development and trade.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“For many developing countries the growing burden of debt service is eating away at foreign exchange earnings already eroded by falling prices for many of their traditional exports, and by barriers to their access to markets. 75. It is for this reason that the study being undertaken by the World Bank’s Commission on International Development, headed by a former Prime Minister of Canada and former President of this Assembly, the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, and Sir Robert Jackson’s study of the capacity of the development machinery of the United Nations are so important and so timely. Their reports will provide new insights into the strength and weaknesses of past policies and procedures, and their recommendations will provide the basis, I hope, for more effective international action in the future. 76.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Development assistance has reached record levels and developing nations are becoming increasingly skillful at shaping and implementing plans for economic and social advancement. The economic indicators show that the poor nations are making more headway in their struggle to break the shackles of poverty. 74. What is being done does not yet, however, match the need and some recent trends give cause for serious concern. Although the volume of assistance has grown substantially during the past decade, continued growth is threatened by economic difficulties and, to some extent, by disenchantment in some key developed countries. In recent years the terms on which assistance is granted have shown a marked tendency to harden.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The second great goal of the United Nations is to bring economic and social justice to the world by providing an opportunity for the developing countries to escape the treadmill of poverty on which so many are trapped. If we can liberate the creative and productive powers of the untold numbers of men and women whose energies are now bound up in the struggle to exist, the future horizons of mankind will be immensely enlarged. There are many who say that such a goal is Utopian. I say that the words of the United Nations Charter are testimony that for a generation the world’s leaders have believed that it is attainable. 73. Let us have no doubt about it: a great deal has been done.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“One of those resolutions established a committee to devise workable rules to supplement existing humanitarian law; the other resolution focused the attention of this new committee on non-international armed conflicts. 71. The Canadian Government has lent its full support to efforts by the International Red Cross to go further than has heretofore proven possible to build a system of legal as well as moral standards of humanitarian behaviour. We are extremely gratified at the success achieved at the International Conference of the Red Cross and we pledge to do our utmost to follow up the Conference decisions with specific action. 72.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Meanwhile, Canada is continuing, in the face of discouragingly slow political progress in Cyprus, to participate in the peace-keeping operation there, as well as in the United Nations peace-observation missions in Palestine and Kashmir. 70. There is so much to be done to ease the suffering and misery of the innocent civilians who get caught up in the vortex of war. It was for this reason that Canada joined with Norway at the recent International Conference of the Red Cross in Istanbul in urging the adoption of a declaration of principles on international humanitarian relief to civilian populations in disaster areas. Two other related resolutions, also co-sponsored by Canada, were adopted at the Conference.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Once the model for an observation mission has been completed, the working group should go on to develop models for other kinds of peace-keeping operations. 69. There are difficult problems of a political, legal and financial character. Perhaps, as a representative of a country with a certain experience in peace-keeping operations I might offer a comment. It is essential that these problems should be given urgent consideration. There are many real risks in dispatching peace-keeping forces in moments of crisis without having worked out the necessary arrangements in advance. Our experience in peace-keening forces certainly reinforces that conclusion. The Committee of Thirty-Three has been helpful in drawing attention to the questions that must be answered. They have been less successful in providing the answers.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Its full implementation could have restored peace to the Middle East. Yet today the conflict continues to rage. 68. I am convinced we can do more to improve the machinery to head off disputes before they erupt into open warfare. This is why Canada is urging forward the peace-keeping studies being carried on in the Committee of Thirty-Three. In a working group of that Committee a concerted effort has been made during the past year to develop a “model” for the conduct of military observation missions authorized by the Security Council. As a participant in this study we have been encouraged by what has been accomplished but at the same time we are disappointed that the possibilities for much greater progress have not been realized.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Let us remember, too, that the founders of the United Nations provided in the Charter procedures for the pacific settlement of disputes designed to stop the insane pattern of fighting and bloodshed which, from time to time, disfigures our globe and today particularly Viet-Nam, the Middle East, and Nigeria. It is a sad commentary on the state of the world community that it has no capacity to order the cessation of hostilities, except to the extent that the combatants are influenced by world public opinion. The current tense situation in the Middle East perhaps illustrates most graphically the nature of our dilemma. The Security Council unanimously adopted on 22 November 1967 a resolution [242 (1967)] which imposed an equitable balance of obligation on all the parties to the dispute.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We recognize the valuable contribution represented by the draft convention for the prohibition of biological methods of warfare prepared by Britain and submitted at the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament. The Secretary-General’s report together with proposals advanced in Geneva and the draft convention put forward in this Assembly by the Soviet Union [A/7655] will all help to guide and facilitate our deliberations. The procedural resolution Canada sponsored, which we hope will be included in the report of the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament, is directed to the same ends. 67.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We shall nevertheless continue to co-operate actively as a member of the standing Committee on the Sea-Bed and as a member of the Geneva Disarmament Committee in efforts to achieve the two main purposes of the United Nations on these questions — first, to develop an effective legal régime for the sea-bed and ocean floor beyond the limits of national jurisdiction and second, to ensure the preservation, for peaceful purposes, of the largest possible area of the sea-bed. 65. I turn now to that other menace to the survival of the human race — chemical and biological warfare. The Secretary-General’s report has told us once again — if we needed to be told — the tragic consequences of using these dreadful weapons. At this Assembly we shall be considering proposals to eliminate them. 66.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Consequently, when the arms control aspects of this question were considered by the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva, we put forward specific suggestions designed to ensure the protection of the interests of coastal States and smaller countries. We were particularly concerned to safeguard these interests through adequate verification provisions to assure compliance with any arms control treaty on the sea-bed. 64. The results of the deliberations of the standing Committee on the Sea-Bed and the discussions on this question by the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva are not all we had hoped would be achieved.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“In the hope that a step forward could be made toward overcoming the verification problem, Canada proposed in the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament at Geneva.that an international system of seismic data collection should be explored through inquiries to all Member States seeking information about the facilities at their disposal and their willingness to make information freely available to all nations. This proposal will be pursued in this Assembly. 63. The sea-bed and the deep ocean floor are the last earthly frontiers, The last General Assembly decided that this new environment beyond the present limits of national jurisdiction must be preserved for peaceful purposes. Canada, as a country with one of the longest coastlines in the world, has a vital interest in the fulfilment of that decision.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Of all the arms control issues that have tried the patience of the world in recent years, the most onerous has been the effort to conclude a comprehensive test ban treaty to supplement the 1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water. The endless argument is continuing over whether on-site inspection is necessary in order to verify violations of an agreement to prohibit underground tests or whether national means of seismological detection are adequate for this purpose. At the last General Assembly a resolution [2454 (XXIII)] was adopted calling for the highest priority to be assigned to effective measures to limit the nuclear arms race and to achieve nuclear disarmament.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Should we be discouraged by the slow rate of progress or by the fact that although some ninety countries signed the non-proliferation Treaty only seventeen have deposited the necessary instruments of ratification? I do not think we should be discouraged. One cannot afford to be discouraged when the survival of mankind itself is at stake. We look forward to this Treaty coming into force this year and we urge its early ratification by all Governments that have not yet done so. 61. One of the most encouraging events in the field of arms control in recent days has been the coming into force of the Treaty creating the Latin-American nuclear-free zone, and Canada wishes to express its congratulations to the Latin American countries responsible for this very positive step. 62.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“At the last session of the General Assembly, Canada joined most Members of the United Nations in welcoming the achievement of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution 2373 (XXII)]. We were the first nation with nuclear capacity to ratify this Treaty. What the Treaty contains is important enough, but its promises are at least equally significant. None of the provisions of the non-proliferation Treaty is more vital than Article VI in which all parties to the Treaty — and this applies particularly to the nuclear Powers — agree “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament”. 60.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The new weapons now in the final stages of development in the Soviet Union and the United States give a new urgency to this task. Unless the world seizes this moment to stop the upward spiral in arms race technology we run a very real risk of a breakdown in the equilibrium of deterrence that now provides what security we have. 58. I should like to say here that Canada regards the strategic arms limitations talks that the Soviet Union and the United States have agreed to hold as the most significant development in recent years. We urge both parties to begin at once. If the talks are entered upon in good faith, with goodwill and without delay, they could prove to be a turning point in world history. 59.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“I am sure I speak for many delegations as well as my own when I pledge to do everything possible to assist you in this task. 56. I make this appeal today, because it offers the only avenue for a renewed United Nations with a more stream-lined and effective structure, where Member nations will seek solutions rather than empty propaganda victories, a United Nations that will be more truly representative of the aspirations of mankind. Such a revitalized organization would be better able to come to grips with its great dual task: to keep the peace and to improve the conditions of life on earth. 57. To keep the peace. This is the primary purpose of the United Nations. The supreme challenge is to find something better than the balance of mutual fear and deterrence on which the present uneasy structure of global security rests.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Madam President, you are known to all of us for your personal devotion to the United Nations as well as for being the distinguished representative of a Charter Member which has contributed much to the Organization. What I have just said shows that we share the views, expressed so cogently in your speech [1753rd meeting], about the future of this institution and what Member States must do about it. For these reasons, may I express the hope that in fulfilling your high office as President of this Assembly, you, and the officers elected to assist you, will accept as a challenge to your leadership the urgent need to launch a vigorous programme of renewal? The new shoe of restraint and self-discipline will be bound to pinch for a time, but the resources saved can be used for constructive purposes.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Action of this kind will enable us to take best advantage of the useful advise that will be forthcoming in the report of the Enlarged Committee for Programme and Co-ordination and in Sir Robert Jackson’s study on the capacity of United Nations agencies to administer development assistance programmes. 54. I feel that I must express in the strongest terms my conviction that continued failure to deal effectively with these institutional problems has already begun to erode the foundations of the United Nations as a cathedral of hope for the aspirations of mankind. Powerful and wealthy nations may be able to contemplate this process with only a modicum of concern. For most Member nations represented here, however, such a prospect is intolerable. 55.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“During that period the total of the assessed budgets has more than doubled, and, if the present growth rate were to continue, would reach half a billion dollars by 1974. The absence of effective control of budget expansion has meant that priorities have become blurred. Programmes have been carried on long after they have ceased to be relevant to needs. Staff with inadequate qualifications or capacities have been recruited and kept on rather than weeded out, and as a result the quality of the work of the Organization has deteriorated. 53. The cure for this illness is a period of consolidation of existing activities before striking out in too many new directions.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“During the past few years there has been mounting evidence that the great Powers have recognized the sterility of cold-war policies, but we have yet to see this realization translated into effective action. There is also the practice, which has become so common that it is taken for granted, of forcing the Assembly to vote on resolutions that attempt to translate moral judgements into calls for actions which the Organization manifestly has not the capacity, nor, in some cases, the legal authority to carry out. Resolutions of this kind only hurt the cause they purport to serve. 52. Thirdly, the programmes and activities carried out by the United Nations family of organizations have multiplied during the last ten years.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“I urge these measures because I believe they are essential to the future progress of the Organization. At the same time we should acknowledge that such remedial action can deal only with the symptoms rather than with the disease itself. Member nations, locked in out-dated concepts of sovereignty and national interest, find debate to be a convenient substitute for action. As long as this attitude persists the United Nations cannot hope to fulfil the aspirations of its founders. 51. Secondly, even with the benefit of nearly a quarter-century we do not seem to have learned the lesson that confrontation between nations is no substitute for negotiation.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The credibility of the United Nations as a negotiating forum and as an instrument for resolving the world’s problems is wasting away. Public confidence in the Organization is being weakened and public support is being undermined. 49. We can, and should, act to arrest this process by identifying priorities and dealing with them in an effective and businesslike way. We must also find the new techniques needed to deal with the problem of the unwieldy size of United Nations committees and boards, particularly those responsible for United Nations action programmes in the all-important field of development, Some of these boards are almost as large as the United Nations itself was not so many years ago, and have proved ill-suited to fulfil the purposes for which they were created. 50.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“There are three areas in which remedial action is imperative: first, the United Nations, including all its organs and associated agencies, is drowning in a sea of words — to which I am contributing this morning. Talk is of the essence at the United-Nations, but to be useful it must be kept within reasonable bounds. As we all know, this is not being done. The number of conferences and meetings, and the paper they produce, have increased to the point that even those Members with the largest resources have difficulty in providing competent representation and coping with the flood of paper. As the conference-load increases there has been a corresponding decrease in effectiveness. This has led Governments to attach less importance to United Nations activities and efforts.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The institutional problems facing this Organization are difficult in themselves. They are compounded by the fact that, because of their intractability, there is something like a tacit conspiracy, in which we have all joined, to pretend they do not exist. The situation might be compared to the cumulative effect of pollution in a lake or the action of the sea on the foundations of Venice; failing vigorous corrective measures a slow but certain process of destruction is going on all the time. If we do not act there is a very real danger that, instead of fulfilling its high purpose as a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the achievement of the objectives set cut in the Charter, the United Nations will become a side-show on the international scene, its activities brushed aside as irrelevant. 48.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“I choose, however, to deal with this question first, since Canada believes that the United Nations must fail to reach its goals if it cannot come to grips with its own problems, It is hard indeed to build something of value, something that will stand, if your tools are blunted and ill-designed for your purpose. 46. In addressing myself to this question, I should like it to be absolutely clear that the criticisms I have to make and the remedies I will suggest come from an active and loyal member of the family of nations represented here. Canada has shown its confidence in this Organization by its wholehearted participation in all aspects of the work of the United Nations. We could not conceive of a world in which the United Nations did not have a central and vital role to play. 47.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“As the United Nations approaches its twenty-fifth anniversary it is faced with three imperatives: first, to avoid the scourge of global war and to contain and settle more limited conflicts; second, to speed the way to economic and social justice for the hundreds of millions of people who are now deprived of both; and third, to come to grips with the serious institutional problems facing the Organization at this time. This morning I shall have something to say on each of these matters as they appear to the Canadian Government. 45. Of these imperatives the first two — the prevention of war and the struggle to raise the standard of living — are perhaps as old as mankind itself. The third — to strengthen and renew this Organization — is new, and is peculiar to this time and this place.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“42. Madam President, twenty-four years ago your delegation to the first session of the General Assembly was one of four from the continent of Africa. Today that number has increased ninefold. In electing you to preside over the Assembly this year we acknowledge not only your personal contribution to the United Nations, but also the distinguished services of your delegation. 43. I should also like to join with those who have preceded me in this debate in paying tribute to our distinguished President of last year, Mr. Arenales. We remember him as a statesman who served his country and the United Nations faithfully and well. 44.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“It is not by the number of resolutions which we adopt that posterity will judge us, but rather by the determination that we show in dealing with the pressing issues of our times and in carrying out the decisions that we make. In this spirit, on behalf of Canada, I pledge sustained and vigorous support of the United Nations.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Its membership has almost tripled. It has formulated new priorities and is moving in new directions. It has demonstrated powers of adaptation in response to new demands. Human rights, economic development, co-operation in new environments, such as outer space and the ocean floor, have taken place as matters of major concern alongside the more traditional but nonetheless vital questions of war and peace. Indeed, it is now understood better than it was that all these questions interact. 93. As we endeavour to meet new challenges, we should not lose sight of the fact that the effectiveness of the United Nations is bound to be measured in the eyes of world public opinion against the practical results which follow from our resolutions.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“The question of the representation of China is the most important of these issues, even though it is not strictly a question of membership. My Government has made public its decision to explore the possibilities of entering into diplomatic relations with the Government of the People's Republic of China. It is not in the long-term interests of world peace and security that the Government in Peking should remain isolated. For this reason, we think that this Government should be represented at the United Nations. We would welcome any equitable proposal which would facilitate the representation of the People's Republic of China in this Organization, having regard, however, to the rights of existing Members. 92. The United Nations is a very different Organization from the one which Canada helped to found more than twenty years ago.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)