YouSaid · the spoken record

Lopez Michelsen

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS LOPEZ MICHELSEN

lines on the record: 70
first: 1968-09-24
most recent: 1969-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Optimistically we believe that, given the will to change existing conditions, we shall be able to forge ahead. To the great States we say: Create the: conditions, give us the tools, and we, by our own efforts, will carry out the task of freeing two thirds of the human race from hunger, ignorance, disease and unemployment.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“A division of labour similar to that which occurs naturally in large countries, leaving industries requiring a large volume of manpower in areas where this is plentiful, and large concentrations of capital in areas where this is to be found, should also take place on a world-wide scale. 47. Thus, with wider horizons for world trade, with the abandonment of imperial or post-colonial preferences, the semi-industrialized countries would be able to have access to the large markets, with indisputable benefits to the consumers themselves. This is why we attach such great importance to the task of trade liberalization which the United Nations is promoting for the Second Development Decade. 48. We seek less power for States and more welfare for the individual, a larger trade flow and less interchange of strong words and missiles among nations.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Will not this then be the real challenge of our times, in the Second United Nations Development Decade? 46. Our countries do not aspire, however, to receive from alien hands the benefits of progress. We only want to change in the framework within which other countries achieved it in the past. We only seek access to world markets on a non-discriminatory and non-reciprocal basis. A greater participation of our continent in the world market would be tantamount to setting out on the road to development with a resolute step. But, as my Government has stated repeatedly, for this to occur there must be established a reciprocity between the backward and the developed regions going beyond the supply of raw materials subject to ruthless competition both from the older producers and from the manufacturers of artificial substitutes.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The application of science and technology — in a word, education — plays a similar role in both cases, whether it be to turn inventiveness to the making of war material or to awaken societies that have been sleeping in a centuries-old lethargy. 45. Therefore, the effort to make the objectives of the Second United Nations Development Decade a reality must combine the question of the reduction of armaments with positive measures, in order to start diverting energies which are today devoted to preparations for a hypothetical war towards the benefits of a better distributed and more widely enjoyed world prosperity, and, first and foremost, to face the problem of unemployment which, either openly or in disguised form, afflicts the under-developed regions.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The very notion of development implies the concept of making the most of something that already exists, be it labour, the resources of the sea-bed or the resources of the subsoil, but which cannot be used for lack of means. Many factors — indeed the same factors which, channeled on a vast scale into the armaments race, have made possible the achievements of the new era — are involved in the process of development. Firstly, economic resources when they are allocated on a vast scale to mobilize inert wealth and to promote full employment assist nations in their so-called “take-off” towards consumer societies.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Many of the world’s resources are lying idle, are unexploited or are in process of disappearing because of imbalances caused by mankind itself. It is incumbent on the Assembly at the present and at forthcoming sessions to make a thorough study of the exploitation of the resources of the sea-bed, of the definition of the limits of territorial waters by agreement between States, of the use of outer space for peaceful purposes and of many other equally important items which are on the agenda. 44. However, undoubtedly the most important item before the Assembly, particularly for countries like Colombia, must be the one relating to development.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The Powers of Europe, America and Asia which were exposed, during the great depression of the 1930s, to massive unemployment among their workers, find a palliative for this scourge in the employment brought about by contemporary war industries and their related industries. In this way, unemployment among men and women, which mentally we associate with the last crisis of the industrial world, has been transferred to the developing countries, with its train of poverty and disorders, in proportions and with characteristics never before recorded in the history of mankind. It is essential that at this session of the Assembly, at which the Second United Nations Development Decade will be discussed, there should be a clear awareness of how serious is the problem of unemployment in the rural and semi-industrialized areas of the world. 43.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“This economic process not only consumes the money of the great Powers but determines the whole gamut of contemporary problems as well: the problems of poverty, of racial differences, of education, of housing and employment, not only in the competing countries themselves but also in those that could receive greater attention were it not for the pernicious obsession with armaments. 41. The complex processes involved in manufacturing modern weapons also concentrate employment in only a few centres of industrial and technological development in the world. When battles were fought with arrows each State found work for its inhabitants, whose job it was to sharpen them. In the era of rockets and supersonic planes there are few indeed, outside the industrialized countries, who can participate in their production. 42.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Yet, natural wealth and resources are concentrated to such an extent in the hands of those States which are the leaders in the armaments race that it would be utopian to think of an improvement in general conditions, while relying solely on the good intentions of the small States but without the determined will of those States which to a greater degree are contributing to the strangulation of the international economy through military expenditures at an almost exclusively national level.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“When the studies for the Second United Nations Development Decade are beginning, and in view of the failure to reach the goals set for the First Decade, the reduction of military expenditures, with the consequent utilization of part of those resources to raise the living standards of backward areas, becomes particularly relevant. A number of countries have repeated, at this session, their intention to devote 1 per cent of their gross national product to the development of the less developed areas.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Naturally, the establishment of such a force would have to be accompanied by a clear definition of what is meant by aggression and by an unequivocal differentiation between internal conflicts and international conflicts, over which latter the United Nations has jurisdiction and in which, without renouncing the concept of sovereignty, it is possible to frustrate the already traditional gambit of evading the Organization’s resolutions condemning discrimination based on religion, race or nationality, by alleging that the problems concerned are internal ones. In the same range of ideas, the question of disarmament, now entrusted to the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament, should be the principal item on the agenda of the General Conference which Colombia intends to request. 40.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“It must be accompanied by measures which, within the framework of the Charter and the rules of procedure, invest the Security Council with greater enforcement powers, such as the creation of a permanent force, international in character, to give effect to its resolutions, by force if necessary. 39.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Such a force, permanent in character and not created to deal with a specific case, would replace the occasional expeditions which, organized in the midst of power conflicts and in the ebb and flow of momentary interests, have the result that the financial and material contributions of each State subsequently become a breeding-ground of further difficulties for the proper functioning of the Organization. 38. The will to strengthen world security cannot be limited, as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has requested, to calling for the withdrawal of troops from occupied territories, which would be merely a solution for transitory difficulties, properly speaking.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Equal importance should be attached to the reform of the functions of the Security Council and of the Secretary-General himself as far as his good offices for the purpose of bringing about an understanding between the parties in dispute are concerned. The persistent disregard of resolutions against racial discrimination, of those which order a return to the status quo ante or those whose purpose is to protect the rights of minorities makes it imperative to provide the Security Council with a force of its own, a secular arm.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“It is not possible, without a new and close examination of the principles that allow of such events, to continue indefinitely studying limitations with a view to conferring on small States the status of associate members, because of their small size, while at the same time failing to investigate whether 700 million human beings in the Asian continent would be interested in enjoying the benefits of the world Organization and abiding by its rules. This is an unanswered question which must be cleared up in order to decide upon a course of action which is in harmony with the purposes of the United Nations. 37.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“As more and more voices are heard calling for universality in the United Nations, voices like that of the President of Colombia, like those of 16 June 1969 in the Security Council, and like those of many illustrious personages who are calling for a study of the participation of People’s China and other new countries, the conclusion is reached that it is essential to stop evading the question and face up to it, while simultaneously undertaking a general consideration of the rules for the admission of new States to the United Nations, and defining unequivocally what, by general consensus, is meant by “a new State” in the international community. 36.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“the right of self-determination of the people of Taiwan, whom the Organization could hardly exclude, and a number of other questions relating to a general settlement of disputes on the continent of Asia. 35.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“This was recognized in this very same hall some years ago by His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff of Rome and, more recently, by President Nixon when he stated that the United States would have no objection to a request for admission by People’s China if there was a willingness to abide by the rules of the Organization. The question of the admission of mainland China, if indeed it wishes to form part of the Organization, cannot continue indefinitely to be treated as a procedural question involving a decision as to whether it is one of the so-called important questions requiring a two-thirds majority or whether it is a simple matter of credentials. What is at stake are the general interests of peace, respect for.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“My Government’s reasons are very clear, and I have been very much pleased to see that they are shared by other States. The balance of power in the present-day world is not the same as it was in 1946. The Secretary-General, U Thant, who is so objective and impartial and whose opinions deserve all our respect, said at a press conference that for some years to come the international scene will be dominated by the nature of the relationship between mainland China and the two super-Powers, and it is an obvious fact that world peace cannot be organized while a nation possessing the capacity for waging war on such a scale as People’s China is excluded. 34.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“In the same way, over the years, imminent or real threats to the peace have been averted with honourable and satisfactory solutions for the parties in dispute. 32. Nevertheless, Colombia considers that even though this balance is so positive, in view of the new circumstances of the present-day world, some reform to bring the Charter up to date is imperative. For this purpose it intends to request the holding of a General Conference, as provided for in Article 109 of the Charter itself, trusting that although this initiative comes from a small country, from one of those countries which are generally assigned the role of spectators and not of actors in this Assembly, the experiences of the last twenty-five years may prove the timeliness and appropriateness of such an institutional readjustment. 33.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“But does not this state of affairs indicate to us not only the need to assess the results achieved by the Organization in this quarter of a century but also the desirability of its being restructured institutionally in some respects? 31. No one would venture to deny the balance of beneficial results that have been achieved by the United Nations in its brief existence in the fields of culture, health, nutrition, economics and peace itself. There have been many conflicts of all kinds that the Organization, sometimes discreetly and sometimes dramatically, has helped to settle. Barely a month and a half ago the Organization of American States, a regional organization which forms part of the world system, ended an armed conflict between two sister nations when events as serious as the occupation of territories had already occurred.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Here in this very Assembly, we have witnessed the great paradox that Viet-Nam, which is not on the agenda of the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly, has been the central theme of many speeches. In like manner, we have seen how the Middle East conflict, on which there was rare unanimity in Security Council resolution 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967, has been delegated to the so-called Big Four, with a last hope of reaching agreement, in view of the failure of the regular organs of the Organization to make their own resolutions effective. Colombia regrets this state of affairs but understands it. It is better to seek, at whatever cost, the re-establishment of peace through the agreement of the great Powers than definitely to give up the search.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“We see how little by little strategic concepts of the period prior to modern intercontinental missiles, when the range of armaments necessitated a policy of alliances designed to secure launching bases, which today are an anachronism, are being relegated to oblivion. The most advanced types of rockets allow the super-Powers to take charge of their own security without the need for partners, and the large States can now boast of not having in their continental appendices any “soft bellies” where they can be hit. 30. We have before us, however, armed conflicts which have remained unsolved for years, in the face of the impotence of the United Nations and of the super-Powers themselves. The cases of Viet-Nam and of the Middle East, no less than civil or racial wars, are obvious examples.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“plans to be submitted to the Members of the United Nations for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments.” 28. What have we achieved in this respect? It is true that significant progress has been made, particularly in regard to the outlawing of chemical and bacteriological warfare, and the results of the nuclear non-proliferation treaties, both world-wide and regional, are encouraging in some respects; but it is no less certain that we have lived for years on end under the strategy of terror in search of a détente, of which the words which we have heard here are harbingers, in that they relate to renunciation of unilateral action, of spheres of influence, of the Great Powers’ role of gendarme, in order to return to the collective concept of the rule of law. 29.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Therefore, in 1946, paraphrasing a great Latin American who said a century ago: “Peace is respect for another’s rights”, we could then say: “Peace is the satisfying of another’s hunger”, with the prospect that large economic resources diverted from the arms race would be channelled, at least in part, towards the development of the least developed regions of the world, giving bread, literacy and work to millions of human beings. Article 26 of the Charter states the same thing when it affirms: “In order to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s human and economic resources, the Security Council shall be responsible for formulating...”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“In this way we return, after many high hopes of global strategy, to the concept which took shape with the reconstruction of Europe and Japan, following the San Francisco Conference, namely that peace rests equally on strength of arms and on social stability based upon the satisfaction of a minimum of needs which, for twentieth-century man, is as important as his own particle of freedom was for the man of previous centuries.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Furthermore, it is known that in the wars of our times and for all the more reason in future wars there are no absolute victors or vanquished, nor will there be, but rather that victory, which is more difficult to achieve than in other ages, imposes obligations on the victors themselves; it is also a known fact that between countries whose economic and technological development is comparable only a very transitory military superiority can be gained. The ever more strenuous efforts required to establish an immense industrial and military complex, while they may make possible feats such as the voyage to the moon, must ultimately be regarded as a waste in the light of the urgency of human needs, not only in the underdeveloped areas, but also in the industrialized countries themselves. 27.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The very nature of nuclear weapons, which, when the United Nations came into existence, were in the hands of a single Power, has forced all the participants in the arms race to change their outlook. Today, with the new distribution of power in the world, it is more imperative than it was a quarter of a century ago to achieve disarmament and agreement through dialogue and negotiation in a spirit of mutual respect.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“All of us, all States, large and small; see in collective security the true guarantee of world peace and no one fosters any longer the illusion that it can be the gendarme responsible for maintaining international order. The persistence of many conflicts between small States can rightly be attributed to interference by the great Powers, as was stated here by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel, when he said: “For when the complex national interests and rivalries of great Powers are superimposed on a regional tension, the result is often not to reduce the tension but to broaden its scope” [1757th meeting]. 25. Therefore, despite the inevitable setbacks in a process as complicated as the maintenance of peace, we can contemplate the future with optimism on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Organization. 26.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“This was the distribution of forces taken into account by the Charter and which today no longer exists. The designation “enemy” States is an anachronism which corresponds to the conditions prevailing in 1946. After the years of alliance against totalitarianism and of competition among the super-Powers, we are returning to that path from which we should never have strayed, namely that international order is not the task of any State in particular but is the collective duty of the community. 24. The enormous responsibility of maintaining world peace which the United States assumed for the first time in history, as President Nixon reminded us here [1755th meeting], is also a thing of the past. What was a dissident opinion a few years ago has now become a commonplace.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“In contrast to this change amid stability, where technology, science, religions and political institutions also adapt themselves to their new context, the United Nations remains the same, governed by a Charter, namely the one signed in San Francisco, which was drawn up twenty-five years ago to operate for geopolitical conditions which have now been surpassed. 22. A few days ago [1756th meeting] the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union reminded us here how this Organization had been conceived by a coalition of peace-loving countries which, despite ideological differences, succeeded in restoring the rule of international law, making themselves responsible for the maintenance of order against the law-breakers of the Nazi-Fascist axis. 23.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“The prodigious conquest, which is said to have been carried out in the name of all and which in an egalitarian society of nations, with a universal Organization, should have been carried out under a common direction and with the support of all mankind, is but the accomplishment of one super-Power, in which it demonstrates its unquestionable superiority. 20. As we enter this new era, new responsibilities and new obligations are entailed for each one of us. This has been perceived intuitively by churches, empires and States, which have been shaken to their foundations by present day developments known as aggiornamiento, or “decolonization” or the “thaw” and bow to the signs of the times. 21.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“And notwithstanding the fact that the astronaut, Armstrong, when he planted his flag stated that he did so “for all mankind“, as a generous act towards his rivals in the space race and towards those who will never achieve a comparable degree of development, how many considerations does this event not give rise to? 19. As inconceivable as the sidereal distances covered are to the general public, so also are the technological, economic and social gaps which separate some inhabitants of the earth from others.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Emilio Arenales, the representative of a Latin American nation and of a generation destined to face the challenge of our times with personalities of outstanding character such as his. 18. Reference has been made here on numerous occasions to the heroic feat of a human being setting foot on the moon for the first time. There can be no doubt that this constitutes a decisive landmark in the progress of mankind. The very destiny of man and his place in history have been placed in a new light. In the last ten years we have made the most rapid progress of the species in many centuries.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“16. I think it is a good omen that our deliberations this year are presided over by such a distinguished personality as Miss Angie Brooks. The affection and esteem in which she has been generally held for years in the United Nations are well deserved and, on this occasion, she embodies many of the values which constitute the nucleus of the Organization’s concern, not only as a woman but as a representative of a small country and of a race whose influence extends to several continents. Colombia rejoices at her unanimous election to preside over this Assembly. 17. Nor can I fail to record with a profound feeling of sorrow the disappearance from our midst of our last President, Mr.”
1969-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 24 (1969)
“Arenales embodies all the virtues of his great little nation and his election is not only a high honour for the entire Latin American community, but also a guarantee of impartiality, discretion and good judgement in the conduct of our debates. His experience as a veteran diplomat will ensure that the office of President will continue to be used to further the cause of peace, as it was by his illustrious predecessor, Mr. Corneliu Manescu, whom all Members of this Organization remember with gratitude and to whom we shall be delighted to pay tribute during his forthcoming visit to Colombia.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“On the contrary, it was established in order to free the Organization from the rule of material or numerical force and allow it to act independently as the guardian of the law in settling armed conflict. 161. The delegation of Colombia would regard it as a good omen if, beginning with this session, there were to be a thaw in previous positions that would lead to a constructive dialogue instead of verbal clashes, and if the full effectiveness of the collective security mechanisms could be restored. It is man’s last hope of permanently securing the long-desired boon of peace. 162. I do not wish to conclude without welcoming, on behalf of my country’s delegation, the election of Mr. Emilio Arenales, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, as President of the United Nations General Assembly at its twenty-third session. Mr.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Let us reform ourselves, both great and small, temporarily committed as we are to unilateral solutions, and return with fresh minds to the concept of collective peace, placing the security of the world in the hands of the Organization. Let us not allow the great Powers to misuse the veto — which was instituted for the protection of their interests — to take advantage of the Organization by preventing it from dealing with the theatres of war that at present constitute mankind’s greatest concern. The veto was not meant to be used to circumvent the jurisdiction of the United Nations and carry out invasions and landings, thus placing the world Organization in the position of a spectator.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“However, it is just such intellectual courage that is needed to break the vicious circle in which the United Nations finds itself becoming increasingly deadlocked because there is not sufficient intellectual courage to break through stereotyped attitudes. Only by using creative imagination, as new developments occur, can we prevent this Assembly from resembling the performance of a play in which each actor plays a preassigned role because the instructions from Governments to their representatives do not vary substantially from year to year. 160. It would perhaps be premature at this stage of the general debate to speak of amending the Charter itself, especially since it is not the tools but we the workmen who have been failing to implement the policies for which the United Nations was conceived.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“He was referring to the need for his country to discuss the problems of South-East Asia with the People’s Republic of China, the advisability of reaching an agreement on the dismantling of the Warsaw Treaty and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the readmission of the Republic of Cuba to the American community of nations. We are not in a position to judge the political implications that these “unthinkable” thoughts might have for different nations; for just as a United States citizen might consider certain subjects “unthinkable”, it is not inconceivable that, in other parts of the world. even if certain forms of censorship did not exist, the liberalization of political customs and practices or tolerance of criticism of government action might also be termed “unthinkable”.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“It would be to no avail for the signatories of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to spend fifty years discussing the matter around the conference table or to sign hundreds of treaties, if the super-Powers, outside the restrictions imposed by the non-proliferation Treaty on the parties, retain their capacity to unleash, in the space of one day or one hour, a nuclear confrontation. 159. A few years ago a member of the United States Senate qualified as “unthinkable” those ideas which, even though accepted inwardly, are prevented by the attitude of society, in an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust, from coming to the surface.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“My Government is confident that it will be possible, in the near future, to secure the accession to this Treaty not only of States that are not able to manufacture nuclear devices but also of countries that might be in a position to do so in the near future. If this is achieved, then, as with the overall problem of disarmament, all that would remain is to persuade the Powers possessing or capable of producing nuclear arsenals to reach an agreement on banning the use of such weapons by placing them under international control.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Nations its significance as a catalyst of human solidarity, rather than an impotent spectator of a new distribution of power wherein, although the actors and the stage have changed, the anachronistic principle of preserving peace by demonstrating the capacity to wage war — as in the days of ancient Rome — remains unchanged after more than twenty centuries of civilization under law. 157. In this regard the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [resolution 2372(XXII)] marks one of the greatest achievements towards solving the conflicts that darken the horizon, by establishing a world-wide commitment to avoid them. 158. On behalf of my delegation, I am glad to announce, that, within the next few weeks, the Government of Colombia will be instructing its representatives to sign the non-proliferation Treaty.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“We must go back to the idea of multilateral action, be it with regard to problems of territorial or economic security, exploitation of the resources of the sea, or control of nuclear energy. We must rise above the policy of blocs or spheres of influence, replacing it by respect for law and the equality of nations under the aegis of the United Nations, by forming, among those of us who share this principle, a bloc of impartial peace-loving nations, respecting the rights of all countries that refrain from taking justice into their own hands, receiving or giving assistance with political implications, engaging in tariff wars or countenancing acts of piracy in the air such as occur from time to time in various regions in the face of collective indifference. This is how we could restore to the United.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“What would happen if, carrying this process further, the United States of America were to close its doors to coffee, tobacco, bananas, sugar and cocoa from other continents, in defence of the products of the American continent? Would we not be favouring an economic standstill similar to that which ruined the world economy four decades ago? Great efforts have been made to universalize trade and replace partial arrangements by comprehensive multinational conventions aimed at organizing marketing and trade on a world-wide scale, but here as in other cases the insular spirit of groups or regions continues to prevail, despite the need for supranational action that would complement the United Nations peace-keeping mission by attacking war at its economic roots. 156.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Among other reasons, it must be remembered that the division of the world into regional, sometimes antagonistic, blocs leads to the establishment of regional or national protectionist policies which, with the barriers to trade, create a tariff war atmosphere similar to the one prevailing on the eve of the great world crisis of 1930. How can we expect an improvement in the situation of the less developed countries through fairly generous foreign aid if, at the same time, tariff barriers to international trade are erected and every exporting nation finds the door slammed in its face because of political or regional considerations? This is what happens to our tropical fruits in the market of the European Economic Community, where the new African and Asian States receive privileged treatment from the former metropolitan countries. 155.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“The contrast between the failure of some bilateral assistance plans and the success of others which have no strings attached, such as those of the Inter-American Development Bank and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, speaks eloquently against the use of aid as a pretext for making the debtor country directly dependent on the creditor country. Any contribution to the universalization of foreign aid is a contribution to peace and to the improvement of social and economic conditions in countries Members of the United Nations. 154.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“Only a very small number of loans do not bring, implicitly or explicitly, in some cases political and in many cases commercial or economic advantages to the lender. Multilateral aid is practically non-existent. 153. In foreign aid as in the maintenance of peace, the United Nations often acts merely as a notary, recording what others do. Might it not be appropriate to bring up the question of the need to universalize the problem of foreign aid, just as it is necessary to universalize the problem of peace?”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“This is undoubtedly an effective means of co-operation; none the less, if the loans were not administered unilaterally but rather channelled through the United Nations, to be used by the recipients to their best advantage, not only would this expedite development but it would help to prevent the inevitable friction between creditor and debtor countries which, in spite of mutual goodwill, may, as a result of the inflexibility of some minor official, lead to irreparable misunderstandings. Paradoxically, where both producing and consuming countries benefit from the agreements reached in world conferences sponsored by the United Nations, for the purpose of regulating trade above and beyond political considerations, as in the case of coffee and sugar, there is no comparable arrangement in the field of foreign aid.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)
“They are not really free to choose how they will use the assistance so generously given because, as is recognized in the current terminology, many of the suppliers’ credits are “tied”. In other words, more than economic aid, the loans are a means for promoting the exports of the strong State so that the weak State, buying today, is indebted to his supplier for the morrow. 152.”
1968-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 23 (1968)