YouSaid · the spoken record

MENON

lines on the record: 397
first: 1953-09-24
most recent: 1955-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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“All the Assembly asked for was that there should be direct contact and negotiations, but whenever that was asked for, Article 2, paragraph 7, was thrown at us. However, a beginning has been made. I do not want to speak too soon. We have seen that there are always difficulties, but I have no doubt that with the new feeling that now prevails, with the gradual recognition that the demands of national freedom are best met quickly rather than slowly and by direct negotiations in a dignified way with those who are in a position to deliver the goods, and before precipitous tendencies break up in the area itself satisfactory progress will be achieved. It is like collective bargaining in industrial disputes. 69. In some of the African protectorates, some advance is being made. 70.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The advance, perhaps, is not as fast as we desire, but at any rate it is in the right direction. Although it is not always recognized, my delegation is not only happy but anxious to pay tribute wherever advances are made. We realize that those in possession do not easily relinquish control, but in the majority of these cases the parties concerned have had the benefit of the extremely good relations that have prevailed between themselves and their former subject peoples. 68. Having said that, I was equally happy — though I say this with greater reserve because I do not know what the circumstances are, nor does anyone else — to feel that the Prime Minister of France has made a new approach to the problem of Tunisia, an approach for which this Assembly has been asking year after year.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I make bold to say publicly that the discussions which took place in Geneva have brought this problem another step towards unification — I should like my words to be noted — another step towards unification, which is nearer achievement than it ever was. To throw away this opportunity would be a great mistake. My delegation, for its part, will seek, as in the past, to be guided by the dictates of common sense and by the degree of assistance it can get from all concerned. 67. The next subject on which my delegation desires to express its mind is that of the colonial and Trust areas. I have already said there have been advances in this field. The Gold Coast, Nigeria, the French possessions in India, and Greenland, which was a Danish colony, have all shown an advance towards independence.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The Western Powers, the countries which sent troops to fight under the United Nations flag in Korea, believe in unification on the basis of elections in which there will be genuine freedom of choice by the individual elector, who will be free in fact as well as in name. . . We hope for the resumption of negotiations between the appropriate parties and at the appropriate time.” 66. In Geneva, the Soviet Union, China, North Korea, South Korea, and the other fifteen or sixteen Powers all agreed upon certain things: that there should be unification; there should be elections, and there should be supervision. I believe, as was discovered with regard to Indo-China, that very often the unfortunate circumstance prevails in public discussion that the same words are given different meaning by different people.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“In order to assuage any anxieties there may be, I want to say that our one desire in this matter is, as it always has been, in this or any other question, only to assist in the processes of settlement. If, therefore, this problem pursues that course of development, it may be the best part of common sense to leave for the present other matters relating to the Korean problem, which can be discussed at a later stage. 65. I am happy to feel that in this matter, up to this point, I appear to have the support of the major parties. I have read the speeches made at Geneva. I have read the speech of Mr. Spaak, the Foreign Minister of Belgium, and I heard Mr. Lloyd say on 4 October [487th meeting, para. 20]: “I think everyone feels that there must be no more fighting, that unification must be achieved by peaceful means.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“This is not the time to review the field or the points of common agreement; that will have to be done in Committee. All I want to say at this moment is that we cannot just forget this matter, but, as wisdom dictates and as prudence guides us, we shall have to take steps, with the least possible disturbance but with the greatest possible efficacy, to achieve the goal that is before the United Nations. 64. The goal before the United Nations was not just the ending of the war in Korea. That was part of the achievement of that goal, or of the removal of the impediments to achieving that goal. We will, at the appropriate stage and if circumstances permit, make some suggestion which may be acceptable to both sides.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“My delegation does not take the view that the negotiations — which, thanks to the decisions of the General Assembly at that time, have been strictly in accordance with the letter of article 60 of the Armistice Agreement — have ended; those negotiations are still in being. From the papers that one has seen, it appears that some day a report will be made to the United Nations, not a final report. 63. I make bold to say that, contrary to the usual assumptions, the proceedings at Geneva marked a definite advance. The Conference revealed, first of all, the desire by both sides to get together and a great deal of personal contacts were made. The three joint Presidents, Prince Wan Waithayakon, Mr. Eden and Mr. Molotov — as the two latter did in the other Conference — used their influence to keep it going and to bring about results.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“It is necessary that all foreign troops in Korea be withdrawn by both sides. The presence of foreign troops is not conducive to the dignity, the unity or the wellbeing of a people. A foreign army on the soil of any country is, by definition and by all considerations, something which is most undesirable. It is necessary for all foreign troops to be withdrawn and for the unification of Korea to be achieved. 62. In this connexion, my delegation may have proposals to make at a later stage. We are heartened by the feeling that there is general agreement about the necessity of bringing about the unification of Korea.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The next part is more ominous: “Now that the Geneva Conference has come to an end with no result, as predicted, it is quite in place to declare the end of the armistice.” 60. I think we should place on record in the plenary meeting of this General Assembly that the armistice and its termination are governed , by article 62 of the Armistice Agreement. While it is, I think, unkind — because, if I may speak in the privacy of this plenary meeting, the United States has exerted its very great influence to bring moderation to the counsels of this gentleman — we should ask the United States delegation to deal with this matter. 61. On the other hand, the fact remains that this armistice is an uneasy one; and it is our concern to convert the armistice into a permanent peace.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We are concerned, very concerned, about certain matters: that while there is no fighting, there is still no peace; and that a situation has arisen where not some ordinary person, not some irresponsible politician or some agitator, but the head of one of the party States, the head of the South Korean Government, speaking to the United States Congress on 28 July 1954, said, among many other things: “On the Korean front, the guns are silent for the moment, stilled temporarily by the unwise armistice which the enemy is using to build up its strength.” That is the “unwise armistice” which the General Assembly promoted under the leadership of the United States and the other parties concerned, including the enemy parties, after very long and arduous negotiations. 59.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I think that it would be a very bad practice if the United Nations were to call upon Governments and peoples to carry out certain responsibilities, and then forget all about them. 58. There are other matters of detail that I think it would be unwise to ventilate in this place; but on the general problem of Korea, the Government of India does not take an alarmist or a very despondent view.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“That subject is on the Assembly’s agenda, and we are therefore precluded — not by any ruling, but by the principles governing the good conduct of business — from going into any great detail here. 57. I hope that no one will think that I am speaking out of turn if I remind the Assembly that it has conferred upon my Government and country a very considerable responsibility as regards Korea, even though we were not active belligerents in the war. We were regarded by both sides at least as not having been too partisan. As I have said, India undertook considerable responsibility, along with other countries; we had a great responsibility as head of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission. The Government of India has submitted its report to the Assembly, and we hope that it will some time come up for consideration.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“If, however, as the result of direct talks, a united Germany emerges; if the two Governments are able, together, to present to the two sides — the Soviet Union, on the one hand, and the Western Powers, on the other, proposals which will lead to unity; if that is what the Germans want, and if it is in keeping with the security of the world, as it should be in present circumstances, then it appears common sense that such talks would open the way to some constructive solution. 55. My delegation wishes to place on record that these observations represent my Government’s view in this matter and its concern. 56. I come next to another problem, one in which we are more deeply concerned. I refer to the question of Korea.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“But, if there are two independent communities, as has been proclaimed, and if, as I have no doubt, the governments of those communities have the support of their own people, it appears to us that it should be possible for Germans to talk to Germans in order to find ways, or at least beginnings to establish the unity of their own country. We think, as we indicated in Geneva, that direct talks conducted in the way that the parties themselves may deem best, have a great value. That would not upset any arrangements that other parties responsible for the two sides today might have. This suggestion is not intended to take the place of anything now being done.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“It therefore appears that there will be one community divided into two sovereign camps. 54. On behalf of the Government of India, I would say that we think that it is time that there should be direct talks between the two sides, in order to bring about this unity which is of so much concern not only to Europe but to all of us, since the consequences of disunity have been so terrible for everyone in the past fifty or sixty years. We do not for a moment want to say — in fact, it is not our place at the present moment to say — what status or contents these talks should have, what form they should take, or anything of that kind.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We should therefore like to give expression to the idea — I do not say “to propose”; I do not know, really what words best to use — that a beginning could perhaps be made along the following lines. The Soviet Union has proclaimed that Eastern Germany today has sovereignty. Mr. Lloyd told us the other day that it has an army of a considerable size. Now, an army is usually regarded as an evidence of sovereignty. Eastern Germany has its own administration; it has, or will soon be given, sovereignty. The situation in Western Germany in this respect is similar. Western Germany has a government of its own and is also going to be allowed to have sovereignty when the occupation terminates, the occupation forces are to be withdrawn and other purposes are announced.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Now, the unity of Germany is not a concern of the German people alone, although we think that the achieving of that unity is very largely their interest and of greater concern to them. I would say, in all humility, that we cannot make a proposal in this connexion because the subject is not before the United Nations. But, speaking for a country which has international responsibilities and which, indeed, has been drawn into more responsibilities than we had really cared to undertake, we should like to suggest at this moment that, whatever may be the merits of the two solutions I have described, they both lack one merit: the other side will not agree. Without that merit, either solution is unworkable.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I do not understand all the details, but that is how I see the plan. 52. On the other hand, the Eastern side — that is, the Soviet Union — while also wanting a united Germany, which, indeed, is in accordance with the United Nations Declaration of 1942 and the general objectives of the successful termination of the war itself, asks for a different solution. The Eastern side asks that the two Governments, one in Eastern Germany and one in Western Germany — until recently, they were not sovereign Governments but authorities — should together and presumably on an equal basis, arrange for these elections in a coalition' government; that is to say, it is proposed that there should be unity before the holding of elections. On this matter the two sides have been at loggerheads, with the result that Germany remains divided. 53.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“All we know is this: It is now nine years since the end of the war, and there is still no peace. A German peace is necessary for world peace, and a German peace requires the unification of Germany, in whatever way that may be brought about. Without casting praise or blame on either side, I would say that it so happens that there are two schools of thought which are united in a desire for a Unified Germany, but which have different solutions to offer. 51. On the one hand, one side, the West, wants — quite rightly from its point of view and, as the plan is presented, quite unexceptionably — universal elections in Germany, presumably supervised by the United Nations, out of which will come some organ which will seek to unite Germany or will express the voice of a united Germany.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“It is from Europe that the great wars have been carried to other parts of the world. It is European wars that have enlisted us in conflicts. It is therefore right and proper that we, as independent nations and, what is more, as countries forming part of communities which represent half the population of the world — and here I do not speak in any sense of regional or national chauvinism — should refer to this matter. 50. This introduction is necessary because this is the first time that we have intervened here in this connexion. I have no desire at the present moment to raise the question whether the Members of the United Nations or any other country should really enter into these general discussions and problems. I make no comment on the recent developments in either part of Germany.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“In the Second World War — at Sidi-Barrani, Tobruk, Benghazi and El Alamein; in Tunisia, Italy and Greece; in standing guard in the Middle East, not only for what is now one side in the world conflict, but for both — the Indian army, the Indian people and their resources were engaged. 49. I do not for a moment suggest that a country should pay its way, so to speak, by participation in war. That would be contrary to all the principles which my Government and country hold. What I have said, however, is meant only to point out that if a war of this character should break out, if a situation should deteriorate and lead to world conflagration, the place, we think, where the danger to world peace still largely lies is Europe even more than Asia. It is in Europe that all the great wars have begun.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I make no reflection — but it so happens that, in the history of the last hundred years, it has been the position of Germany, whether in the direction of expansion or in the direction of internal unity, that has contributed to instability and to creating the conditions for war. 48. During the last thirty or forty years, my country — and at that time India included what is now Pakistan — was deeply concerned in this matter. In the First World War — in Flanders, at Mons, in Belgium, at Gallipoli, at Salonika, at Katlamara and in the rest of Mesopotamia — Indian soldiers paid with their lives, and it is generally recognized that they made some contribution to the victory and did their job as soldiers should.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“It may well be thought that the problem of Germany is a matter that has been discussed and considered by the four great Powers who had the major responsibility for defeating the Hitlerite armies in the Second World War. However, not only do we make no apology, but we consider that it is our bounden duty at the present moment to deal with this matter. But, in order to set doubts at rest, I am not going to say one word about the London Conference or what takes place in West Germany or East Germany internally. That is not my problem. 47. Why are we concerned about Germany? We think that Germany is the centrepiece of this peace fabric — or non-peace fabric. What happens in Germany will decide, to a very considerable extent, the question of peace or war.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The only other aspects of the Secretary-General’s report to which I want to make brief reference are the two items concerning personnel and the reorganization of the Secretariat. My delegation has views to offer on this matter, on principle, but we think that those views would be better set forth in committee than in the context of this general debate. I want to say here and now that those views are held after deep consideration, and they deal with matters which we think are vital to the health of this Organization. 45. I have dealt with general problems and with Asia and with the United Nations, of which we are part. I now come to some specific problems which are not covered by agenda items. 46. The first of these items is Germany. It may well be asked why the Asians, who are so far away, should have anything to say here about Germany.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“My delegation desires to make the suggestion — and it will make a proposal in the appropriate place — that the United Nations should set aside one day as a world Children’s Day, on which collections can be made for this purpose. Children can be brought into the understanding and consciousness of other children, together with all the problems that concern children, such as their health — and I do not mean only physical health. 43. This is not the time to discuss the details of this suggestion. My delegation intends to make this proposal in the appropriate committee, and we consider that this is the right place to say it initially — that the United Nations should set aside one day in the year as a Children’s Day all over the world. 44.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Whether it be in North America or South America or Scandinavia or Western Europe — which today includes the United Kingdom — or in the Soviet Union, where children have special attention, or in the continent of Africa, where they are neglected, the problem of children and the concern that we should have for them, not merely out of sentiment but as a reasoned-out proposition, is extremely important. 42. Therefore, my delegation wishes to suggest that UNICEF, compared to what it should do and it could do, is doing extremely little, but is doing it very well — and, what is more, its activity is increasing. Its resources are limited.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Here are the children of this generation, who in more ways than one are unlike the children of any other generation because the world stands today at a new epoch of civilization — and it is interesting that children do not appear to have inhibitions about curtains, whether of iron, or bamboo, or plastic, or nylon. 41. There is an exhibition in Delhi conducted by a man named Shankar, who gathers children’s paintings from all over the world. From forty-five countries, among them the most unexpected places, children between the ages of two and fifteen send in their paintings every year. Thousands and thousands of them come. Supported by the governments and the embassies, this exhibition has become an international institution.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Of the 900 million children in the world, 600 million are insufficiently nourished and insufficiently clothed. Some of them are without any clothing and are extremely badly nourished. Therefore, the problem that we have to deal with, while it may not have the same emergent character and is not likely to cause the same staggering reaction as the problem of atomic energy used for destructive purposes, is nevertheless one of the most persistent cankers eating into the social body of every country. 40. We therefore want to take advantage of this occasion to make a plea to the Assembly to give greater thought to the specialized agencies of the United Nations. Apart from everything else, they represent a great investment in understanding of and between people.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I should like to say a word about UNICEF itself, apart from the question of its activities in India. We are told, that in Africa, 3 million people are affected each year by malaria, and that 300,000 of them die. Here is a vast field in which the activities of UNICEF should be more widespread than they are. My delegation, conscious of its responsibilities as a member of the Trusteeship Council, has this year, on more than one occasion, raised the question of assistance by the specialized agencies to the colonial and Trust areas. UNICEF has some 25 million children under the umbrella of its activities. That sounds like a lot of children; but, when one considers that there are 900 million children in the world, one can see that this is a relatively small number.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Similarly, thanks to UNICEF and also to the generosity and the thoughtfulness of our sister State New Zealand, penicillin plants have been set up in India to deal with widespread diseases. But, above all, the BCG treatment for tuberculosis in India is planned on a larger scale than has ever been the case anywhere before. It is planned to treat 170 million people. As a result of these activities, there are today some 5,000 child welfare centres in India — perhaps it should be 50,000. UNICEF is, shall we say, one of the triumphs of the United Nations. We have made our contribution effectively and reciprocally in assisting other countries. What is more, any financial contribution that comes from UNICEF is many times added to by India itself, and that is why these things have become possible. 39.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The next organization that we want to speak about in some detail is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). We have a special interest in UNICEF because the degree of public support and public interest in this agency, and the extent to which its work has permeated India, are considerable. Its main activities have been in the field of the cure and prevention of malaria and tuberculosis. It may not be commonly known that in India 100 million people are affected each year by malaria, and that one million die from the disease. As a result of the start given by UNICEF, DDT factories have been set up, and many square miles of land in India have been sprayed. 38.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“It is something which makes a country feel that it belongs to the world of other countries and which makes men feel very much that they are brothers. 36. We have also had meetings of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) in India. I want to make particular reference to two seminars which were held, one on statistics and the other on housing. We, as a country, a people and a government, are interested in the attention which the United Nations pays to statistics, because for under-developed countries to see the picture as it is, constitutes the first step toward finding the causes and the remedies for problems. The Government of India pays considerable attention to statistical surveys in India itself; and, if the information gained as a result of these surveys is put to use, it will go a long way. 37.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“But at the basis of everything are the lives of men and women, food, shelter, sanitation, and the opportunity to be their best selves which is provided by economic development. We believe that in the basic principles underlying this special United Nations fund there is not merely aid as such, but the element of co-operation. India receives external aid; India also sends out aid; and that is how it should be. Therefore, the fund is based on both self-respect and self-help, and upon co-operation — an endeavour and an approach that is calculated to promote the purposes of the Charter expressed in the first paragraph of its Preamble, as in its entirety; namely, to make this Organization a centre for harmonizing different interests.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“We think and I have no doubt that the Assembly thinks — having regard to all the speeches that have been made, even at this session, on the priority of attention to be given to under-developed countries, and recalling the words of the Secretary of State of the United States only a few days ago [475th meeting] with regard to the disparity between the effort that is put into war and that which is put into peace — that the establishment of this special United Nations fund for economic development is a matter of vital importance. It will carry the message of the United Nations farther into the world and into the hearts of men and women than any resolution or any institutional development of another character could do. Political decisions are necessary, vital, and emergent — and they may change the shape of things in the world.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“In the report of the Secretary-General, there is a reference to this matter in the context of the Security Council. That being a matter of greater importance, I propose to take it up later. It is not possible for me in the time I have — even if I wished to do so, or had the capacity — to cover the entire range of United Nations activity; but I believe that we have a responsibility to say something in regard to those matters in which we are represented by election or through the Assembly, or where, tinder the arrangements made by the United Nations, the relevant organs meet in our country. 35. India is represented on the Economic and Social Council; and one matter on which the Government of India desires me to lay stress is the future of the special United Nations fund for economic development.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“As usual, the Secretary-General has submitted a report which is extremely important and which I am glad to say — and here I refer to the part with which we have to deal and not the parts that concern the work of the Committees — is extremely brief, concise and to the point. The Secretary-General mentions settlements outside the United Nations. It is the view of my Government that to ignore the machinery of the United Nations where it holds the field would be wrong, but we would not regard the successes attained at Geneva as in any way an affront to the United Nations. So far as our Government is concerned, the five Prime Ministers who met in Colombo agreed, in their five points, that the decisions at Geneva should be the subject of information for the United Nations. 34.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The agreement represents the result of a common exploration in order that two ancient Asian civilizations — we have had an historic connexion with China for three or four thousand years — might demonstrate that in modern times, forms of government inside countries need not be a bar to fraternal relations between them. I refer to this because, in the view of the Government of India, these are principles which are applicable to the relations of other countries with us or between themselves, and which probably, in our humble view represent an approach that might contribute to the solution of some of our problems. 33. I should like now to refer to the annual report [A/2663] of the Secretary-General.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“There are many in this Assembly who will say, as I heard it said the other day, that there have been non-aggression agreements before. But however that may be, my function is to convey information and to state things as I see them. This relationship is based upon mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; non-aggression; non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; equality, mutual benefits and peaceful coexistence. Now, these ideas did not come from one party or the other; they arose from the discussion of the problems in Asia itself; there was no bargaining, no attempt to find safe positions for one side or the other, no attempt to gain greater advantages for one person as against another.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I shall speak of Indo-China a little later, so I shall not go into that subject now. 31. The next outstanding item in our history last year has been the subjects of agreement on the relationship between ourselves and the People’s Republic of China, which originally was the preamble to a small agreement on certain Tibetan affairs but was afterwards proclaimed and became more formal — that is, not quite formal, but more public — when the Prime Minister of China visited India during the interval in the Geneva Conference. We believe that by the understanding reached through this historic treaty, our two countries have made a great contribution to peace in the Asian world. We have taken a path which is not the path of maintaining the balance of power, but the path of non-aggression, fraternity and understanding. 32.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The deliberations in Colombo, to a large extent, were a factor — though unofficially, perhaps, informally and perhaps not through the usual channels of communication for conference papers — in the deliberations in Geneva itself. 30. I think I must refer briefly to the main points discussed. One was the “problem of Indo-China”, as it was called, although when the Conference was convened, the Indo-China problem had not reached that stage of development. This item occupied the Conference; and it is to be noted that the points of solution and the points for consideration suggested by the Conference were largely the same as those announced by the Prime Minister of India a week of two earlier, which became more or less the central topics of discussion and of the solution that might be found in Geneva.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“One of the first things that the Colombo Conference did was to proclaim that it was in no sense a rival to the Geneva Conference; and while it may appear unnecessary to say this, I believe that this is a point that ought to be made in a gathering of this character: in these days of excessive regionalism and of doctrines of all kinds which keep peoples away from various parts of the world, it is significant that the five countries with their nascent nationalism, all Asians meeting in Colombo, proclaimed to the world that their problems were not merely Asian problems, although they thought they had the right and the duty to consider them together, and suggest solutions.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Sir John Kotalawala invited the Prime Ministers of five countries, and I believe that, although it was not so intended, this meeting took place at the same time as the Geneva Conference. Much of what that meeting accomplished — the resolutions it adopted and the agreements it reached — has been printed, but little is known of the fraternity and the “getting together” that Colombo represented. No doubt there are differences of opinion and of views between some countries, or between a number of countries on one side and another, and so on; but Colombo was primarily a regional conference which had no regional sentiment. 29.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“While we join issue with the United Kingdom on the colonial question in Malaya, we are happy to feel that advances are being made there; and, indeed, we hope that, as freedom broadens from precedent to precedent, Malaya will belong to the fraternity of free nations along with us. 28. Politically, the most important event in our part of the world — that is, South-East Asia — has been the meeting of the Asian Prime Ministers at Colombo in April of this year, thanks to the initiative of Sir John Kotalawala, Prime Minister of Ceylon. Unhappily, he and his country are not represented here, not through any sin of theirs, but because Ceylon is one of the victims of the East-West conflict and of the incapacity of the Assembly to solve the problem of the admission of new Members to the United Nations.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“There is a new Asia, and greater understanding of that new Asia — or, at the outset, even the recognition that there is a new Asia — is of vast importance; for here lives nearly half of humanity. Asia has, in the last forty or fifty years, become politically important. Burma, Pakistan, India and Ceylon attained their independence soon after the Second World War. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the countries of western Asia obtained their nationhood. In China, for the first time, a strong and uncorrupted government has come into existence and is introducing economic and social reforms of far-reaching importance. Japan, after its defeat in the last war, has made a marvellous recovery.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Social legislation has advanced in the same way, so that those evils which, quite rightly, used to be charged up to India in the past — for example, untouchability, the worst of them — have been tackled drastically in this country with a great religious tradition, with the result that today in India, the practice of untouchability is a crime punishable by law. 26. We also have raised the age requirement for marriage to eighteen for women and twenty-one for men. Our health and educational services in the last three years have been responsible for an expenditure of $1,900 million. 27. By citing our own country as an example, we wish to draw the attention of the Assembly, in the best way we can, to that great part of the world which is easily dismissed in the shortest name of any continent, Asia.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The minor irrigation works of India have brought, or will bring when they have been completed, 5,300,000 acres of land under cultivation. The major irrigation works in India, up to this year, have brought 2,800,000 acres of land under cultivation, making a total of 8 million acres in all. India also has reclaimed approximately 850,000 acres of land formerly considered uncultivable. 25. Our population which, in 1947, was 85 per cent illiterate, is today advancing towards literacy, so that the planned target of making every person in India literate sixteen years after 1947 will easily be reached. Our community projects, which are a great social experiment, have brought a different tempo of life, even with regard to the understanding of the problems connected with the work of the United Nations, to the millions of villages of India.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“Agricultural production which was severely affected by the ravages of nature, particularly drought — we suffered badly in 1951 and 1952 — has picked up, and today stands at 102 1/2, as against 100 in 1950. 24. In addition to this, there have been other advances; I am happy to say this not because it affects India but because, in this Assembly and its organs, we are constantly faced with the problems of the underdeveloped countries for which the nations assembled here show a great deal of concern. A good many of them make material contributions; they give technical assistance; they give advice; their sympathy for the under-developed areas is increasing. Therefore, when an advance is made it is good and proper to report it.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“So, apart from the damage resulting from the breach of communications, which makes it difficult for us to take the food to these places, India, for the first time in its modern history, is free from famine. The target of our five-year plan for the production of food was only for an increase up to 7,600,000 tons this year — over the three-years — but this target has already been exceeded by 3,800,000 tons. Similarly, the production of cotton — which is one of those commodities whereby we not only clothe ourselves but manage to earn foreign exchange — has increased by 960,000 bales. Industrial production in India has kept up a steady advance since 1950, the base year. Taking 1950 as 100, it rose to 112 in 1951; 123 in 1952; and we stood at 128 in 1953.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“I hesitate to give the names of the countries which have come to our assistance for fear I might omit some in a list that is not complete; but assistance has come from our close neighbours, and from the United Kingdom, Canada, Thailand, Australia, the United States, the USSR, Switzerland, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Iraq. These countries have sent medical supplies and similar commodities to relieve suffering in India. 23. While the flood disaster has been so serious and while large parts of our territory have been laid waste in this way, we are happy to say that, for the first time in recent history. India is not starving. Compared to the figures for 1949, India has produced 11,400,000 tons of food this year, an increase in production having put us in a surplus position.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)
“The whole of that north-eastern area of India, covering the States of Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh — particularly Assam — appears like a vast ocean where some savage monster has uprooted trees and houses. 22. These floods have, in a sense, another aspect. I think that the humble peasantry are the salt of the earth. In spite of these disasters which strike them year after year — and this year in an unprecedented way — they have shown remarkable courage; there has been no pilfering or begging or anything of that kind; they have tried to rehabilitate themselves. We are grateful for the considerable number of expressions of sympathy and the material assistance that have come from abroad.”
1954-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 9 (1954)