YouSaid · the spoken record

Patterson

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS PATTERSON

lines on the record: 146
first: 1977-09-24
most recent: 1980-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
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

“Two years ago, in 1977, Jamaica proposed to this General Assembly the creation of an international energy institution that would be charged with the task of addressing many facets of this complex subject. Since then we have watched with satisfaction a growing international recognition of the urgency attending this problem. We have also noted with pleasure the initiatives of a number of oil-exporting developing countries. 141. The President of Mexico has presented a penetrating analysis of the global energy situation [11th meeting]. He has focused on the crux of the issue and laid before us a comprehensive set of proposals which could usefully guide this Assembly in the quest for a global energy policy. 142. Countries like my own are faced with very serious and immediate problems which cannot await probable long-term global solutions.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“It is a pre-requisite for the survival of mankind. Failure to achieve a coherent world energy policy will make a mockery of all our efforts to reduce the levels of poverty, hunger and unemployment. It will make a mockery of all our plans, targets and strategies. Without adequate supplies of energy we do not have the capacity to produce goods and services consistent with the requirements for a rational and equitable pattern of global economic development. Energy is therefore a unique input into the developmental process. Its availability and its price affect profoundly the prospects for economic development in the developing countries which have no significant indigenous energy supplies, and which have limited foreign exchange from which to allocate funds for its purchase. 140.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“As we seek for the third time to chart the course of a development decade, we should be concerned that even at this late stage the international community is still without a consensus on the approaches towards the international development strategy: in other words, on such questions as who it is for, what are its aims and objectives and how the process of development should be implemented. 138. We believe that the international development strategy should be formulated within the framework of the New International Economic Order. It follows from this that the accord which eluded us in our negotiations on the basic principles for restructuring the international economic system will have to be achieved in the coming decade if the developing countries are to secure any advances. 139. Energy is basic to human existence.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Having missed or ignored opportunities in the present decade, the international community will in the next one have to deal with old and new issues in what appear to be less propitious conditions. But the quest for peace and development must go on, for both are mutually reinforcing. 136. The agenda for the 1980s will be formidable: we will begin another development decade; there will be a special session in its first year, a United Nations Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy in the next, and there are prospects for a global round of negotiations. 137.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“A fundamental objective of the Charter in its Article 1, paragraph 3, is: "To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character ...". It is clear that the failure of the international community to tackle successfully the problems of poverty, starvation and inequitable international economic relationships now contributes significantly to the increase in global tensions and to an erosion of international peace and security. Suffering, tension and instability now present the greatest threat to world peace and continue only because people themselves feel locked into a situation of despondency and despair. 135.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Identical issues, be they political, economic, or social, recur each year for consideration and debate. I fully recognize and acknowledge that these issues are extremely complex and that it is difficult to reconcile the diverse interests of countries and of peoples. But while each year our delegations strive mightily to reach agreement on resolutions, we the Member countries have not spent sufficient time or exerted sufficient effort to implement them. 133. We can ease the burden of these sessions and advance the work of the Assembly by reducing the number of items on our agenda. I am aware, Mr. President, of the efforts made by you, by the Secretary- General and by a number of delegations to introduce in the work of this session some much-needed changes. 134.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Yet, even after this, our last lingering memory as we close this decade is the frustrating experience of the fifth session of UNCTAD and the lack of any clear perception of the way forward. With the phenomenon of "stagflation" there has been a resurgence of protectionism and the developed countries are obdurate in ignoring our cries. 131. It cannot be claimed that the thought and effort expended in the preparation and delivery of our statements in general debates have contributed as much as we would have hoped to the easing of international tensions, or to resolution of the specific issues which confront us. 132. Perhaps the clearest indication of this is the fact that the agenda from one session of the General Assembly to the next preserves a disconcerting sameness.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Early in the present decade the developing countries enunciated a coherent set of principles and objectives for the establishment of the New International Economic Order. As we near the close of the 1970s, our objectives remain unfulfilled and our monumental efforts have resulted in only marginal advances. 130. The international economic agenda of the 1970s constitutes the most elaborate annotation of the roots of world, poverty and distorted development. The pathways towards the restructuring of a world economic order are clearly discernible. We have undertaken the most rigorous examination of the problems besetting money and finance, raw materials, energy and other major development issues.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“The prospect is bleak. 127. The efforts of the developing countries during this decade have had as their most important objective economic liberation. The pressures of poverty, deprivation, hunger, unemployment and social turmoil have exposed the inescapable truth that the achievement of political independence without a corresponding attainment of economic independence is a hollow victory. Without economic independence we can never improve the quality of life of our peoples. 128. The decade of the 1970s has clearly shown that the world economic system must be restructured if we are to achieve economic liberation, equity and justice in relations among States; that this process entails, among other things, a transfer of resources from the developed to the developing world; and that these things require a global consensus. 129.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Lebanon is fragmented and still visited with death and destruction; Cyprus at the end of the 1970s is still divided and a victim of foreign occupation; Belize is prevented from attaining its independence because of the continuing threat from a neighbouring State; and the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic is still denied its rightful place in the international community and unable to exercise its sovereignty over the whole of its territory. 125. Nor is this all. The greater awareness of human rights has not been matched by greater observance; the benefits of the unprecedented technological advances have not yet filtered through to the broad masses of our peoples; the promise of a significant increase in food production in developing countries has not been fulfilled and, as a result, world food stocks are critically low. 126.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“We hope that everything will be done at the Conference now taking place in London to ensure that the people of Zimbabwe enjoy the peace, freedom and independence through genuine majority rule that they have so long sought. 123. The long, hard years of struggle by the peoples of South-East Asia have not yet led to the peace hoped for; the region is again enmeshed in conflicts because of rivalry and competition among the major Powers; the people continue to suffer economic and social deprivation; and some have even been forced to become unwanted refugees, thus contributing a new and disquieting dimension to the problems of the area. 124. Elsewhere, small countries remain threatened and insecure.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Some of us had supported the display of viable international co-operation and positive action to achieve the liberation of Namibia from South African occupation in accordance with the decisions of the United Nations. The efforts of the five Western countries have apparently lost their momentum and the initiative has been ceded to Pretoria. 122. The efforts for the liberation of Zimbabwe from minority racist oppression spearheaded by the struggle of the Patriotic Front have been buttressed by a notable and encouraging degree of international co-operation. Out of the Meeting of Heads of Government of Commonwealth Countries, held in Lusaka has come the recognition that the farcical situation which exists in Zimbabwe must come to an end and that a Government truly representative of the people of that country must be instituted.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Regional conflicts continue to simmer and in some areas have broken out into open warfare as the major Powers stand at one remove, and the contending parties exhaust themselves. 119. In the Middle East a comprehensive settlement continues to elude us. The attainment by the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights is the key to lasting peace in the area. Yet the Palestinian people remain in effect outside the mainstream of the peace process. 120. In Africa the successful elimination of the remnants of Portugal's colonial empire brought new and dynamic countries into the family of nations; but there still remain white racist minority regimes on the continent. 121.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“It should never be forgotten that we are a resilient people zealous for the rewards of our struggles and impatient to continue on the path to genuine independence and complete freedom. We intend to continue playing our part freely in the affairs of the world. 116. We are not pawns and we refuse to be surrogates. 117. We end the decade of the 1970s with much less of the confidence and certainty with which we began. Despite the welcome signature of the second SALT agreement, the nuclear menace remains. The General Assembly proclaimed the 1970s the Disarmament Decade, but the cruel irony is that the 1970s have seen unprecedented growth in the sophistication, volume and sale of weapons—all this when the social and economic needs of the vast majority of mankind have been growing increasingly urgent. 118. Detente has not spread world-wide.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“In the light of all this it should not be surprising that the desire of all our peoples now is to make the Caribbean a region free from the scourge of great- Power rivalry, free from military conflict and free from any form of external domination. The Caribbean yearns to be an area of peace, not of confrontation, to be an arena of co-operation and tranquillity, not one of tension and conflict. 114. We are small States without the military capacity to initiate or resist aggression. We require a climate free from conflict and super-Power confrontation in order to enable us to wipe out the legacy of neglect and to undertake the mammoth task of social, political and economic transformation. 115. Jamaica recognizes that our size and location may tempt the powerful to take advantage of our vulnerability.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Large areas of our countries have been destroyed, and we will need the understanding and material support of the international community in our urgent task of reconstruction. I should like at this stage to express Jamaica's appreciation for the assistance which we have already received from States Members of the United Nations and from several international organizations. 112. The Caribbean remains one area of the world where the process of decolonization is not yet complete. For centuries our region has been the scene of incessant conflict between colonial Powers in their struggle for supremacy. Our history has been a turbulent one, as we have been moved like pawns on a political chess-board. 113.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“109. My Government expresses its thanks to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kurt Waldheim, for his dedicated and untiring service to the cause of peace. We recall with pleasure his visit to our country early this year, a visit which helped to strengthen further Jamaica's close association with, and unwavering support for, this institution and its work. 110. Jamaica takes particular pride in welcoming our sister Caribbean country, Saint Lucia, which has recently gained its independence and has now been admitted to membership in this body. 111. The peoples of the Caribbean have recently experienced a series of natural disasters which have been among the worst in our history. There have been volcanic eruptions in St. Vincent, floods have ravaged Jamaica, hurricanes have devastated our sister countries, Dominica and the Dominican Republic.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Mr. President, I wish to express the sincere pleasure of my delegation on your election to the presidency of the thirty-fourth session of the General Assembly. You are a son of Africa, a continent which is tied with the Caribbean countries by an umbilical cord. You represent a country which shares the common desire of our peoples for freedom. You have already made your own distinguished contribution to many facets of international affairs, including your service to the cause of decolonization. We hold you in the highest esteem as a friend, and believe that your outstanding abilities as a diplomat equip you admirably for the exacting office of President. 108. Permit me also to record the appreciation of my Government for the work of Mr. Indalecio Lie'vano Aguirre of Columbia, who so ably conducted the affairs or our thirty-third session.”
1979-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 34 (1979)
“Let me say now that, in our view, peace cannot be merely the absence of military conflict, nor can it be just an interlude between wars. Peace, to be real, must provide for the harmonious growth and development of peoples— politically, socially, culturally, economically—and it must be universal and indivisible. It cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of either political or economic domination. 416. The issues facing this Assembly, in both the political and the economic sphere, have never been more grave or more threatening and the need to find solutions has never been more urgent. The key to those solutions is a greater commitment to international co-operation, economic justice and peace. Is it too much to hope that this thirty-third session of the General Assembly of the United Nations will help the world to find that key?”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“My delegation remains firmly convinced that the people of Namibia must be allowed to determine their own future; that free elections with the participation of SWAPO should be held under the supervision and control of the United Nations; that South African intimidation must be eliminated; and, above all, that Namibia must proceed to independence with its territorial integrity intact. All this and more is long overdue. The total isolation of the South African regime should be effectively pursued now. 414. One important step would be the early finalization of an international convention against apartheid in sports, in accordance with the relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly. 415. In dealing with various issues, I have referred to the need to maintain peace and security in the world.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“But, on reflection, why should not South Africa continue to hurl its defiance at the United Nations? For what has been the response of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council? Merely to administer the proverbial "slap on the wrist" to South Africa and to agree to meet again in the event of further acts of violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours. What else does South Africa need to do for some of the permanent members of the Security Council to see the necessity of the imposition of sanctions under Chapter VII of the Charter? 413.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Now the despicable South African regime has once again shattered the hopes of those who had assumed that such a system could operate with integrity. 411. The United Nations has the mandate and the obligation to ensure the effective implementation of its- decisions on Namibia. Now, more than ever, an overriding responsibility rests with the major Powers to enforce full South African compliance with the United Nations plan for Namibian independence in such a way as to guarantee the rights of effective majority rule of the Namibian people. Their action on the side of justice can be decisive. 412. The announcement that the Pretoria regime will go ahead with its plans for an election in Namibia without United Nations supervision and control is one more instance of its brazen and calculated defiance of the United Nations.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We wish to see a negotiated settlement, but we will not be fellow travellers with injustice., A just settlement in Zimbabwe must be Uncompromisingly based upon a complete and absolute end to minority tyranny and the full accession to power of the majority of the people of the Territory. 410. At the same time that our concern over the course of events in Rhodesia is growing by the day, we are faced with the calamitous developments in Namibia. We welcomed the holding of the ninth special session of the General Assembly on Namibia earlier this year, the acceptance by the Security Council of the Western plan and the despatch by the Secretary-General of his Special Representative to the troubled area.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The recent attack on Mozambique is but one more incident in a long series of events in which the racist minority regime-has tried to intimidate its neighbours, to deter them from assisting their brothers in Zimbabwe and to widen the scope of the conflict. 408. The international community can delay no longer. It must, before it is too late, , find the moral and political courage necessary to bring to bear that kind of international pressure which the racist regimes cannot resist. 409. In the absence of concrete progress towards a solution, my country will continue to give its unqualified support to the armed struggle against racist tyranny.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We find, after another year of diplomatic efforts on the part of some members of the international community, after assurances of the viability of the "internal settlement", after more than a decade of appeasement and compromise — after all this—that the people of Zimbabwe are faced today not with the promise of a just and lasting peace but with the growing prospect of a terrible conflict. 407. My delegation joins in the call for a meeting of all interested political groupings. We are equally concerned at the long delay in arriving at a solution. In the meantime, the illegal minority regime continues to perpetrate aggression not only against the people of Zimbabwe, but also against neighbouring States.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“But instead, co-operation between South Africa and certain major interests has contributed to intensifying the oppression of blacks in South Africa. 404. Let those who have it in their power to change the system now recognize that only a concerted and uncompromising effort will remove the disgrace of racist oppression in South Africa. 405. Jamaica views the present situation in southern Africa as one of the utmost gravity. Encouraging signs that international co-operation was achieving some progress in Namibia and in Zimbabwe are fast disappearing. 406. We meet while the storm clouds gather even more menacingly, for what do we find?”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We deplore the external pressures and threats to which Belize has been subjected and which have constituted the principal obstacle to that country's early accession to independence. We urge the Members of this Organization, the colonial Power and the other parties involved, to seize the opportunity now to ensure that the resolutions adopted over the past years on the issue are speedily implemented. 403.. There is no more indictable failure in the sphere of international co-operation than our inability to end that most odious system of human and racial degradation which is apartheid. The evil of racist oppression in South Africa is evident to every decent individual: only the brutish can deny the duty of the international community to eradicate it.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The United Nations resolutions are still unheeded and foreign occupation continues. The situation in Cyprus is rapidly becoming a model of the failure of the international community to translate its decisions into positive action. Renewed efforts at meaningful dialogue are urgently required if the lines drawn within the country are not to become fixed in a permanent form. 371. It remains a matter of grave concern to us that despite the efforts of the international community, Belize has not been able to achieve its independence. It is intolerable that the people of that country should have for so long been denied the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination. The advance of Belize to a secure independence with full territorial integrity is long overdue. 402.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Although the basic requirements of a Middle East settlement are perfectly well known, some would still wish to believe that a settlement can be attained without all these issues being squarely faced. That cannot be done. Moreover, it is equally apparent that, despite courageous individual initiatives, no solution will be attained without the participation of all concerned parties in the negotiations, and the support of the international community as a whole. 369. Jamaica continues to regard Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) as providing the indispensable framework for a settlement of the dispute. Any agreement that does not accord with the principles in those resolutions cannot secure a lasting peace in the region. 370. Another area of concern is the continuing stalemate in Cyprus.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“At the fifteenth ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU in Khartoum and the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries in Belgrade explosive issues were defused through an exemplary display of international goodwill. 367. My Government hopes that a similar situation of accommodation will emerge in the Middle East, where one of the longest-standing and most complex international problems still faces the world community. A durable settlement requires from the parties involved at the very least mutual recognition of and respect for each other's legitimate aspirations. This means above all recognition of the Palestinian people's right to their own homeland, Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and recognition of the right of the State of Israel to exist. 368.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“In this regard we welcome the attention given to this area in the deliberations of the special session and look forward to the adoption of effective measures which would lead to the transfer of resources from the wasteful purpose of arms accumulation to the alleviation of poverty and the promotion of economic well-being. 366. When the very existence of mankind is at stake only a determined application of political will can resolve seemingly intractable problems. The world has learned this from the recent experience in our own region, when mutual understanding and political will produced the Panama Canal Treaties.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The issue now ;s whether the declared intentions contained in the Final Document will be translated into action. 364. Removing the threat of nuclear war should now begin by the termination of the testing of nuclear weapons as the first step towards nuclear disarmament and over-all progress towards the achievement of general and complete disarmament. The process should begin without delay. 365. We stress once again that the continuation of present trends in the escalation of the arms race jeopardizes peace and security and is wasteful of resources now urgently needed for development.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The intensive preparations and the high level of representation encouraged expectations that a real breakthrough would be achieved in a collective effort to halt and reverse the arms race. In several ways the results of the session did not match the hopes and expectations of most of us. In our view, a more concrete and substantive programme of action, especially with regard to nuclear disarmament, would have provided greater assurance of real progress. As it was, the studied ambiguity of some of the crucial paragraphs of the Programme of Action adopted [resolution S-10/2, sect. Ill] indicated the lack -of genuine compromise and the existence of limited commitment. 363. We feel, however, that the adoption of a consensus document was a real achievement.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“This is a time for the greatest unity of all those forces committed to the political and economic emancipation of Africa. 360. The initiative of detente in Europe has been one of the few encouraging signs that the major Powers are inclined to co-operate to reduce tensions. 361. Yet such co-operation remains confined to Europe while the extra-European rivalries of those same Powers are constantly generating new tensions in other areas of the world, particularly in Africa. 362. The limited progress made in the field of disarmament, and the need to confront this problem with a determined sense of urgency was recognized in the holding of the tenth special session on disarmament.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“It is our belief that for the current restructuring to be judged effective it must enable the United Nations system to make a truly significant contribution to the achievement of the New International Economic Order. The primacy of the General Assembly, as the highest forum in which all matters of significance are finally deliberated upon, remains a crucial requirement. 359. Jamaica views with concern what appears to be renewed efforts by some major Powers to re-establish and to consolidate neo-colonial relationships in Africa. But what the history of the anti-colonial struggles in Africa, and particularly those of this decade has shown, is a profound intolerance of imperialist domination and the courage, the capacity and the resolve to act against such domination.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“My delegation views with satisfaction the appointment of the Director-General for Development and International Economic Co-operation, a position which we, along with other developing countries, see as most necessary. We trust that this office and the eminent official who heads it will be provided with the scope and the resources necessary to enable them to fulfil their crucial role. 358. During the last regular session of the General Assembly many developing countries, including my own, played an active part and indicated in clear terms their view that the restructuring exercise had to be closely related to the establishment of the New International Economic Order.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“My Government therefore appeals to all those States which have proposed and are contemplating unilateral action to think again and to refrain from unilateral action, so that the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea may have every chance of successfully concluding its work within a reasonable time. 356. There has been a gradual if somewhat reluctant acceptance in some quarters of the fact that the institutional machinery available to the international community is in important respects inadequate to serve its needs, and particularly the developmental needs of the developing countries. 357. Action is now under way in the United Nations system to restructure its social and economic sectors along the lines agreed on at the last General Assembly [resolution 32(197].”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Considerable time and effort, at great expense and sacrifice to developing countries, have been devoted to this Conference, and it is generally recognized by participants in the negotiations that much of the difficult and intricate work for the completion of a comprehensive treaty, as mandated by the General Assembly, has already been accomplished. 354. The Jamaican Government therefore views with the greatest concern the taking of unilateral action for the exploitation of these resources in the midst of these negotiations. It must be clear that the consequences of any such action would seriously undermine the future conduct of the negotiations and prejudice their successful conclusion. 355.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“We see this Conference as an integral part of the challenge to the international community in the creation of the New International Economic Order. We are committed to the realization of the establishment of an international sea-bed authority that would regulate the exploration and exploitation of the resources of the sea-bed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction as the common heritage of mankind. 353. The declaration of principles adopted by the United Nations on 17 December 1970 [resolution 2749 (XXV)], consecrating this common heritage to be utilized taking into particular consideration the interests and needs of developing countries, cannot be allowed remain an idle dream.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“This must be done within a framework that will allow the benefits of such research to be accessible to the energy-deficient developing countries in order to finance the high-risk and high-cost investment necessary for energy exploration. It is in this context that my Government supports the initiatives that have been taken for an international conference on new and renewable sources of energy. I find it difficult to believe that a co-operative effort by ail participants in the United Nations system will not provide logical and effective solutions for the satisfaction of all these needs, bearing particularly in mind the crucial relationship that exists between energy and development. 352. My Government attaches the greatest significance to the negotiations being conducted in the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“To be sure, it will need the enlightened support of the developed countries if it is going to realize its potential; and it becomes of interest to the developed countries in so far as the United Nations machinery is to be used as an integral part of the whole mechanism for making technical co-operation among developing countries operational, as indeed it must. The developed countries demonstrated in Buenos Aires a willingness to co-operate in these few areas. 351. Energy remains too important an issue in the .international development process for us to continue to ignore it. As my delegation pointed out last year, there is a need for effective conservation; there is a need to intensify the search for new conventional energy sources, as well as a need for intensive research into solar, wind and other renewable forms of energy.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The outcome of the recent United Nations Conference on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries, held in Buenos Aires, has brought some much needed faith in the prospects of co-operation in the international economic sphere. But technical co-operation among developing countries is not a new phenomenon. It is not a new dimension in international co-operation for development, and it is not the breakthrough in North-South relations that some would like to suggest. Technical co-operation among developing countries is in essence an activity of the developing countries for the creation and development of their reliance on each other and for their national self- reliance.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Another area calling for particular action that would have a dynamic effect in material terms is the transfer of resources. 348. We cannot at this General Assembly ignore the fact that, since our last meeting, official development assistance flows, which have remained well below the internationally established target, have actually declined in real terms as a percentage of the combined gross national product over the last 12 months. 349. We are convinced that means must be found of making the activities of the IMF and the World Bank accord more closely with our development needs as set out in the relevant provisions of the proposals for the New International Economic Order. 350. At the same time, it is right that the movement that has taken place in some areas should be acknowledged.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“346. The problems of the indebtedness of the developing countries have serious implications for both developed and developing countries. It is our hope that the understandings reached on debt questions at the ministerial meeting of the Trade and Development Board last March will chart the way for progress in the negotiations. We welcome the actions which have been taken by a number of industrialized countries in cancelling official debts of the least developed and certain other developing countries. It is hoped that the further negotiations to be conducted in UNCTAD will conclude arrangements for alleviating the massive debt problems of developing countries. Such action would increase the capability of developing countries to deal with their problems of national development and international participation. 347.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“The proposed resumption of the United Nations Negotiating Conference on a Common Fund under the Integrated Programme for Commodities, in November this year, provides the opportunity for a major boost to the international community. In this context we note with satisfaction the efforts of the Secretary-General of UNCTAD in seeking to harmonize the position of the developing and developed countries on the objectives and structure of the common fund. The gravity of the problems relating to commodity trade is now clear to the international community, and there is growing recognition of the fact that urgent action needs to be taken to resolve them. This underscores the need for parallel movement on the Integrated Programme for Commodities. It is hoped, therefore, that agreement can now be reached on the common fund before the end of this year.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Ti e serious state of the global economy and the requirements of international co-operation and equity call for urgent, specific and concrete action, particularly in respect of issues that have been the subject of discussion and that relate to the establishment of the New International Economic Order. Such action would begin to dispel the growing conviction on the part of developing countries of the determination of some industrialized countries to stand in the way of the movement towards the restructuring of the global economic system. 345. It would help to remove the feeling of helplessness that appears to have infected so many in the face of critical national and global economic difficulties. The opportunity for such action exists.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“Following the break down of those meetings, reactions throughout the capitals of the third world and within the industrialized countries for the most part have indicated concern for the future of the negotiations. This provides a basis for the hope that our efforts to establish a realistic framework within which we can proceed will be productive. 343. Recent statements suggest a narrowing of the gap in regard to the function of the Committee. The issue, however, remains one of substance and not of procedure. This Assembly as the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations must now proceed to clear the air once and for all, so that the Committee can exercise unquestioned competence in the performance of its task. 344.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“However, the recent meetings of the Committee may have demonstrated that we have come closer to facing the facts about the necessary process of meaningful discussion and the search for agreement on concrete issues. I believe that this is a view which is shared by virtually all who participated in those meetings. If this is so, we might indeed have achieved an important advance. It is well that this should be so, for none of us have any options in this matter. We must move forward and face the requirements and pressures which will inevitably be involved in the process of resolving issues, no matter how difficult. To fail to do so would be to precipitate a serious deterioration in international relations and to be guilty of gross neglect in the face of grave problems. 342.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“My country has the highest confidence in the United Nations system; no other institution has its credibility or the capability to take and to implement decisions designed to achieve economic justice in the relations between all countries. It was this conviction which underlay our efforts at the last regular session to set up the Committee Established under General Assembly Resolution 32/174. The Committee on the New International Economic Order was established against the background of the determination to place the dialogue on this issue firmly within the United Nations system and to fashion a forum which would be capable of ensuring effective discussion and negotiation. 341. We are deeply disappointed that that Committee has not been able to carry out its vital tasks.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)
“There has been in recent times a marked contrast between the amount of discussion on economic issues and the expressions of grave concern in all quarters on the one hand, and the very limited extent of real agreement and constructive action to deal with them on the other. 339. This situation is most evident where the dialogue and negotiations on the New International Economic Order are concerned. We have reached a point of near stagnation in these issues-a dangerous state of inaction which could have the most serious consequences for the international community. The record of all our .efforts over the past four years and the very United outcome of all the various discussions and negotiations indicate beyond a doubt that we have not yet come to the point of full and realistic negotiation. 340.”
1978-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 33 (1978)