YouSaid · the spoken record

SHEARER

lines on the record: 194
first: 1962-09-24
most recent: 1982-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

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“Jamaica hopes that the sense of realism which has been shown by the developing countries on this issue will be reciprocated by the North in order to facilitate the commencement of global negotiations in early 1983. The establishment of the necessary framework must be concluded by this thirty seventh session of the General Assembly. Our obligations to each other derive from our interdependence. We simply cannot live without one another. The recognition of that fact must constantly mould our actions so as to bring about a peaceful, just and prosperous world. That is Jamaica's objective.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“We must bring to bear our intellectual capacity and our political authority to halt the global economic recession and correspondingly to induce growth and development internationally. This calls fbr all of us, rich and poor, to recognize the basic reality of the 1980s, and that basic reality is the force of global interdependence. A few years ago the concept of interdependence was the basis fbr interesting but largely semantic debates. Today interdependence is an inescapable reality. The proposed global round of negotiations, which has been under consideration for the past three years, must now be recognized as offering the best prospect of bringing about the changes required to establish an economic system which can fulfil the aspirations of our time.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“In the developing world, unemployment levels of up to 30 per cent are not unusual. Vast sectors of young and courageous populations have never had the chance to secure gainful employment. The employed live daily under the threat of loss of jobs because of the decline in the prices of primary products, because of bankruptcies and closure of factories and other productive operations. These are brought about by the effects of economic recession transmitted through the network of international economic linkages. We have throughout the years debated priorities from the perspectives of the North and the South and accommodation of what we have perceived as our just aspirations. I submit that we must now face up to the global priority.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“No one should at this stage find it useful to argue in favour of separating the concerns of the North from those of the South. The crisis in the international economy and the measure of collective fears are reflected in the concerns which all countries, including those with surpluses, have regarding the world wide balance of payments situation. The concern of the Assembly must, however, go beyond simple accounting indices. We must be aware of the implications of such indices for the quality of life of those we have the honour to represent. The global economic recession's net effect on them is increasing unemployment brought about by the weakening in the world demand for goods and services. High levels of unemployment now threaten the social and political order in both the North and the South.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Jamaica looks forward to the report on the progress made by the Interim Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy on the implementation of the Nairobi Programme of Action fbr the Development of New and Renewable Sources of Energy. Jamaica is concerned that the effectiveness of the World Bank in the development process could be eroded, as evidenced in the obstacles being placed in the way of establishing an energy affiliate to support an expanded programme for energy investment. I have focused on a few of the elements inhibiting the economic growth of developing countries and hence of the global economy. It should now be obvious to all that the issues are so closely interrelated as to necessitate a coherent and integrated approach to deal with them.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“One such intermediary mechanism already exists in the Bank's lending programme, through an export development fund for export trade credit. With appropriate modifications this mechanism could fulfil the purpose of a ready and available instrument to mobilize ready and available resources to be utilized by ready and available productive capacities, to expand trade, growth and employment on a basis consistent with the objectives of the adjustment process. The financial dislocations brought about by the global energy situation continue to inhibit the search fbr economic stability within the oil importing developing countries. The development of non conventional sources of energy must therefore remain a priority.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“We fully support also the need for selective allocations and a substantial increase of quotasóan increase which in our view should not be less than 50 per cent. Jamaica is of the view that increased liquidity for trade expansion could also be accomplished by the expansion of trade credits, utilizing excess liquidity in the commercial banking system accumulated through the increased savings resulting from current anti inflationary strategies. As practice has developed, these savings are likely to be available only for short term financing. The concern of commercial banks about current levels of credit exposure to developing countries indicates that an intermediary to trigger a meaningful flow of these under utilized resources may be necessary.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Jamaica commends for the consideration of the Assembly the essential features of our Prime Minister's presentation on this subject at the joint World Bank and International Monetary Fund meeting in Toronto in September. There Jamaica emphasized the urgency of introducing emergency measures which would be immediately implemented to assist those member countries which are on the brink of collapse and reinvigorate international trade and investment. Jamaica considers that the Fund's Eighth general Review of Quotas provides a good opportunity to create credit as a means of trade expansion. Accordingly we support the early conclusion of the review of quotas in 1983 as called for by both the Intergovernmental Group of 24 on International Monetary Affairs and the Interim Committee of the Board of Governors on the International Monetary System.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“The experience of the 1930s has shown that measures by developed countries to protect sectors in their economies that have lost their competitive edge in the international marketplace are self defeating. They serve only to contract international purchasing power and to generate unemployment in their own economies as well as in the economies of the developing world that provide markets for their exports. Jamaica is firm in the view that the marketplace and work place of the developing world hold the best solution for reflation without inflation. The unsatisfied and growing demands of the consumer market and the unsatisfied and growing capabilities of the work forces of a growing number of developing countries need only the catalyst of expanded credit resources to fuel an expansion of trade through export led growth.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Average maturities on loans contracted by developing countries fell from 20 to 12.7 years, and the interest burden on developing countries, measured in relation to their gross national product, increased four times. This brief analysis of the global economy is intended to highlight the need for immediate action if we are to avert the collapse of the international system. We are all agreed on the necessity to achieve a rate of economic growth consistent with the aspirations of our peoples and the requirements for achieving international peace and security. In seeking to fulfil those objectives, we must make a special appeal to the developed countries to desist from the application of protectionist trade policies.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“The downturn in global economic activity, as evidenced in the growth and trade indicators, has caused a worsening in the debt situation and the prospects for many developing countries. For 1981 the total external debt for capital importing developing countries was in the area of $500 billion, an almost threefold increase since the latter half of the 1970s. The gravity of the debt situation is revealed by a comparison of certain features in international financing between the beginning of the 1970s and the present. During that period, the average debt service ratio of the oil importing developing countries increased from 8 per cent to 19 per cent.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Gross national product in the region actually declined by 0.4 per cent and per capita gross national product declined by 2.7 per cent. World trade, itself a powerful determinant of the pace of economic growth, also presents a grim picture. Last year, for the first time in nearly two decades, world trade showed virtually no growth, after a minimal growth of 1.5 per cent in 1980. The situation is compounded by the alarming decline of 22.5 per cent in the prices of primary commodities between January 1981 and June of this year. Developing countries, notwithstanding the decline in their earnings as a result of this, are constrained to increase their imports in order to provide the basic necessities for their populations.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“We are not only beset by political turbulence and insecurity; we are confronted once again with a dismal picture of the world economic situation. The indicators are discouraging. They demonstrate the further entrenchment of world recession and stagnation. In 1981 the international economy recorded a growth of only 1.2 per cent, that is, one third of the rate achieved in the recession prone decade of the 1970s. For the developing countries, growth in 1981 was 0.6 per cent, representing a fall in per capita gross domestic product, which was a novel experience in the developing world in the post independence period. My own region, Latin America and the Caribbean traditionally an area of relatively high growth, has been severely affected.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“We exhort all States to sign and ratify the Convention as quickly as possible so that it will enter into force in the shortest possible time. An early entry into force of the Convention can only operate to the advantage of all countries, developed and developing, particularly where it deals with the regime for the exploration and exploitation of the deep seabed. We would not wish anyone to be left in doubt as to our view that activities in the international seabed area can take place lawfully only within the framework established by the Convention on the Law of the Sea. We hope that no country or group of countries will engage in actions or adopt measures whose effect will be to undermine the Convention.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Jamaica has a great sense of pride at having been selected as the site of the International Sea Bed Authority, of the Preparatory Commission for the International Sea Bed Authority and for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and of the ceremony for the signing of the Convention from 6 to 10 December 1982. I want to assure you that Jamaica is sensitive to the obligations which go with the conferment of those honours. As you are aware, the Preparatory Commission comes into being on the signing of the Convention by 50 States and will commence its work within 90 days thereafter. It is obviously essential that, consistent with the programme and objectives of the Preparatory Commission, adequate provision be made for its effective functioning. That is a recommendation of the Group of 77 which we fully endorse.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“It is the firm view of my Government that the Convention contains a body of rules on the rights and duties of States which is the law that governs the uses of the sea. A major achievement of the Conference which we wish to highlight is the exemplary use in its proceedings of the device of consensus as a system of decision making. It is indeed remarkable and commendable that in a Conference in which as many as 150 countries participated and which extended over eight years, the negotiations were almost entirely conducted and concluded without a vote being taken.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Jamaica is among the developing and developed countries that welcome this event. The Convention has codified and progressively developed international law in several important areas, but I cite the following as its most significant achievements. First, the proclamation that the area beyond national jurisdiction is the common heritage of mankind is a significant landmark in the history of international relations. We believe that the regime which it establishes for the exploration and exploitation of the natural resources of the deep sea bed is just and equitable, and will operate to the mutual advantage of developed and developing countries. Secondly, the Convention has solved the age old question of the breadth of the territorial sea by the establishment of an economic zone of 200 miles, including a territorial sea of 12 miles.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Jamaica hopes that Member States will now take increasing account of the concern manifested by the masses of people for effective disarmament measures, and that this will encourage a renewed commitment to general and complete disarmament. The World Disarmament Campaign which was approved by the special session, will certainly contribute to that end. Furthermore, the pledge by two nuclear weapon States on the non first use of nuclear weapons is also a welcome step in the right direction, and Jamaica hopes that the remaining nuclear weapon States will make similar commitments in this regard. In the midst of all these problems, we cannot ignore that singularly important achievement of the United Nations, the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on 30 April 1982.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“It is estimated that some $500 billion are being spent annually on armaments, whereas at the same time, according to the statistics compiled by the Organization, 450 million people suffer from hunger or malnutrition; there is an annual infant mortality rate of 12 million babies who die before their first birthday; 42 million people are blind, or nearly so; 2 billion people do not have water that is safe to drink; 250 million people live in urban slums or shanty towns; 870 million adults cannot read or write; 500 million people have no jobs or are less than fully employed; and 130 million children are unable to attend primary schools. These statistics frighten us. This is the nature of some of the global social problems and these are what we want addressed when we say that money now spent on armaments could be better used for development.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“They must be made to realize that this absurd and perilous escalation of the arms race in both the nuclear and the conventional field consumes valuable resources which could more profitably be spent on economic and social development, particularly in developing countries, to correct the neglected problems which are the root cause of the struggles in the various regions.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“We cannot allow this degrading situation to continue. Jamaica deeply regrets that the recent second special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament failed to achieve any significant results, particularly as regards a comprehensive programme of disarmament. This is a major disappointment. The world community had expected much from this special session, particularly at a time when many States are embarking on dangerous rearmament programmes which they mistakenly believe will enhance their security.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“The two are separate issues and must be dealt with separately. We condemn South Africa's continued military aggression and campaigns of destabilization against Angola and the other front line States. In South Africa Itself, the policy of continues to be more deeply entrenched every day. All the internal institutional changes point in the direction of a further entrenchment of this abhorrent system. Yet we are told that sanctions are inappropriate in this case, while there are exhortations to apply them elsewhere; alleged forced labour is decried elsewhere, while the brutal treatment of the entire black population of South Africa is glossed over or excused. The criteria used to assess the problems of black people are always different, and a failure to apply the same standards is always clothed in specious excuses and sophistry.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“We further urge that the General Assembly should assign the subject of the Secretary General's report on the work of the Organization to a Main Committee at this session, in which the Member States would actively consider the implication of the Secretary General's report, and the action they might take when the Security Council is unable to act. Another subject of urgent concern is that of Namibia. The movement towards independence for Namibia continues to be slow, notwithstanding the hints from the contact group that progress has been made. South Africa continues to block effective action. Security Council resolution 435 (1978) must be fully implemented. Jamaica does not share the view that the independence of Namibia should be linked to the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“In the name of my Government, I renew Jamaica's commitment to the provisions of the Charter. Jamaica endorses the suggestion that a workable system of collective security should be reintroduced. We solemnly commit ourselves to the search for such a process and to the effective implementation of any useful measures which may be found so as to restore to the Security Council an effective capacity to discharge its responsibility for the maintenance of peace. We urge that a meeting of the Council should be called before the end of this session of the Assembly, which should be attended at the very highest levels, and which will deal with the effectiveness of the Security Council in discharging its responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“The Secretary General's report on the work of the Organization [/37/V] is a direct challenge of the most profound kind addressed to every member of this body. To the Security Council as a whole, it is a challenge to recognize how far we have departed in practice from standards which were contemplated and set for us by its founders. The report is equally a challenge to every Member. State to think again about the readiness with which we have been prepared to accept that the whole United Nations must remain flouted, ignored and powerless, if the Security Council, whose main responsibility is the preservation of international peace and security, is unable to act. Jamaica maintains that the entire United Nations collective security system should not remain hamstrung and powerless because the Security Council is deadlocked.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“It has to be noted that too often the permanent members of the Security Council resort to use of the veto with scant regard for the overall interests of the international community, and in disregard of their own obligation to maintain international peace and security. The institutional marriage of the nineteenth century concept of the Concert of Europe with the concept of collective security implicit in the Security Council, has not worked in the interests of the international community. Something has to be done to remedy this situation; I congratulate the Secretary General on his departure from recent practice by presenting to the members of the Assembly a brief, easily read, and challenging invitation that they should pause and consider the state of the Organization and decide to do something about its shortcomings.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“Similarly the pivotal roles of the non aligned movement and the OAU in the anti colonial struggle and in the quest for peace, detente and disarmament must continue. The events in the Middle East and other areas demonstrate the failure to enable the peace keeping mechanisms of the United Nations to function as intended. They also underscore the need for more systematic and imaginative use of the Security Council to monitor areas of potentially dangerous conflict. Over the years the practice of the permanent members has inexorably expanded the range of their interest and has brought so many minor areas of tension under the umbrella of their perceived interest that the collective security system has broken down.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“In fact, we are tempted to suggest that the issues with which it is dealing and the international climate are such that the Conference ought to be held earlier. It is clear that the circumstances which gave rise to the need for a conference, and the assumptions on which its convening was based, have been largely overtaken by events. Its importance and its usefulness, therefore, will depend upon itsability to seize the propitious signs. The United Nations must not cease in its efforts to find a formula for cessation of hostilities in various parts of the world. We wish to draw particular attention to the war between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran which has been going on for two years now and which has already taken thousands of lives, and left thousands more wounded, and we join in the pleas to both parties to end the conflict.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“We note that important initiatives have been taken by the Twelfth Arab Summit Conference at Fez, and by the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, to try to give a new impetus for a settlement of the Middle East problems. It is clear that there are many obstacles ahead, but it is noteworthy that there is now at least a common factor, and that common factor is a recognition that the Palestinian people have rights which have to be satisfied. Jamaica recognizes that the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Palestine could have an important bearing on the settlement of the problems of the region. The Conference output to be substantially more than an exchange of views. It should try to make specific and realistic recommendations which would be helpful in the peace making process.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“For the most part these conflicts have been intensified and made worse by the intrusion of super Power confrontation, and as a consequence of flagrant disregard the principles of the Charter and the by passing of the United Nations as the proper forum within which to seek a peaceful settlement of disputes. Recent events in the Middle East, culminating in the abominable massacre in the Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, have shattered some long held illusions. But the military prowess of the Israelis has not destroyed the basic fact. That basic fact is that no lasting peace and stability is possible unless the fundamental right of the Palestinian people to statehood is satisfied. Jamaica holds firmly to that view. Equally, we believe that all States in the area are entitled to exist within their internationally recognized boundaries.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“A review of the agenda for this the thirty seventh session of the General Assembly points to a growing number of items dealing with unresolved crises, and an alarming increase in the outbreaks of fresh hostilities. It is not without ironic significance that it is precisely the smaller, underdeveloped and economically more vulnerable countries of the third world, currently being buffeted by the effects of global economic recession, which art At the same time the focal points of tension and conflict, particularly in the Middle East, southern Africa, Asia, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“In his first year in office he has made an impressive beginning which gives encouragement and hope that during his tenure the United Nations will make greater strides towards the full attainment of its purposes and objectives. The current session of the General Assembly is being held against the background of an alarming deterioration of the international situation, characterized by global confrontation, military intervention, foreign occupation, a spiraling of the arms race, and the frequent resort to the use or threat of the use of force against the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of States all of this in the midst of a deep global economic recession.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“I should like to begin by extending sincere congratulations to you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of this session of the General Assembly. I feel certain that the experience and knowledge you have acquired in the course of a brilliant career will enable you to guide the proceedings of the Assembly with all the skill required in these troubled times. I should also like to express our sincere gratitude to your predecessor, Mr. Kittani, who deserves our praise for the dedication and skill with which he carried out his duties over the past year, which was a particularly challenging time for the United Nations. This is the first opportunity I have had publicly to congratulate Mr. Perez de Cuellar on his appointment as Secretary General.”
1982-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 37 (1982)
“The plea that my nation makes to all the major Powers in and outside of this Assembly is that they should cease paying mere lip service to the principles of the Charter and that they should abandon the practice of pursuing their narrow national interests through the United Nations. We all share the responsibility to work towards the achievement of the peace and prosperity which were envisaged in the Charter of the United Nations. None of us can afford to shirk that responsibility.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The forthcoming international conference of plenipotentiaries on the law of treaties [resolution 2166 (XXI)] is therefore of more than legal significance. In practical terms, it means that the Members of the Organization are essentially committed to the cause of peace based on international legal order. If this conclusion is correct then there is yet hope for the greater fulfilment of the objectives of the Organization; indeed, there is much hope for the future. 53. Finally, let us not forget that all efforts to remedy our economic, social and political ills require courage, vision and good faith.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Whilst, therefore, Jamaica intends in due course to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America as proof of our belief in the Treaty's objectives, I take this opportunity to record my country's strong objection to the exclusion of those two sister territories from participation in the Treaty. 52. Before closing, let me say that at a time when the relations among States are marked by tension and distrust, when the outlook for world peace is discouraging, and when often the efforts of the Organization to achieve meaningful objectives are frustrated, we take new heart and encouragement from multilateral achievements such as that of the International Law Commission in producing its agreed draft articles on the law of treaties.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Jamaica also participated in the efforts leading to the conclusion at Mexico City in February last of a Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America [see A/6663], Yet, as many of the representatives here will know, Jamaica is at present the only participating State which has not yet signed the Treaty. We have hesitated to do so because, for reasons which seem irrelevant to the purposes of the instrument, the Treaty has been so drafted as to exclude the participation of such peace-loving countries as Guyana and British Honduras, which logically and geographically form part of the designated area to he kept free of nuclear weapons. 51.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We welcome the submission by the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of identical draft texts of a treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. But there is still much work to he done. We are, frankly, deeply concerned by the failure so far of the nuclear Powers to offer to the non-nuclear-weapon States satisfactory guarantees against nuclear attack or threat of attack. Our concern was also reflected in Jamaica's co-sponsorship of resolution 2153 B (XXI) at the twenty-first session of the General Assembly, convening a conference of non-nuclear-weapon States. 50.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“Developed countries shall progressively reduce and eliminate barriers and other restrictions that hinder trade and consumption of products from developing countries and take positive measures such as will create and increase markets for the exports of developing countries." We are particularly concerned that this should be so because we continue to believe firmly that the more opportunities there are for trade the less urgent will be the need for aid. 49. Although my country is in no sense a military Power, I could not refrain from some reference to the crucial problems of disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. We have followed with interest bordering on anxiety the negotiations at the Conference of the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament at Geneva.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“In our view, the second session should concern itself primarily not with statements of the ideal but rather with working out the practical steps that must be taken to give effect to the general and special principles of the Final Act of the first session. Among these principles, general principle seven reads in part: "The expansion and diversification of international trade depends upon increasing access to markets, and upon remunerative prices for the exports of primary products.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We are pleased to note that in the United Nations the developing countries are attempting to meet some of their common problems through a joint approach, as is illustrated by resolution 2186 (XXI) of the twenty-first session of the General Assembly, establishing the Capital Development Fund. The spirit in which the Kennedy Bound negotiations were conducted and the agreements reached, though far from satisfying our aspirations, point to a more hopeful future. We prefer to consider the concessions made as the first in a series of steps towards the general lowering of barriers to trade. 48. The second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will provide an opportunity to carry on where the Kennedy Bound negotiations left off.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The thousands of workers and farmers who are engaged in agriculture in my country and in other developing countries have as strong a claim to fair living standards as any worker anywhere else, and they will not be satisfied with a situation where hard work does not bring its sufficient and due reward. 47. On the subject of the work of the economic agencies of the United Nations — and here I wish to refer specifically to the United Nations Development Programme — the record of those agencies is a recognition that it is in the interest of all countries to co-operate in seeking practice' solutions to remove the external constraints on the growth and welfare of developing nations.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“My Government renews the proposal that the sugar producers of North America and Europe should maintain a standstill — not a cutback — in the production of sugar until effective demand has caught up with supply. It is our earnest hope that this proposal for the benefit of the people in the developing countries will not fall on deaf ears. 46. In the spirit of the Development Decade, I urge the representatives of the developed countries to allow a new international sugar agreement providing for reasonable prices and quantities to come into effect as from 1968.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“This is one finished product which the developing countries can produce and sell more cheaply than the developed countries can. Many developing countries depend heavily on this labour intensive crop to earn foreign exchange, to maintain rural employment and generally to avoid internal instability. 44. No one denies that an international agreement for the orderly marketing of the world's exports of sugar is an urgent need. Yet for many years now, a new international agreement on sugar has eluded us. Why is that so? The answer is: largely because the developed countries persist in striving for self-sufficiency in sugar and they keep steadily reducing the share of their market which the developing countries are allowed to supply. 45.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“The result is that the efforts of our countries to industrialize are hampered. So we must continue to rely mainly on the production of primary commodities. Yet our efforts to obtain stable marketing arrangements for these primary commodities have had little success. In the absence of agreements, the low prices of primary commodities hardly move upwards while the prices of imported capital goods and their spare parts have been rising at an average annually of 7.5 per cent since 1962. 43. The situation in which developing countries must purchase machinery and equipment at high and rising prices while their own goods are subject to fluctuating low prices cannot continue indefinitely. The absence of stable marketing arrangements is felt most keenly in the case of sugar, for example.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We hope that proposals agreed upon at the recently concluded Conference in R lode Janeiro will be fully worked out and put into operation. The solution of this problem is urgently needed, because the records show that in 1966 the flow of capital to developing countries fell by $1,000 million. 42. Then we have a situation where concurrent with the slowing down of capital transfers for economic development there is an increasing reluctance to take practical steps to develop and expand trade. Developing countries are being constantly urged to diversify their economies, but when we try to shift agricultural workers to industry we discover that the developed countries place unjustified limitations upon the entry of our light manufactures into their markets. They say that these products from relatively small plants are too competitive.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“It now appears that the assumption that there was genuine international concern for the prevalence of poverty amongst two thirds of mankind was ill founded. For at a time when the ability of the developed countries to offer financial aid has been increasing, their willingness to assist appears to be diminishing. We are approaching the point where there threatens to be a net outflow of capital from the developing to the developed countries. 41. We recognize that there has been a problem of general illiquidity. The control of liquidity exercised by the fluctuations in gold reserves and the balance- of-payments position of countries with reserve currencies have not been sufficiently flexible or effective. There has been a purposeful endeavour to find a better system. My Government recognizes the problems involved.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“In so doing, the United Nations appealed to the developed countries to make 1 per cent of their national incomes available for investment in developing countries. The Development Decade is now coming to a close, and yet the harsh fact is that many of the poorest economies have continued to grow most slowly. According to the annual report of the Secretary-General, last year the rate of over-all growth for developing countries was less than 4 per cent; in that same year the developed market economies and the centrally planned economies raised their output in real terms by 5 and 7 per cent respectively [A/6701, p. 95], These differences in the over-all growth have led to a further widening of the gap between per capita Incomes in the developed and developing countries. 40.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“But the desire of the United Nations for peace and the effective realization of human rights cannot be fulfilled without the liberation of the world's masses from hunger and poverty. Developing countries such as mine realize their responsibilities in this regard and are endeavouring to solve the social and economic problems that beset them, problems of unemployment and underemployment, and of low and slowly growing income levels. However, in this interdependent world we are all too aware that no developing country can solve all its economic problems without some cooperation and assistance from its more developed neighbours. 39. That was clear when the United Nations proclaimed the 1960s to be the United Nations Development Decade.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)
“We have evolved major programmes of social welfare, and while there are difficulties still to be overcome, we feel that we can point with justifiable pride to many areas in which our social welfare programmes have been successful. It is therefore our hope that the growing international concern with these problems of social welfare, planning and administration will serve to accelerate national programmes in this field. Jamaica is prepared to place at the disposal of the United Nations any information based on its own experience and programmes which might be of use to the Organization, and we pledge our support to all efforts designed to make the forthcoming Conference a genuine success. 38.”
1967-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 22 (1967)