YouSaid · the spoken record

LUNS

lines on the record: 427
first: 1952-09-24
most recent: 1970-09-24
sittings or episodes: 18
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

“My Government is prepared to co-operate towards a compromise which would establish a new balance between the authority of the Security Council and the General Assembly, and in which the primary responsibility of the Security Council for international peace and security would again be more strongly emphasized. The experiences of the coming years will, I feel sure, indicate in what way the residual responsibility of the General Assembly, as laid down in the Charter, should be exercised. The Netherlands, I think, gave ample proof that its preparedness to contribute to peace-keeping operations was not theoretical, when on 24 September 1963 [1213th meeting], I informed the General Assembly, from this rostrum, that the Netherlands Government had decided to put a standby contingent of its armed forces at the disposal of the Organization. 90.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“It is, however, clear that the United Nations cannot afford a recurrence of a controversy over a particular operation such as we witnessed last year. Large-scale peace-keeping operations should therefore be undertaken in future only if there exists a reasonable measure of agreement among the great Powers, and only if their financing is assured, either by the application of general rules or by an ad hoc arrangement. The search for general and generally accepted principles for future peace-keeping operations should therefore be actively pursued. My Government has participated in this pursuit and will continue to do so. The discussion in the Committee of Thirty-three has considerably clarified the issues and alternatives.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“My country has put its views on that subject on record for the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations. Then we made it clear that in our view, in order to survive, the United Nations would have to retrace some of the steps taken since 1950 in the realm of operational peace-keeping actions. It goes without saying that my Government continues to attach great importance to that aspect of United Nations activity, namely, peace-keeping actions. If any doubt should have subsisted about the need for such operations, it has been dispelled beyond doubt by the armed conflicts of these last few weeks between India and Pakistan and the ensuing need, at short notice, of a great number of military observers. 89.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“My delegation agrees with this suggestion. After twenty years of growth, it is almost inevitable that the United Nations machinery should show a number of duplications, outgrowths which have outlived their usefulness, and the like. Every machinery needs a periodic overhaul to maintain peak efficiency. 87. I should like only to add that I hope that the voluntary contributions which I mentioned earlier will be forthcoming without awaiting the outcome of a necessarily time-consuming operation as proposed by Mr. Couve de Murville. 88. My Government, like many others, is of the opinion that the so-called financial crisis of the United Nations was not limited to the problem of the financing of past or future peace-keeping operations; basically it is a structural crisis.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“Speaking about the financial problems of our Organization, I should like to support a suggestion made here on 29 September by the Foreign Minister of France. Mr. Couve de Murville pointed out that no one at this moment has a clear idea of what the balance sheet of the United Nations could be. He furthermore pointed out that there has been a constant accumulation and increase of expenses of the Organization proper and of its specialized agencies. Mr. Couve de Murville then said: "From this analysis, France concludes that this financial crisis should be taken as the opportunity to take a fresh look at the situation of the United Nations as a whole — including that of the specialized agencies — to draw up a clear, complete and Candid balance sheet for them, to revise our methods..." [1341st meeting, para. 91]. 86.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“They could do so by making voluntary contributions to reduce the remaining deficit of the United Nations, and furthermore by agreeing to a compromise arrangement for future peace-keeping operations. 83. On both these residual aspects of the problem, the remaining deficit and the arrangements for future peace-keeping operations, I should like to make my Government's attitude clear. 84. The Committee of Thirty-three has recommended that the financial difficulties of the Organization should be solved through voluntary contributions by Member States, with the highly developed countries making substantial contributions. The Netherlands has from the beginning subscribed to the principle that in certain cases the developed nations should pay a higher share than their normal quota. 85.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“The deadlock of last year paralysed the nineteenth session of the General Assembly and threatened to paralyse the whole of the United Nations. Unresolved, it would have made normal work impossible for this twentieth session. Only a major concession on the part of some countries rendered it possible to return to a normal procedure. 82. The United Nations cannot work except on the basis of give and take. But "give and take" does not mean that one side has to do all the giving and the other side all the taking. My delegation believes, therefore, that one may reasonably ask of those who objected to pay a share in certain operations that they should now make their own contribution to a solution of the two remaining aspects of the problem, namely, the solvency of the Organization and the question of future peace-keeping operations.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“As we all know, the financial crisis in the United Nations and the arrangements for future peacekeeping operations have been discussed here and elsewhere at great length. I do not wish again to go into various positions adopted. Suffice it to remind the Assembly that my country belonged — and still belongs — to those who subscribed to the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, to wit, that expenses for peace-keeping operations belong to the expenses mentioned in Article 17 of our Charter, for which Members can be assessed by the General Assembly. This view implies, however, that before decisions on peace-keeping operations are made, all the political and financial consequences are examined with the greatest care in order to be sure that such a decision can be carried out in practice.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“79. Mr. President, my delegation has already had an opportunity to offer you its congratulations upon your election to your high office. I therefore wish to limit myself to adding my warmest personal congratulations, based on our personal ties of friendship grown during your terms of office as Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy. 80. The United Nations is now completing the second decade of its existence and it seems to us that the time is ripe for a realistic appraisal of the condition in which our Organization finds itself now that it is about to come of age. Last year we were all deeply concerned with the fundamental problem which had turned the General Assembly — as I said in January from this rostrum [1318th meeting] — into a half-lamed giant. 81.”
1965-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 20 (1965)
“May the Almighty give us wisdom and perseverance to fulfil these tasks successfully.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“I share in this respect the faith in the unrivalled character of the United Nations which was expressed by the Secretary-General in the introduction to his yearly report, where he said that the solution of world problems by the United Nations; "will depend to a great degree upon the validity of my faith in the unique value of the United Nations as an instrument for reconciling differences of opinion and not only as a framework in which they can manifest themselves..." [A/5801/Add.1, sect. IV.] 88. The United Nations remains a unique worldwide organization for the solution of conflicts and for increasing the living standards of those hundreds of millions still living in want and poverty. My country is determined to continue its contribution to this double task.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“It would indeed be tragic if the East-West conflict, which fortunately has shown some signs of abating in the last two years, were to be replaced by a new controversy between North and South. The problem of raising the living standards in the less developed countries remains one of the main tasks of our Organization, and my country remains determined to give its utmost efforts to that task. But it must be done in forms which take into consideration the interests and responsibilities of both sides. If not, in my own country, as in others, the tendency might grow in favour of channeling aid in new forms and through other bodies. My Government would regret such a development and trusts that with the co-operation of all concerned, this can be prevented and the United Nations will be able to emerge strengthened from the present shadows. 87.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Basically this is a matter of mentality more than of written texts. No clause about weighted voting, no conciliation procedure, no assurances of self-restraint of the General Assembly will have much effect on the future of the Trade Conference, unless the majority of the Members is conscious of the views, the interests and the responsibilities of the minority. 85. In a debate which took place in this very building a few weeks ago, bitter words were spoken about the humanitarian action of Belgium and the United States of America, by which hundreds of humans of many nationalities and races were saved. Having for years opposed all forms of racial discrimination, my delegation feels obliged to point out that racialism in reverse would be as unjust and as dangerous. 86.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“The excellent results obtained by the Fund are, in the opinion of many countries, partly due to the structure of its governing body which provides for parity of representation between more developed and less developed countries, and for an advisory role for the specialized agencies. For this reason the main donor countries place great value on the maintenance of this well-tested structure in the planned merger between the Special Fund and the Extended Programme of Technical Assistance into a new Development Programme. For reasons of wisdom and equity this balance should be maintained; for I seriously fear that if the future structure were to be based purely on voting strength this would lead, as far as my country is concerned, to a reappraisal of the extent of our contributions.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Up to now, the composition of some of the executive organs of the United Nations has been based on a situation which prevailed in 1945, and my delegation has for years advanced the idea that that representation should be revised in the light of the entirely changed conditions. We should now, however, guard against falling into the other extreme by introducing methods for filling vacancies based purely on the number of votes, without due regard for an equitable distribution based both on geography and responsibility. 84. Let me mention in this context, as a typical example, the Special Fund.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“However, less than 20 per cent of the Member States are paying more than 80 per cent of the contributions — or, to put it differently, a majority of 80 per cent is paying less than 20 per cent of the contributions. 82. In order to prevent misunderstandings, I wish to make it clear that the main contributors are perfectly willing to continue and even increase their contributions. Such a situation, however, can continue only if the group commanding the majority votes exercises due restraint when making use of its voting power. If not, it is to be feared that such a lopsided situation may, in the long run, become unacceptable. 83. The same problem plays a part in the matter of equitable geographical representation within different United Nations bodies.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Fruitful co-operation between those two groups is essential for the well-being of all Members, as well as for the raising of living standards in the world. Such cooperation is possible only if each group, in determining its own attitude, takes into account the views, the interests and the responsibilities of the other group. A mere mechanical application of a voting machine is indeed a serious threat to the future, if it is not restrained by an awareness of the contributions of others. Let me mention a few examples. 81. The mandatory contributions of Member States to the United Nations and its specialized agencies derive from budgets decided by a two-thirds majority of the votes, as is well known.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“My Country, by its geographical situation, its history, its economic structure, has always had an important stake in trade with the other continents and will continue to exert its efforts to increase the economic relations between the Common Market and the outer world. 80. I have mentioned some aspects of the political and economic situation which give hope for the future. I consider it my duty, in the interests of the United Nations and the promotion of prosperity in the world, to say something about a few aspects which cause concern to my Government. I mentioned before that the United Nations, after many months of rapid growth, is showing signs of a crisis. This derives partially from the fact that the large majority of less developed, young countries have to co-operate with the small minority of older, more developed countries.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“In a direct way, that takes place in the form of aid to the eighteen associated countries, aid which, for the five-year period beginning in 1963, totals $735 million. Of the total number of 81,000 technicians sent to developing countries, no less than 55,000 have come from Common Market countries. Indirectly, the wholesome effects of the Common Market's progress are visible in its growing trade, which is by no means limited to exchanges between its members. That is shown, for instance, by the fact that from 1958 to 1964 the total imports from countries outside the European Community increased by no less than 66 per cent, whereas the Common Market's exports to those outside countries increased by only 51 per cent.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“That Committee provides for an extensive exchange of views on different aspects of the relations between donor countries and receiving countries. It maintains growing relations with other international bodies, such as the United Nations and its regional organizations, as well as with specialized agencies, such as the World Bank. Similarly, the contacts of this donor group with less developed countries is increasing. My Government welcomes those new trends. 79. In a more limited context, my country is making its contribution to the increasing prosperity of the world as one of the members of the European Common Market. That Community, as is well known, is experiencing a rapid and tremendous economic upsurge. It is perhaps not superfluous to mention again that its growing prosperity has wholesome effects on the rest of the world as well.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“We therefore hope that the coming conference in Home on this new way of disposing of food surpluses will likewise open up new perspectives. 77. Outside the United Nations, a new chapter has, much to our satisfaction, been added to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). That chapter, due to be signed within a few weeks, is dedicated to the principle that less developed countries are entitled to special treatment because they are in a weaker position, as well as in a phase of accelerated development. The Netherlands fully subscribes to that principle. 78. In that connexion I should like to emphasize the importance of the consultation of a number of donor countries in the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“The Economic and Social Council should also be developed as the principal executive body of the General Assembly in co-ordinating the activities of all the related world organizations in the field of economic and social advancement. That is all the more necessary because of the increasing number of new organs inside and outside the United Nations. 76. Inside the United Nations, we shall, in a few months, be considering the new mandates for the World Food Programme. My Government considers that experiment, which has now been going on for three years, a success. Its continuation in a more elaborate form may be an important contribution to the existing form of co-operation between developed and less developed countries.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“I am gratified that the Secretary-General, in his report on the administrative requirements for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, has given proper weight to the basic need of keeping together in one integrated pattern the total United Nations effort in the economic and social field. In that connexion, the planned review of the role of the Economic and Social Council on the basis of the provisions of the Charter seems a matter of urgency. Here, just as with the Security Council in the political field, there is scope for strengthening the Council's task as an executive body. Under the authority of the General Assembly, but with its own clearly defined powers, the Economic and Social Council can help to guide the execution of the policies of the United Nations throughout the various specialized bodies.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Nowadays voices are being heard to the effect that all United Nations activities in the social and economic field should be transferred from New York to Geneva, or elsewhere, thus bringing about a separation of the political and the economic activities of the United Nations. I deem it right to warn against the danger of separating those two activities that are so closely interwoven. It would indeed be sad if we were already to forget the lesson drawn in 1945 from the experience of the old League of Nations — namely, that no organization of States can confine itself to political activities except at the risk of its own existence. 75.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“This will depend on the new Trade and Development Board and its subsidiary organs, as well as on the periodic conferences. If successful, these new bodies may prove to be instruments of historic importance for the betterment of the fate of hundreds of millions. One condition for their fruitful activity will be that they are given their right place within the machinery of the United Nations. For my country, Chapters IX and X of the Charter concerning international economic and social co-operation have lost none of their fundamental importance. The new workload for the United Nations in the field of trade and development fits into this pattern. 74.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“When we look back over the last fifteen years we cannot fail to be impressed by the tremendous activity exerted in that field. At the same time there is a general realization that the great activity and the enormous sums expended have thus far produced only limited results. This paradox is steadily becoming more visible and should induce us to seek a shift in emphasis. If we were to proceed along the same road as in previous years, we would need generations to achieve a higher standard of living for all. This really will not do; it is imperative that we take a short-cut leading to more concrete results within a shorter period of time. 73. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, held in Geneva last year, may provide the impetus needed for a new upward trend.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“The recent atomic explosion in China, which we deeply regret, has infused new urgency into this problem. We are profoundly concerned by the realization that we may foe well on the way to a most dangerous multi- nuclear world. This development makes it urgently necessary to come to speedy arrangements in order that the number of nuclear Powers should not further increase. 71. Peace and prosperity are, as has often been said, inseparable. Important as it is to maintain peace by the elimination of conflicts, it is equally important to give peace a solid foundation and a deeper content by raising living standards. 72. Having dealt with the aspect of peace, I should now like to say something about the equally important problem of the economic and social development of the less developed countries.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“It is disappointing that for the last year no further agreement has been reached about measures for disarmament, in which some progress had previously been achieved. However, I derive some hope for the future from the growing realization on the part of the principal military Powers that they all have a common interest in freezing and, if possible, reducing the extent of their armed forces. 70. In the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament — to which my Government continues to attach great importance — many proposals have been put forward. We hope that when these discussions in Geneva are resumed they will lead to further improved understanding and ultimately to agreements. My Government suggests that high priority should be given to an agreement on the non-proliferation of nuclear arms.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Some operations have had their shortcomings, some have been heavily criticized for one reason or another, taut most operations, let us not forget, have helped to prevent some very dangerous situations from bursting into full-scale war. It is all the more regrettable that the financing of two of these operations has given rise to a dispute which, as I said a moment ago, threatens to paralyse this present Assembly. And it is all the more important that we should try to arrive at a more solid basis for future operations, as regards their initiation, their technical organization and their financing. My delegation will indeed be happy to co-operate with interested delegations from all parts of the world to further this aim. 69.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“This being said, I must immediately add that the General Assembly should, in our view, remain the supreme representative body of the Organization and that my Government could not go so far as to agree to any arrangement which would give the Security Council exclusive jurisdiction over peace and security. 68. These latter principles apply particularly to a field which, in the view of my Government, is bound to become of ever greater importance as a means of preserving peace, namely, that of peace-keeping operations. These operations have developed over the years on the basis of practical needs, and some have been among the most successful achievements of the United Nations.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Thus it would seem that the Security Council is slowly being restored to the role for which it was originally intended by the authors of the Charter, namely, that of exercising primary reponsibility for peace and security in the world. Although the abuse of the veto has unfortunately not ceased, my Government believes that the more active role of the Security Council is to a certain extent a healthy development. In fact, the unforeseen increase in the number of Members of the General Assembly — which renders it a somewhat cumbersome body — maims it less fit for executive action.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“This will at last bring about a better representation of the many new Members that have joined the United Nations since 1945, a representation which these new Members have claimed so strongly and with such good reason. As is well known, my delegation has always been in favour of such an extension, and my country was therefore happy, after receiving parliamentary approval, to ratify the pertinent amendments to the Charter a few weeks ago. 67. A more adequate representation of the new Members should also remove the objections which have been raised during these last years with regard to the more active role which the Security Council is playing. This latter trend became more conspicuous in 1964, when the number of Security Council meetings almost doubled the figure for 1963.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Needless to say, the Netherlands, together with the other ten members of the Security Council, will carry out this heavy responsibility in the best interests of international peace and security. In doing so it will base itself on the principles of the Charter and, in particular, on the principle that military force should never be used as a means of solving an international dispute, a principle dear to my country ever since the days of Grotius. It is clear that in our time, more than ever before, this principle should be respected. 66. We hope that within the period of our membership the amendments to the Charter providing for an extension of the Security Council and of the Economic and Social Council will enter into force.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Today the United Nations is in the throes of a dispute which threatens to extend beyond all reasonable bounds and to cripple the whole activity of the Organization. My delegation sincerely hopes that there may still be found a last minute solution which will not prejudice the rules of the Charter. If this should prove impossible, my delegation feels that it would be better to come to an unequivocal decision now rather than to have this Assembly drag on further as a half-lame giant. If this problem can finally be solved and the decision loyally respected by all parties concerned, we trust that the Assembly can then proceed to devote its energy again to more fruitful activities. 65. My country considers it an honour to have been made a member of the Security Council for two years. We are thankful for the trust thus reposed in us.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“Looking back, we now realize that last year the eighteenth session of the General Assembly met at one of the Organization's high points, in an improved international atmosphere resulting from the Moscow test ban treaty. Today, the General Assembly proceeds through the shadows cast by two huge problems: on the one side, a financial crisis which at present looks almost insurmountable; on the other side, the equally formidable problem of the increasingly diverging levels of prosperity between the developed and the less developed countries. Twenty years ago our Organization was a shining new achievement born from the scourge of war. After almost two decades of expansion well beyond the original exceptions, elements of crisis seem to loom larger now than does the certainty of further progress. 64.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“With the admission of Zambia and Malawi the number of African Members of the United Nations has increased from three at the birth of the Organization in 1945, to thirty-six today. What a tremendous development — almost two score African States in less than a score of years! 63. This leads me to the present situation of the United Nations. We must view the situation realistically, without ignoring the serious character of its problems. An organization like the United Nations is, like any human being and any other organization, bound to have its ups and downs, which sometimes succeed each other rapidly. The United Nations — let us admit it — is this year in one of its downs.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“The accession of so many African States to the United Nations is, furthermore, an important contribution to the universality of the United Nations. SO. This latter reason is also the cause of our rejoicing over a second event at which I should like to express my delegation's happiness, namely the admission of Zambia, Malawi and Malta as new Members of the United Nations 61. Malta we particularly welcome, not only as a new member of the European family of nations, but also as a stepping-stone between Africa and Europe — a stepping-stone which has always served in history to the mutual advantage of both continents and which today is more needed than ever before. 62.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“59. Mr. President, allow me first of all to take this opportunity, which did not present itself earlier, to express to you the congratulations of the Netherlands delegation upon your election to your present high office. As many speakers have already pointed out, this is not only a tribute to you personally, but also a recognition of the important part which Africa and the Africans play — and are entitled to play — in world affairs today. No greater change has taken place in the United Nations since I first addressed this General Assembly, more than twelve years ago, than this rapid emergence of a continent so frequently but incorrectly termed the "Dark Continent", into the light of world affairs.”
1964-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 19 (1964)
“At the beginning of this eighteenth session of the General Assembly I pray to the Almighty that He may grant us wisdom.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“This increase is a reason for rejoicing, because it means that so many more countries have achieved independent status. At the same time it gives us cause to be careful because the sum of all our separate aspirations, aims and ambitions has been doubled. Thus, while our mutual relations have become more inextricably interwoven, the scope left for individual, independent, action has shrunk. There is less room for our national stringings, but this restriction is compensated by the benefits derived from joint action on a plane transcending that of nationalism. The attainment of this benefit, however, is contingent on our ability to moderate our demands and to be content with less than what we might, consider our due. Such self restraint does not come easily, but that we may "live" we must learn to "let live".”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“Finally, the question arises: is there really much point in talking about credits and credit conditions when the foreseeable burden of interest and repayment will eventually be so high as to absorb the entire foreign currency income of the debtor country? 132. Solutions to these problems are being sought by national Governments and by our friend Mr. Prebisch and his advisers. We are intensely interested in the new insights in the problems of development which they will provide. To a large extent these insights will determine the course of the Development Decade. 133. This is the twelfth time that I am privileged to attend the General Assembly as head of the Netherlands delegation. When I spoke in this hall in 1952, I was addressing 60 members; now they number 111.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“It is unprofitable to debate whether the donor or the receiver countries are responsible for this state of affairs, but it is a fact that in many cases the conditions for quick and effective use of capital are absent and that too little has been done to create these conditions. Transfer of knowledge and cultivation of the ability to organize are prerequisites for the investment of development capital. This is where the United Nations Special Fund is doing such valuable work, although the need for more remains imperative. The multilateral relationship between more and less developed countries may be adversely affected when the world is caught in a net of tied loans. Such a situation will have its effects on trade policies and it will alter the pattern of the world economy.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“There we must give a great push forward; together we must analyse where our insight failed and why assistance programmes were sometimes bogged down. It is becoming increasingly evident that one-sided concentration on the transfer of capital is not enough for the promotion of development. It can even be harmful because it tends to obscure the importance of solving the underlying problems of stagnant development. Capital by itself is of no use when the channels through which it has to flow are clogged. In spite of the great needs of the less developed countries, there is a shortage of sound projects into which the available capital could be injected.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“In the Netherlands, at the beginning of this year, we started training a corps of young volunteers to work in such less developed countries as may wish to make use of their services, and there to share their skills with the inhabitants. The first group are on the point of leaving for Africa, where they will assist the farmers in a valley of Cameroon in the application of agricultural techniques. They will thus play their part in the performance of that immense task, incumbent on us all, which the Charter describes as the promotion of "social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom". 131. The Netherlands Government harbours great expectations from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development which will be held next spring.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“Our experience of, and confidence in, the ability of the Secretary-General and his staff have prompted us to make this new offer. 129. We trust that, with the aid of a wide choice from stand-by forces of as many countries as possible, carefully trained for United Nations tasks, it will be possible to put out political brush fires before they turn into general conflagrations. 130. Necessary as the peace-keeping operations of the United Nations may be, they do not, by themselves, create the conditions under which economic development and growth towards prosperity can take place. It goes without saying that a Marine Corps cannot bring prosperity to underprivileged countries.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“In respect of logistics and administration the contingent is self-supporting, within the framework of the United Nations supply organization; thirdly, within a matter of days further contingents will, if necessary, be ready for action; fourthly, qualified staff officers are ready to be attached immediately to the headquarters of a United Nations force of which the Netherlands Marine Corps contingent will form part; fifthly, so long as the units are not in fact placed at the disposal of the United Nations, no costs will be charged to the Organization. 127. My country has previously taken part in various United Nations operations: one of them was the United Nations operation in Lebanon; we are still co-operating in the Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine; and we have a field hospital unit in the Congo. 128.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“Although some technical details still remain to be worked out, the Netherlands offer can be summed up as follows: first, an initial contingent of about 300 men is held ready for action within twenty-four hours; secondly, this contingent consists of an infantry unit equipped with machine guns, mortars and recoilless guns and supported by reconnaissance, intelligence, medical and communications personnel.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“I take pleasure in being able to announce that the Netherlands Government, desirous of demonstrating its faith in the peace-restoring- powers of the United Nations, has just informed the Secretary-General that it has now placed a contingent of the Marine Corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy at the disposal of the Organization. This Corps is an élite corps and has a centuries-old tradition of service. It formed part of the first international police force employed by the League of Nations, some thirty years ago; to supervise the peaceful solution, by means of a plebiscite, of one of the problems left over from the first world war. 126.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“If so, the method applied by the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority in West New Guinea, under which the costs were shared and paid in advance by the two countries concerned, may well serve as a precedent to be followed; such an arrangement can prevent friction at a later stage. 124. In cases where this method cannot be applied, it would seem to be a counsel of wisdom to remember that war is always more costly than peace, even in terms of money. My Government expects that all Members of the United Nations will therefore heed the opinion given by the International Court of Justice and contribute their fair share towards the costs of the Organization's peace-keeping operations. I fully endorse the words which the preceding speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, has just said in this respect. 125.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)
“Nevertheless, I wish to state that the period of seven months of United Nations administration has proved its merits. For the first time in history, the Secretary-General was entrusted with the entire administration of a large territory. When he transferred it to Indonesia, the first phase of United Nations involvement in West New Guinea ended. The second phase remains; it will continue until the United Nations has completed the task it solemnly undertook a year ago: to see to it that the Papuan people are given the opportunity of exercising their right of self- determination before 31 December 1969. 123. We may reasonably expect that there will be other cases in which the United Nations will be called upon to exercise a peace-keeping function.”
1963-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 18 (1963)