YouSaid · the spoken record

VAN DEN BROEK

lines on the record: 306
first: 1983-09-24
most recent: 1992-09-24
sittings or episodes: 10
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

“The credibility and effectiveness of the Organization require us to give a constructive response to the urgent appeal of the Secretary-General, and after eight months of experience as a member of the Security Council, I cannot but voice some disappointment over the way the Council functions or sometimes appears unable to function. To quote but one example, I refer to the case of Chad. That country, faced with armed intervention, had recourse to the Security Council without gaining any satisfaction on its fully justified complaint. In other cases the Council succeeded in adopting resolutions, but one wonders whether these were all up to the measure of the duties and responsibilities of the Council.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“If the United Nations fails to implement its decisions, it is again to ourselves that we should look for an answer. We, the Members, should harmonize our positions and our actions, making the most of the United Nations as a centre for our endeavours. 48. Last year's report of the Secretary-General' has been the subject of wide-ranging consultations among the members of the Security Council. Representing a country which took part in the consultations, I regret to say that their outcome cannot as yet be considered very satisfactory. Nevertheless, I do hope that the Council's report can at least serve as a starting-point for more in-depth consultations and practical conclusions.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Yet there is a general feeling that the United Nations has more often failed in being the centre for harmonizing our actions, a feeling so acutely expressed by the Secretary- General in his reports on the work of the Organization. Up to a point we should allow ourselves a sense of realism and recognize that tension will always exist between the lofty principles and purposes of the Charter and the harsh realities of our time. In bridging this gap the Organization may perhaps never be completely successful. But even a modest view of what we can ultimately achieve does not absolve us from keeping constantly in mind the Organization's guiding principles. 47. Whenever the United Nations appears unable to steer the course of events, we ourselves should take the blame. The United Nations is only a stage on which we, the Members, are the actors.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“According to the Charter, one of the purposes of the United Nations is to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of its Members in the attainment of their common ends. In many instances the Organization has been highly successful. The era of colonization has virtually been brought to an end, as witnessed by the representation in this Hall of 158 independent States, a threefold increase in its original membership. The work of the specialized agencies should be mentioned too. Public attention is seldom commensurate with their unmistakable achievements. Equally important progress has been reached in the codification of human rights and the creation of instruments for their implementation. 46.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“Several countries continue to suffer the oppressive effects of foreign invasion, and the end of their suffering is nowhere in sight. The savage war between Iran and Iraq has entered its fourth year. Millions of people continue to live in extreme poverty. Less than a month ago, we were stunned by the cruel destruction of a civilian airliner by the Soviet Union, which has since been rightly condemned in various forums within the United Nations system. 44. In a world which is subject to such stress and where violence so often takes the place of justice and the rule of law, we need this unique and universal Organization, the United Nations. We have to do all we can to make it into an effective and efficient instrument. 45.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)
“40. I should like first of all to congratulate Mr. Illueca upon his election to the presidency of the Assembly's thirty-eighth session, and I am fully confident that he will guide our deliberations with benevolence and wisdom. 41. With the chair's permission, I wish to extend, on behalf of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, warm words of welcome to the new Member, Saint Christopher and Nevis. 42. We are convening at a time when the need for an organization like this, the United Nations, with the essential concrete and practical purposes set out in its Charter, is greater than ever, because the international situation is deeply disturbing in many respects. 43. Relations between a number of States have deteriorated since we met here last year.”
1983-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 38 (1983)