YouSaid · the spoken record

Jooste

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS JOOSTE

lines on the record: 96
first: 1949-09-24
most recent: 1954-09-24
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

“This year, however, there has been a relatively new note discernible in the debate, a note which, in fact, is reflected also in our agenda. I refer to the many references made to, and the arguments for, a revision of the Charter of the United Nations. This note, it is true, is not entirely new. It has been sounded in previous years. It is nevertheless one which has never before emerged so distinctly from our general debates. 30. There are good reasons for the statements which we have heard on this point. As has been pointed out, the date set in the Charter for consideration of its revision is drawing close.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“But if peace is to be achieved, that desire must be reflected not only in the words but also in the deeds of all governments, more especially of all those governments which bear the primary responsibility for the achievement of this all-important objective of international endeavour. 28. I repeat, therefore, that it is the fervent hope also of my country that the words which we have heard from this rostrum will be heeded and that no country, no government, will, for whatever reason, persist in activities which continue to militate against the achievement of this goal. 29. I have said that, while differing in content, the general scope of the important statements we have heard are in character with similar statements in past years.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“His was a solemn appeal — an appeal which was also taken up by a number of subsequent speakers — and it is the nope of my delegation that that appeal will be heeded, above all by those who, by their words and especially by their deeds, are responsible for the sorry state in which the world finds itself today. 27. We realize that the problems which exist, and which stand in the way of peace and security, are problems of the greatest magnitude, as well as of the greatest complexity. Yet it is our sincere belief that, with sincerity of purpose and a strong enough desire to achieve world peace, these problems can be resolved. The desire to achieve peace, we are told, is shared universally.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“The matters — the very important matters — dealt with by the different speakers may, I believe, all be related to our one major problem, namely, the achievement of peace and the establishment of security: a peace which will be real, and a security which will enable all mankind to live without the ever-present threat of war and the suffering which is attendant on modern armed conflict. This, indeed, has increasingly become the keynote of general debates, and is no less the keynote of the present debate. 26. The first speaker in the debate, the distinguished Secretary of State of the United States, dealt cogently with these matters, when he reminded this Assembly [434th meeting] of the many complex and dangerous problems which threaten peace and which continue to render security impossible of achievement.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“24. As is customary and as is proper in the general debate, the many important statements made during the last few days from this rostrum have covered a wide range of subjects. This, as I say, is both customary and proper, for it is on this occasion every year that the more general aspects of world affairs, as well as this Organization’s activities with regard to those affairs, can correctly and effectively be reviewed. The statements which we have heard have therefore, in the main, been in character with statements made in previous general debates, not in content but in the general scope of the ground covered. This does not, of course, detract from their importance, for these matters continue to be a. source of great concern throughout the world. 25.”
1953-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 8 (1953)
“pursuing our great common goal of bringing peace and security to the world, we should at all times be aware of these things and ensure that these differences do not obtrude themselves on the performance of our common task. 81. I have not sought to make a long speech. I have merely desired to state simply and clearly the dangers inherent in the course upon which this Organization appears to have embarked, and to ask that we return to the Charter which was drafted at San Francisco, as well as to the spirit of mutual good will and cooperation which then existed. I have also desired to suggest that we seek to build on that Charter and in that spirit in order that we may achieve the high purpose for which the United Nations was primarily created.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“They conceived it essential that, in order to enable it to perform its great task, this Organization should be created and should set about its work in such a manner as to reconcile natural differences as far as possible. In the Charter they therefore told us what we should aim at and they also told us what we should avoid and not do. History had shown that the interplay of cultural and other forces had almost invariably been accompanied by clashes of one sort or another. If we were to work together, we should have to respect the differences which were and are peculiar to the different groups, peoples and races which comprise the United Nations, 80. Therefore, in.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“It would be wrong, I think, to draw the analogy of the United Nations being the town meeting of the world too closely if by that we permit the Organization to be exploited for, purely partisan political ends. 79. When our founders met at San Francisco, they realized that this system, of collective security could not be brought about by mere inscription in the Charter. They realized that, in order to bring it about, it would be necessary to rely upon a great partnership based upon a sincere desire to work together. They knew, however, that such a partnership would comprise many peoples, many races of different cultures and different traditions, and that these differences would continue to exist.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“It is true, of course, that these major problems to which I have referred are in the main the responsibility primarily of the great Powers, but when they are placed before the United Nations they become our common concern. It is then that the aggregate of wisdom, of diplomacy and of statesmanship in this Organization is invoked in order to seek solutions and settlements, in the absence of which international relations continue to be charged with dangerous tensions. And it is in order that this fundamental task may be rendered less impossible than it would appear to be today that we should guard against unhealthy practices, including the abuse of this rostrum for the purpose of making speeches designed not so much to seek solutions or to bridge differences as to derive benefits of a purely propaganda nature.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“It is with these problems, with these disputes and differences, that the United Nations must deal in order to carry out its primary task of promoting international harmony and of maintaining international peace. All other matters, in so far as Us Organization is concerned, should be subordinated to those problems, and it is to render the atmosphere more conducive to their solution that we should avoid, at all times, the acrimonious discussion here of minor differences which could, in any case, be settled more readily outside the United Nations — even though in certain cases the United Nations is empowered by the Charter to deal with them. 78.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“If the delegation of India supported this resolution — as I believe it did — how does India reconcile that solemn affirmation which I have just read with its present action of inciting civil disobedience in my country? 76. In any case, I may perhaps just add that had it not been for the acrimonious discussions of our affairs in this Organization, the Union of South Africa and the other countries concerned might not have drifted so far apart as they are today. 77. And ours are by no means the most serious problems. There are problems with which it is correct for the United Nations to deal, and in fact with which it must deal, which constitute an infinitely greater threat to international co-operation, and in some cases even to world peace.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“This, of course, we have known all along, but to repeat that blessing from this rostrum was a most reckless disregard for the principles of the Charter and the purposes for which the United Nations was founded. 75. May I, in this connexion, refer the General Assembly to one paragraph of the resolution “Peace through deeds” [resolution 380 (V)] which it passed in 1950? That paragraph reads: “The General Assembly… "Solemnly reaffirms that, whatever the weapons used, any aggression, whether committed openly, or by fomenting civil strife in the interest of a foreign Power, or otherwise, is the gravest of all crimes against peace and security throughout the world”.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“I had not intended to allude to them today, but two days ago we heard a statement in-this debate and from this rostrum in which the domestic affairs of South Africa were discussed in a manner which must have shocked many of those present. In that statement [393rd meeting], the representative of India sought to exploit certain events in the Union of South. Africa events which might never have occurred had it not been for the sustained intervention in our affairs by the Indian Government. In fact, the representative of India went so far as to state in the most, unmistakable terms that those who are deliberately breaking the laws of my Country have tire blessing of her country.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“We have done so often enough, for we are not without experience in this matter, having been the victims during every single session of this dangerous practice. Our domestic affairs, or rather a distorted version of them, have time and again been paraded in this Organization in a most improper manner at the instance of people who, by doing so, have not hesitated to sow the seeds of discord when it was their solemn duty under the Charter to seek harmony and co-operation. They have, of course, been aided in their efforts also by those who neglect no opportunity to exploit the problems of others in order to promote their own subversive policies. 74. This year again, South African issues figure largely on the agenda — in our view improperly so.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“This would, in the view of my Government, enable us to accustom ourselves to the idea and practice of working together, and thus to create a climate which would be more conducive to a sober approach to problems on which major differences exist and which require the aggregation of true diplomacy and statesmanship available to this Organization. 73. This is not the first Occasion on which a South African representative has drawn attention to the danger of continuing, year after year, to place On our agenda matters which do not belong there and the discussion of which, apart from being improper, in certain instances, clearly threatens co-operation and healthy relations between Member States.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“It is essential, therefore, that we seek some early remedy against the present dangerous tendency of dealing in the United Nations with matters which cannot be solved here and which only serve to exacerbate feel jugs and so militate against the achievement of our primary common goal. If international co-operation for the purpose of rendering the world secure against aggression is to remain our objective, this tendency will have to be discouraged. And this we can do. We can do so by refusing to deal in the United Nations with matters which do not fall within the purview of the Organization, We can do so also by limiting, as far as possible, our agenda — which in any case is becoming increasingly unrealistic — to matters on which we can co-operate.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“If, by dissipating our energies in other, less profitable and sometimes dangerous, directions, we should lose sight of this objective, the United Nation would lose its real purpose and undoubtedly would run the danger of becoming, not the virile and all-important international, organ which it was intended to be, but rather a propaganda forum for the prosecution, in the spotlight of world publicity, of. the relatively unimportant feuds and rivalries to which I have already referred. It is against this danger, this danger of the Organization degenerating into a propaganda forum, that we have to guard. 72.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“It is also because of this consideration that the Union of South Africa has assumed extensive military commitments in other parts of the world — I refer, of course, to the Middle East and to Africa. 71. Let me repeat, therefore, that, given, the widest support of its Members, the United Nations can become an effective instrument of collective security and the best means of ensuring world peace. And it is the view of my Government that we should, under present world conditions, direct all our efforts to the attainment of this fundamental objective.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“No one any longer doubts that had the United Nations refused to act in Korea as it did act, the system of collective security, which is basic in our existence, would have become meaningless and the Organization itself robbed of its main purpose and its real value. 70. I may perhaps explain that it was this consideration which led my Government to decide to make its contribution, a modest contribution in relation to that of certain other Member States, but a contribution as real and as effective as my country’s limited resources would permit. It was because of this consideration that the Union of South Africa decided to participate actively in an area so distant and in which we could have no direct military responsibilities.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“But is it not true that there are Member States which have chosen to follow a singularly neutral course, as though the present struggle were one with which they were not directly concerned? In fact, have we not had to witness how some Member States have seen fit to obstruct this great task undertaken by the United Nations in order to fulfil its promise to combat aggression — wherever it might occur? Have we not seen how, in certain cases, they have even seen fit to heap calumny on those who are sacrificing their lives in order that the United Nations may be enabled to give effect to the solemn undertaking explicit in our Charter? 69.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“I need also but refer to the action taken by the United Nations in repelling aggression in Korea, which is perhaps the best proof we have that this Organization, given the loyal support of its Members and firm leadership by those entrusted with initiative, can still become a real and effective guarantor of peace and security for the future. 68. In order that this may happen however, it is essential that that unity of purpose to which we pledged ourselves originally should be achieved. The present conflict in Korea demonstrates how sadly this unity of purpose is still lacking. Let me say at once that some of our Member States have, of course, been precluded by circumstances peculiar to their own cases from participating actively, and I have no wish to say anything which could be construed as implying criticism of them.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“That system of collective security is the keystone in our Charter, and it is to the development of that system that we must apply ourselves assiduously, at all times eschewing anything and everything which can militate against success in achieving this all-important objective. 67. We can succeed — as indeed we must — if we are to keep faith with those who look to us for peace. This Organization has already given proof of what it can do. It has already shown that it can deal effectively with real threats to the peace. I need but refer to the assistance rendered by it in restoring peace in Greece and in terminating armed conflict in Palestine.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“It was framed in a spirit of goodwill and co-operation at San Francisco. It established obligations — and included certain safeguards — and the test of the failure or success of our Organization lies in the manner in which we live up to these obligations and respect these safeguards. It is for us, and especially for those who, in consequence of their larger experience, and influence, have been entrusted with leadership, to ensure that we do not stray from that course charted by our founders, in search of other goals which will vitiate our efforts to achieve the primary objective of the Charter, and by so doing lead to certain failure and the inevitable ultimate disintegration of the United Nations. 66. The United Nations was created for the primary purpose of maintaining international peace and security.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“When we see all this, how can we expect the peoples of the world to continue believing — believing with unshaken faith — that on its present course the United Nations will ever achieve the high purposes for which it was created? 64. And yet, despite these doubts and fears which beset them, the peoples of the world continue to look to the United Nations as their best hope of achieving world peace and security. The Charter, as drafted, at Sari Francisco, contains all the essential elements to permit of the full development of this Organization into an effective means of ensuring international harmony. The Charter contains the essential elements to enable us to become the most effective bulwark of peace and security. 65. It is therefore not so much the Charter which is at fault.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“During the years — the difficult years — since San Francisco, the hope and the faith, which was inspired by our founders, has gradually diminished, until today there is uncertainty — uncertainty on all sides — whether the United Nations can ever fulfil its early promise of creating the conditions and relationships which are essential if the world is to have peace, and mankind is to have that sense of security which is necessary for a full and fruitful life. 63. How could it be otherwise? For how could we expect that faith to continue unimpaired when, we consider the facts which, surround us, when we observe the continuous process of estrangement, so clearly reflected in our debates, the mounting tensions, due not only to major differences but also to the prosecution of minor feuds and rivalries?”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“They could not, also, but have had an unsettling effect on our Organization — and the mere fact that we have now moved into our permanent headquarters may, I believe, enable us to settle down and build solidly on the foundations which were so wisely laid at San Francisco. 62. If there is one thing that characterizes the development of the United Nations during the years since San Francisco, it is the gradual loss of faith by the many millions, the peoples of the United Nations, in the future of the Organization.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“First of all, permit me to take this opportunity to associate the South African delegation with the tributes which have been paid from this rostrum to those who were responsible for the planning and the construction of our permanent headquarters, To them, and to those under whose direction and guidance this gigantic task was performed, we owe a debt of gratitude — and I should like to place on record my Government’s recognition of the efficiency with which that task was executed. We now are permanently housed. Our wanderings and temporary arrangements, since 1945, have often had unhappy consequences for our respective exchequers.”
1952-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 7 (1952)
“His Government had therefore requested him to express its astonishment that.it should have been found necessary at all to give public expression to views and criticism of the Government of the Union of South Africa in a matter which should be considered as sub judice between the Governments concerned. Such utterances were not calculated to create the most favourable atmosphere for the anticipated discussions. His delegation considered that it would be unfortunate if any further discussion should fake place which might prejudice the settlement of the issue.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“It had neither the man-power nor the resources. And should they fail — as a result not of their own weaknesses but of ill-informed external pressure and interference — what Power, what ideology was likely to step into their place? That thought merited very earnest reflection. 135. In conclusion, Mr. Jooste wished to refer to the address delivered by the representative of India (222nd meeting), whose remarks concerning the proposed round-table conference between South Africa, India and Pakistan in connexion with the Indians in South Africa, while couched in restrained terms, had contained an implied criticism of the part played by the Government of the Union of South Africa in the preliminary discussions, a criticism which his delegation felt was not justified by the facts of the case.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The problem was therefore much vaster. Was it not infinitely wiser to entrust its solution to those who had the background of western civilization and who combined with that knowledge practical experience of African conditions and of African psychology? Above all, was it not wiser to recognize that those who had the practical experience should also have the immediate responsibility and that the ultimate responsibility should be left to them? They welcomed constructive advice and criticism, but the final decision must lie with them until such time as their wards attained a comparable level of responsibility. For should they fail, should things go wrong through the acceptance of well-meant but ill-judged criticism, there would be no one else to take up their burden. The United Nations could not do so. It was not equipped for the task.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“There was, however, another and even more important aspect of the problem. Few of the critics could have any conception of the immense and complex difficulties involved in the rapid — sometimes too rapid — adjustment of some of the African peoples to the strains and stresses of modem civilization. 133. The industrialization of western Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had brought with it social problems of almost overpowering magnitude. Those problems had been solved, but they had been solved on the basis of the knowledge and experience of centuries of civilization. 134. The same pattern was being repeated in many parts of Africa, but among peoples of whom some had emerged from barbarism only during the preceding few decades, and among whom ritual murders, witchcraft and juju societies were still unhappily prevalent.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“To promote educational and social progress, to raise standards of living, required heavy capital expenditure. Even Europe itself, with its age-old civilization, required a great deal of outside aid to maintain its standard of life. 131. How much greater, therefore, was the problem of raising the standards of Africa. Yet what a tribute it was to the nations of western Europe that, despite the economic privations of the post-war years, they had devoted so much of their depleted resources to the promotion of social progress in their African territories. That had been a sacrifice on their part which had received little recognition. Indeed they had often received abuse rather than credit. Only those who knew Africa could appreciate how much they had achieved and how much they were achieving. 132.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“That was a genuine attempt by the nations most directly concerned to build constructively for the future of that part of the African continent. 130. Unhappily the motives of the nations directly concerned with African problems had been subjected to a constant stream of destructive criticism by certain Powers which had little or no knowledge of the problems involved, and whose main preoccupation often appeared to be to sow seeds of discord 'from which they hoped to reap ideological fruits. There were, of course, criticisms which fell into a different category, criticisms which were well meant and made in all sincerity. But how often did those criticisms show evidence of a constructive approach? How often did they indicate the ways and means of attaining objectives which all were agreed were desirable?”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“An indication of what had been done and what was envisaged was provided by the series of conferences on African technical collaboration which had been promoted during the previous few years by the Powers with African responsibilities. Notable in that series was the Regional Scientific Conference which was due to begin at Johannesburg in October 1949. That conference had for its main object the co-ordination of scientific research in Africa, and the pooling for that purpose of scientific data, resources and man-power. The Union of South Africa had invited representatives from the States directly concerned with those common problems, as well, as representatives from the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, UNESCO and the National Research Council of America.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Those were the nations which knew Africa, which had made the greatest constructive efforts to lift parts of Africa out of primeval darkness. Those were the nations which by their long experience and their record in Africa were the best equipped to deal with its unique problems. 128. Their record was an impressive one. Great strides had been made in the scientific and technical fields. For many years the Powers in Africa had collaborated with success to combat human and animal disease, to increase-the fertility of the soil, to develop agricultural production and to raise the standard of living of the peoples of the continent. It was they too which had put an end to intensive tribal strife and brought peace and order to the continent. 129.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Nowhere in the world had the alleged exploitation of indigenous races been more widely publicized than in Africa. Nowhere had there been more sustained and widespread efforts to sabotage the great work of reclamation of land and human beings which for a century had been carried out by the Powers with responsibilities in that continent. Those who had had experience of Africa recognized the facts. They knew that development of Africa implied great effort and immense individual sacrifice. 127. The representatives of the United Kingdom, of France, of Belgium, of Egypt, of Ethiopia and of Liberia would bear witness to those statements, for their countries had all participated fully in that gigantic task, Mr. Jooste felt that a tribute must also be paid to the work of Portugal, which was a good neighbour of his country in Africa.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“In that vast area of the earth’s surface, peopled by upwards of 150 million human beings, some still in early stages of development, scourged in many cases by every form of disease, threatened by droughts and soil erosion, in short, the biggest field for human endeavour, efforts were being made to develop its immense under-developed areas, to raise the standards of living of its peoples, to save the continent for those who inhabited it. For there must be no doubt as to the importance of the orderly and peaceful development of Africa. In the conflict between democratic civilization and opposing forces, Africa occupied a central position. The very conditions which called for urgent concerted action in Africa, by their very nature provided a fertile field for the doctrinaire and the demagogue.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“They had contributed substantially to the maintenance of world peace and to the furtherance of international collaboration. 125. Unhappily those efforts had in some cases been subjected to destructive criticism. Those who viewed the North Atlantic Treaty or the Council of Europe with suspicion, instead of regarding them as means towards the same objectives which animated the Assembly, namely, the attainment of world peace, had sought by every possible means to discredit such sincere endeavours. 126. A similar technique was being employed in regard to the continent of Africa.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Bevin and Count Sforza on the former Italian colonies, which had taken place at the beginning of the year, did not constitute defiance of the United Nations, nor did they usurp its high function. In the perspective of history it would be recognized that those actions had been taken to supplement the task of the United Nations in preserving peace and fostering international collaboration. It was no derogation from the function of the United Nations that such agreements and organizations had become necessary. All they amounted to was a recognition of the limits of the capacity of the Organization and a sincere attempt to supplement its action or to assist in its heavy task. As such, the success of some of those steps could not be questioned.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Without in the least minimizing the great achievements of the United Nations, it had to be admitted that it could not be omniscient, and that, wide as might be the sphere of its endeavours, comprising as it did the many fields of human effort, including the effort for the preservation of peace, there were yet matters on which it could not pronounce. The United Nations was not a world government. It could not, by its constitution, by the circumstances of its origin and by the very nature of its proper function, be a world government. Once that fact was recognized, the true significance of international action taken independently of the United Nations became clear and understandable. The North Atlantic Treaty, the Council of Europe, even action such as the discussions between Mr.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“In Palestine the tide of war had receded, in Kashmir a cease-fire had been negotiated, and in other parts of the world crises had been averted. For the first time since the end of the war, the international scene was less ominous and credit must be given to the United Nations for its contribution to that state of affairs. The Organization filled an essential place in international affairs. It was generally realized that a world in which each nation would seek to exist in solitary sovereign independence must inevitably relapse into chaos and war unless there were a common meeting placed where mutual problems could be considered and differences settled. 124. At the same time, it was essential for the United Nations to recognize its limitations.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The shortcomings of the Assembly were nothing to do with the machinery of the United Nations; the real causes of those shortcomings were generally recognized and no good purpose would be served by recapitulating them. 123. In spite of the fundamental differences which threatened its very existence, in spite of the almost insuperable difficulties under which it had laboured, the United Nations had achieved a great deal. It was customary when enumerating its positive achievements to point to the work of the Economic and Social Council and of the specialized agencies. Their progress had been encouraging. It must also be granted, however, that the United Nations had achieved a measure of success in the Political field which the emphasis on its failures had tended to obscure.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Meanwhile, it wished to stress to the Assembly its Government’s view that the tendency of the Assembly to prolong unreasonably the sessions prescribed in the Charter should be resisted in every possible way. It was well aware of the heavy burden placed upon the Assembly and would in no way minimize its achievements, but, in the light of its own experience and very real difficulties, it felt obliged to appeal to its fellow Members to ensure that problem a high priority in the deliberations of the Assembly. It was imperative that the Assembly should be rendered as effective as possible; its task and its prestige demanded that. It was essential, however, to guard against the development of any procedure or tendency which militated against effective operation.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The burden in terms of time and expense was evident when an adequate number of representatives had to be sent from the home country, and when it was remembered how the functions and responsibilities of Cabinet Ministers in their own countries had been increased in consequence of the emergence of national problems since the recent war. 122. Mr. Jooste mentioned those facts because his delegation desired at that early stage to emphasize the importance of a more effective and expeditious discharge of the business on the agenda. The delegation of the Union of South Africa had received and studied the helpful report submitted by the Special Committee on Methods and Procedures of the General Assembly (A/937), and would, at the appropriate time, debate the views and findings put forward in that report.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“The United Nations had been in operation for approximately three years and nine months, and although the current session was only the fourth regular session of the Assembly, it had in fact met on no less than seven separate occasions. The records showed that during the forty-five months of the organization’s existence, the Assembly had been in session for approximately eleven months. In cases where Member Governments had been represented throughout by Cabinet Ministers with adequate staffs, it had entailed the absence of those ministers and officials from domestic duties for an average of three months per year. Those periods of absence were still further prolonged when travelling time was taken into consideration, especially in the case of countries such as the Union of South Africa, which were far removed from the venue of the meetings.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)
“Mr. JOOSTE stated that it was the wish of his Government that its delegation should take that early opportunity to raise once more a matter which must be of real concern to other countries as well as to the Union of South Africa, namely, the difficulty, arising from the existing exchange position, meeting the demands on the national exchequer resulting from. United Nations activities. 120. It was not the intention of his delegation to advocate any course prejudicial to the effective functioning of the United Nations. Moreover, the question of finance would of course be debated in the appropriate Committee. He wished, however, to draw attention at that stage to one important aspect of the problem; namely, the working of the Assembly and the effect of its protracted meetings on resources of foreign exchange. 121.”
1949-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 4 (1949)