Venezuela is attending the present session of the General Assembly with undiminished faith in the guiding principles of the United Nations. It does so with the conviction that at the present critical stage in world affairs effective action by the United Nations is more than ever necessary.
107. Member States look to the United Nations, which emerged from the chaos of the Second World War, to discharge the heavy responsibility of safeguarding the rights of peoples in such a way as to ensure that clashes of interests and reliance on force, which lead to conflicts, are replaced by the rule of law. The fact that it has not succeeded in solving all the problems confronting it has in no way undermined the status and high ideals of the United Nations for it is still the supreme embodiment of the desire of nations to develop their international relations in accordance with legal concepts.
108. Unfortunately, as a result of the extraordinary upheavals of the last world war and of the conflicting ideologies which have divided the world into opposing camps, anomalous and dangerous situations still exist. Among others, we have the eloquent examples of Germany, still divided, Hungary, subjugated by a foreign Power, and the Middle East in a state of tension - a source of concern to us all. It is clear that not only have we failed to achieve peace but the "cold war" has been succeeded by a war of manoeuvre which is much more serious. Consequently, the attainment of the legitimate aspirations of the peoples has been overshadowed by a more urgent and pressing need, that of international security.
109. However, such a state of affairs does not mean that we do not recognize the justice of these aspirations. The agenda of the present session shows clearly the interest that has been aroused by these matters of unquestionable importance to the lives of nations. The discussion of the various items will surely lead to a reaffirmation of the principles upon which the Organization is founded, and we can safely predict that with the goodwill of the participants we shall make an appreciable step forward towards our aims of friendship and security among States.
110. Among the items on the agenda the question of disarmament is by far the most important. It has recently been the subject of detailed deliberations; a reasonable solution to this problem will remove many of the obstacles now impeding the peaceful coexistence of States. Although no agreement has yet been reached, the material produced provides a basis for the clarification of ideas and the legitimate hopes of peoples everywhere for a proper settlement of the armaments problem.
111. At this session of the General Assembly we have heard optimistic assertions by several representatives of authority that the conference held in London was not a complete failure. Such views are very gratifying to us all since they keep alive the hope that the world will eventually return to peace and mutual understanding.
112. In referring to disarmament as a basic problem whose solution will release from fear the nations now living under the constant threat of war, I should like to express my warm support for the proposal [A/3630 and Corr.1] submitted to the Assembly by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium. This proposal is aimed at acquainting the peoples of the world by every possible means with the enormous destructive power of modern weapons and with the danger of complete and immediate annihilation which a nuclear war would bring to mankind. Such knowledge will of course bring agony of mind but it will in the end strengthen the movement of public opinion in favour of disarmament agreements which will free the world from fear and bring about an atmosphere of peace and security.
113. We are glad to note that as much attention has been given to the problem of ways and means of giving effect to the peoples' will for peace as to the analysis of the factors involved in the armaments race.
114. This year we have succeeded in bringing into being an international agency designed to ensure that the immense potentialities which science has opened up in the vast field of atomic energy will be directed towards peaceful ends. The efforts made by the various States towards the establishment of such an agency, culminating in the entry into force of its statute, are evidence of their unshakable determination that the potentialities of the atom shall be utilized for worthy purposes. In this way they have supported the initiative shown by President Eisenhower when, on that memorable occasion, he explained to the General Assembly [470th meeting] the need to ensure that the forces which cause such anxiety to the peoples of the world are put to constructive uses.
115. The considerable progress made by international co-operation in recent years has profoundly changed the traditional mode of diplomacy, once the reflection of the isolation in which, until a short time ago, States lived. Modern diplomacy is inspired by a new concept of human solidarity; it is based on that interchange of ideas, opinions, goods and, in short, all the benefits of civilization, which is the most beneficial result of the improvement and growth of communications.
116. At the same time, the Government of Venezuela feels that, although considerable progress has been made in this direction, international co-operation proper, that is, co-operation which brings tangible benefits for all concerned, leaves much to be desired. Indeed, so far, much of this action has been bogged down in recommendations, projects and suggestions - in short in a mass of words which have no real effect. The best theories and the wisest heads are of little avail if the determination to put ideas into practice is lacking.
117. From a careful study of the international situation it is evident that in the society of nations as in that of individuals there is only one practical method of tackling the difficulties that arise from the existence of backward or insufficiently developed communities which lack the bare necessities of subsistence, not to speak of development - rational study of the problems involved and the effective application of the appropriate solutions. In our domestic affairs, in order to ensure that no one in our respective countries lacks the essentials of life, we fight against poverty, ignorance and disease by making provision in our national budgets for allocations to cover expenditure on health, education, housing, etc.
118. Any careful observer knows full well that one of the most direct ways of securing the enjoyment and exercise of human rights - a subject which the United Nations has included in its annual agenda for several years - is to satisfy men’s basic needs. It is pointless to speak of human rights when men are not given the means of earning better wages and when their families lack proper housing, schools, welfare services and all those facilities which enable them to lead a healthy social life. The fundamental right of the individual is the right to live and, undoubtedly, the failure to satisfy these vital needs, sometimes bordering on sheer indifference, amounts in fact, to put it crudely, to granting men only the miserable right to die of hunger.
119. The international community must take steps to improve this situation. Its most noble task would be to determine how the prosperous States may satisfy the most pressing needs of other States in those fields where timely assistance may be decisive for their development.
120. Believing that this is undoubtedly the best way of giving practical expression to the term "international solidarity", General Marcos Pérez Jiménez, President of Venezuela, proposed to the American nations represented at Panama by their Heads of State, the establishment of an economic fund made up of contributions from all the members of the regional organization and designed to solve the most pressing problems of the American continent. I wish to repeat here, before the General Assembly of the United Nations, the conviction then expressed that prosperity cannot be achieved "without the participation of all or without the application of practical and’ effective measures". I would like to state again that the Government of Venezuela is ready to participate in undertakings that are designed to bring positive benefits to mankind by raising their moral, intellectual and material standards and promoting their development and welfare.
121. As this specific aim is the same as that underlying the proposed Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development, whose establishment is to be considered again at the present session, I am pleased to state that Venezuela views this project with particular interest and supports it wholeheartedly. In doing so it hopes that the Fund will also receive the full support of the great economic powers. My country is convinced that one of the best possible contributions to the work of the United Nations will be to ensure that this proposal really becomes effective.
122. I have great pleasure in announcing to this Assembly that Venezuela will vote in favor of the decision to establish a Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development and is ready to contribute its share towards the implementation of the experimental projects listed in resolution 662 B (XXIV) of the Economic and Social Council and of the various projects which the Fund will undertake once it is established. In supporting the establishment of the Fund and in declaring our readiness to contribute financially towards its operation, we are following our traditional policy of giving a firm backing to realistic plans for human welfare.
123. So far, international economic co-operation has been more theoretical than practical. Within the United Nations, the technical studies prepared by experts and the research carried out by the secretariats of the regional economic commissions are of course excellent. But we must add to them fruitful, effective and technically-planned action.
124. The establishment of a fund for economic development will reinforce the activities of existing organizations. It will not conflict with any of them, but rather complement them. Nor will it interfere with the flow of private capital; on the contrary, by helping to improve the social and economic infrastructure of the under-developed countries, it will create the conditions necessary for the investment of private capital.
125. We are well aware that, so far, certain difficulties have prevented the Fund from being established. However, I do not think that they should discourage us. According to the recommendation made by the Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly, an initial phase of an experimental nature and of modest proportions is contemplated, which may provide invaluable experience for the United Nations. We hope that all countries will contribute to this brave experiment. Perhaps the most important reflection that we can make when confronted with these new plans is to think not how much it will cost us to establish the Fund but how much it will cost us not to establish it.
126. The encouraging results of other plans for international co-operation under the auspices of the United Nations strengthen our conviction that success will attend any activities which receive the wholehearted support of all Member States. The technical assistance programmes of the United Nations, which have been described as the greatest and most durable of its achievements, are proof of this fact. My Government has supported these programmes unreservedly.
127. Although economic, social and cultural development has always been and is now the primary responsibility of the individual countries themselves, the technical assistance programmes serve the highly useful purpose of supplementing and strengthening the action taken at the national level. No country can claim to be self-sufficient in all fields of knowledge and technology. Perhaps in the future no country will ever be entirely self-sufficient. By sharing their experiences with others, nations can increase the common patrimony of humanity to the advantage of all. In recognition of this truth, Venezuela is ready to continue to support these programmes.
128. In Venezuela itself we have felt it appropriate to associate the United Nations technical assistance programmes, albeit to a limited extent, with the most important of our economic development projects and with certain of our principal social and cultural activities. This co-operation has been particularly useful in the mechanisation of our agriculture, in industrial training and in the formulation and execution of our bold plans for the transformation of our physical surroundings and for the over-all development of our economic potentialities in such fields as electrification, railways, and the iron and steel and petro-chemical industries.
129. May I also mention, finally, the assistance given by the Economic Commission for Latin America in the organization of an intensive training course on economic development problems inaugurated recently at Caracas from which we expect very satisfactory results.
130. On several occasions in the past, the Government of Venezuela has stressed the danger which arises from interference by international organizations in the inviolable sphere of domestic affairs, in complete defiance of the wishes expressed on defining their terms of reference, by the States which founded them.
131. Once again my country records its opposition to this undesirable trend which, if not corrected, is liable to endanger the very lives of these bodies. Indeed, if international organizations are to act effectively and discharge their duties fully, they must bear in mind that they were created by sovereign states and that they must always give the correct interpretation to that expression without limiting its real meaning in any way. We must avoid the risk that Member States, seeing what they consider rightly to be inviolable - their autonomy, their freedom and their independence - being endangered, may prefer to withdraw from these organizations.
132. In conclusion, I should like to convey to the President my warmest congratulations upon his well-earned election to the Presidency, and at the same time to congratulate the Secretary-General on the extension of his term of office, in recognition of the good work he has already accomplished. I express the most sincere hopes for the success of the present session of the General Assembly which has opened in a spirit of good will which augurs well for the future.