Sweden entered the United Nations after the end of the general debate in the second part of last year’s session. This is therefore the first time that the Swedish delegation has the honour of addressing the Assembly during a general debate. In doing so, my thoughts go back to the many Assemblies of the old League of Nations, which I and other members of my delegation have attended.
There are many lessons to be drawn from the twenty years of Geneva experience. One — perhaps the most important — is the necessity of maintaining that unity of spirit, that unity of action which alone can guarantee the peace of the world. No country can have a more tangible, a more direct interest than Sweden in the harmonious and fruitful co-operation between the great Powers for the maintenance of peace. No change in the Charter, no ingenious redrafting of paragraphs — the practical application of which, as experience has shown, has often been unsatisfactory — can replace the essential condition for peace, which is co-operation and harmonious co-operation, between the great Powers.
When I look back again to the old League of Nations, it seems clear to me that the new Organization has certain definite advantages over its predecessor. The United Nations has from the beginning attained a higher degree of universality than the old League. It should not be forgotten, however, that there are still a considerable number of States which have not yet obtained admission to the United Nations. The Secretary-General has reported to the Assembly that the Organization is seized of twelve applications for membership. The Security Council has given its recommendation in favour of two of the applicants, and I find in the agenda that the question of the admission of these two States will soon come up for decision by the Assembly. With regard to the ten other applicants, the Security Council has so far not been able to decide on a recommendation to the Assembly.
The principle of universality is to my mind one of the basic principles of the Charter, and I think it is of great importance that the Security Council and the Assembly should endeavour fully to implement this principle. Since the end of the Security Council’s deliberations in this matter, a new situation has been created inasmuch as the peace treaties with Bulgaria. Finland, Hungary, Italy and Roumania have been ratified and have entered into force. I have no doubt that this change of the legal situation will lie fully appreciated by the Security Council. But when reconsidering the applications of the so-called ex-enemy States, it should certainly not be forgotten that there are other States, which have already been waiting for more than one. year to be admitted to our Organization. The United Nations is meant to be a truly universal organization, a body fully representative of the whole world, and I think that we would act in the best and the most generous spirit of the Charter if we could agree to open the doors to all the States which arc now waiting for admission. Let us be generous. Generosity is essential in all human life and not least in international life.
I should like to ask my fellow representatives to give their careful consideration to the question of the admission of new Members. If it should prove helpful, the. Swedish delegation is prepared to submit a proposal for a resolution asking the Security Council to deliberate anew on the admission of new Members during the present session of the Assembly.
There is another point to which I should like to call attention. The daily work of the United Nations centres around the Secretary-General and his assistants in the Secretariat. I have been told that the late President Roosevelt — to whose memory as a founder of the United Nations I should like to pay a respectful and heartfelt tribute — I have been told that the late President would have preferred the title of "Moderator” to the more bureaucratic title of Secretary-General, in order to stress the exceptional importance of this high office and to point out the moderating and conciliating influence which the United Nation’s highest official has to exercise ex officio and on his own initiative. I think we all agree that the United Nations Organization has been fortunate in its selection of the highest officials of the Secretariat. I for one have great confidence in the impartiality and high-mindedness of the Secretariat. It seems to me, however, that we could perhaps make more use of its services.
There is a tendency in the councils and the various committees to devote a great deal of time to procedural and formal questions. Would it not be better to accept the Secretariat’s expert advice in order to spare time and arguments? There is also a tendency, especially in the economic and social sphere, to undertake an ever-increasing number of investigations — often of a highly technical character — investigations which are carried out by special sub-committees or commissions. Would it not be more practical and more economical to ask the Secretariat to undertake this kind of work?
There is an inclination, not least in the Security Council, to devote much time and many arguments to questions relating to the setting up of fact-finding committees, the appointment of investigating officers, and so forth. But the Charter clearly presupposes that the Secretary-General, on his own initiative or at the request of the Assembly or of one of the committees, can undertake investigations of this kind, relying on the expert and impartial assistance always available in the Secretariat.
We should not forget that one of the greatest assets of the United Nations is the permanence and the impartiality of the Secretariat. It seems to me that it would be a healthy sign of confidence if the Assembly should decide to recommend to the various councils and committees that they make greater use of the services of the Secretariat.
I shall limit my observations to the two points mentioned: full implementation of the principle of universality and more effective use of the services of the Secretariat. The agenda of the Assembly is rich, perhaps over-rich, in problems of grave importance. The Swedish delegation will take its position and try to make its contribution in the course of the work of the various committees.
May I conclude by recalling a remark made by Mr. Marshall in his address last Sunday to the American Association for the United Nations. After having emphasized that the problems of peace require moral courage and stern determination, Mr. Marshall added that they also demand patience and deliberation if we are to find a common agreement upon which a lasting peace can be founded. I express the hope that the wisdom of this remark will, be born in mind by the various delegations when this Assembly deals with the important problems on its agenda.