185. Mr. President, I should like, first of all, to add my congratulations and those of my delegation on your election to the presidency of this Assembly. You may be assured that my delegation will give you all possible co-operation in the conduct of the work which lies ahead. We are confident that, under your guidance, the affairs of this session will be brought to a successful conclusion. My delegation also wishes to pay tribute to your distinguished predecessor, His Excellency Foreign Minister Corneliu Manescu of Romania, who so effectively presided over the Assembly at its twenty-second session.
186. On behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, I should also like to extend a warm welcome to the new State of Swaziland, which is taking its seat at the United Nations for the first time. We are conscious of the problems and difficulties facing this newly independent State, problems and difficulties of a kind with which we are familiar and which, we hope, will find lasting solutions through our co-operative efforts in the United Nations and its associated bodies.
187. It is obvious that we live in an age of great scientific and technological advance. And yet we find that much of this scientific and technological advance seems to be directed towards the solution of human problems in terms of mutual annihilation rather than mutual co-operation. Progress in these fields has been directed more by the incentive to create instruments of destruction and human misery than by the desire to achieve human happiness and prosperity. The world today presents a picture which must cause serious concern to everyone who is dedicated to achieving lasting peace in the world and who wishes to see the Charter of the United Nations respected. People are fighting for their very existence; in many parts of this world military solutions are being threatened or imposed on human and political problems. I refer in particular to the civil wars in Nigeria and Viet-Nam, to the continuing explosive situation in the Middle East, to recent developments in Central Europe which have once again caused the spectre of military confrontation between major Powers.
188. We all know that the use of force for settling disputes is at best mere waste and that, at the cost of much human suffering, produces in the end little, except continuing bitterness between peoples and nations.
189. Nigeria is a respected member of the Commonwealth of Nations and of the Organization of African Unity; yet neither cf these has been able up to now to assist the military leaders in that country towards a peaceful solution of its internal problems. Nigeria is also, however, a Member of the United Nations and it seems to my Government that the international community should rally to that country’s assistance with all the help which can be given towards the relief of its protracted suffering. The sorry plight of the
refugee children is of most major concern to my Government.
190. Jamaica would have this Assembly call upon both sides in Nigeria to put an immediate cease-fire into effect. At the same time this Assembly should call upon all Member States of the United Nations to cease supplying arms to either side in this conflict. As Members know, Jamaica has already offered a contribution of £10,000 to the people of Nigeria through the International Red Cross.
191. My Government endorses the appeal by the Organization of African Unity to the leaders of the Federal Government that a general amnesty should be declared as soon as organized hostilities have at last ended. We consider, moreover, that the United Nations should offer its assistance to the Nigerian people in the solution of the differences which have plagued them up to now, and also, through observer groups or otherwise, such as we provided to the people of Cyprus, should assist in giving confidence to all the Nigerian people that settlements freely entered into will be fully implemented and that personal security will be assured to all of them.
192. We hope that the events in Czechoslovakia will not reverse the trend towards easing of tensions between East and West which has been a welcome development in recent years.
193. The tragedy of Viet-Nam is still being enacted. It remains the hope of my Government that the talks now taking place will truly be worthy of the designation “peace talks” and that we can achieve the needed bombing halt and eventual peace in that war-torn land.
194. We have long accepted it as a principle that all peoples and nations should be allowed to exercise the right of self-determination. Prerequisites to the effective fulfilment of this right include the non-use of force in the settlement of disputes and the ability of each State to maintain friendly relationships with all other States.
195. I must also refer to the Western Hemisphere. My delegation is deeply concerned with the existence of border disputes within the region. We are particularly concerned at this. time with the situations affecting our Caribbean neighbours: the State of Guyana, and the territory of British Honduras—Belize — which has not yet achieved formal independence.
196. The peace and security of the Hemisphere requires the strict recognition of the sanctity of treaties by all nations. Indeed, it would be consistent with the rules governing relations between these States for disputes to be settled peacefully. We urge that every possible effort should be made to reach amicable settlement and that there be no resort to the use of force in any area by any party.
197. My Government is also concerned that, more than one year after the creation of our Latin American nuclear-free zone, our neighbour, Guyana, has not had the opportunity to sign the Treaty. Once again my delegation wishes to point out that any and all obstacles in the way of Guyana’s being a signatory and a party to the Treaty should be removed without delay in order that this Treaty may be accorded the full respect that is its due.
198. Fortunately there is another, somewhat brighter side to this gloomy picture—there have indeed some limited achievements. In this connexion, my delegation welcomes the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a first step towards general disarmament. Only time will tell how effective that Treaty will be in arresting the dissemination of nuclear weapons, as it does not prevent the accumulation of more nuclear weapons by those countries which already possess them. The Conference of Non-Nuclear-Weapon States recently concluded in Geneva has contributed new ideas and approaches. We expect these to lead to the adoption of measures which will make the benefits of nuclear energy more readily accessible to the developing countries for peaceful and beneficial use.
199. The success achieved on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty should be an incentive to the United Nations to redouble its effort in the general field of disarmament. It is most disheartening to less-developed countries to contemplate the vast capital and other resources which year after year are allocated by the developed countries to unproductive military armaments and other expenditures—resources which would go a long way towards solving problems of illiteracy, hunger and want and achieving the sustained economic growth which is still the daily preoccupation of most of the peoples and Governments of the developing countries. We still maintain that major Powers should foster and support the peace-keeping role of the United Nations so that the fears and phobias which are the basic motivations of the arms race may be dispelled by the establishment of strong and effective international machinery for ensuring world peace.
200. The question of peace-keeping leads to that of colonialism, for this is an area perhaps potentially the most dangerous for the peace of the world. The worst manifestation of colonial rule is apartheid as practised by South Africa. Those who uphold this doctrine continue in their effort to degrade all non-white peoples throughout the world. My delegation hopes that the twenty-third session of the General Assembly will make a genuine and concerted effort to reach a settlement of the issues affecting the hard-core areas of southern Africa. Newly independent countries and peoples of African descent throughout the world can have no peace of mind until the Powers concerned in this area show a greater willingness to place human rights and principles of justice above and beyond the gains of economic exploitation of fellow human beings. There can be no lasting peace in the world until the flagrant injustice which now characterizes the situation in southern Africa has been rectified. We call again on the major Powers concerned to respect the many resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council and to respect the basic aims of the Charter of the United Nations, which affirms the dignity and the worth of the human person.
201. In this International Year for Human Rights, we take the opportunity to reaffirm faith in the principles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There have been some worth-while achievements since the Declaration was adopted. We are none the less disappointed by the over-all slow pace of our progress.
202. Indeed, it is deeply and tragically ironic that so many situations involving violations of human rights are before this session of the United Nations General Assembly. It was therefore timely that, twenty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration, we should decide to stop and examine the world Organization — and ourselves — to see how far we had gone in keeping the promises of the Charter. Complementary to this objective were: the cultivation of wider understanding of the meaning of human rights; deeper public concern for safeguarding and promoting them in all countries, and the opportunity taken to protest against violations and to demand implementation of basic rights in areas where these were either lacking or deficient.
203. The first International Conference on Human Rights, held in Teheran from 22 April to 13 May 1968, at the invitation of the Iranian Government, was planned as the central event in our work in human rights this year. At that Conference, we had been set a threefold task: to review twenty years of activity, to evaluate that activity, and to agree upon the methods and measures to be employed in achieving increased effectiveness in the field of human rights.
204. The Conference did not fully discharge any of those tasks. It may well be that, given the political realities of 1968, we could not have done so. The Proclamation of Teheran, which we adopted unanimously, underlines some of those areas in the field of human rights which demand our most urgent action.
205. Of concurrent and equally urgent concern to my Government is the question of the development and utilization of human resources and the creation of an environment in which it will no longer be necessary for large numbers of people to suffer hunger and disease or to live out their lives in hopelessness and despair. This is an area of vital importance to developing countries which are endeavouring to improve standards of living and to achieve economic self-sufficiency, and one in which, despite continuing technological advances, much remains to be done. A tribute must be paid to the work so far done by the specialized agencies in attempting to improve standards of attainment in fields such as health and education.
206. Rapid improvement in technology makes it essential also that facilities should be readily available for the training and retraining of teachers, technicians, administrators and businessmen. But this is only a beginning, for there can be no full realization of human rights, no full utilization of human resources until problems such as widespread illiteracy and malnutrition are overcome.
207. For that reason, my Government is following with the greatest interest the steps which are being taken to advance the work of the United Nations in the social development field consequent on the adoption of resolution 1139(XLI) of the Economic and Social Council, which called upon nations to pay more attention to the field of social development and requested organs and bodies concerned with matters in this crucially important area to exhibit closer co-operation and greater co-ordination. We therefore participated with deep satisfaction in the first Conference of Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare, held in this building only a few weeks ago.
208. My delegation considers that the United Nations can make a further practical contribution to the advancement of the social development field through the establishment of documentation centres on a programme basis, to supply information on all aspects of the work of the technical and specialized agencies of the United Nations. Some valuable work has already been done in this area, but on an ad hoc and inadequate basis.
209. In the field of economic development, disappointment has already been expressed at the outcome of the second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which was held in New Delhi earlier this year. UNCTAD was established in high hope. Our Secretary-General saw it as ushering in a new chapter in our efforts to accelerate the economic development of developing countries. We all shared the expectation — which was unrealized — of the impact that UNCTAD might have on international co-operation. It has, indeed, provided a unique forum for the exchange of views and measures of co-operation and negotiation. But a sympathetic and positive programme needs now to be implemented — one capable of meeting the pressing requirements of the developing countries.
210. The records show that the trade pattern between developed and developing countries continues on a basis that is ruinous to the economies of developing countries. The economic deterioration of the developing countries worsens and worsens as the prices of manufactured goods from the developed countries soar ever higher; while, on the other hand, the majority of agricultural and primary goods from developing countries are increasingly being purchased at a cheaper price. This pattern has to be corrected.
211. We recognize that through the United Nations some useful work has been done and broad areas of agreement reached on a number of aspects of trade development. We are following with keen interest the current negotiations for the settlement of an international sugar agreement, which is of vital importance to Jamaica and many other developing countries.
212. My delegation also notes with appreciation the initial steps taken by the United Nations aimed at advancing international co-operation in the exploration, conservation and use of the sea-bed and the ocean floor beyond national boundaries in the interest of mankind.
213. As we move forward in our struggle to achieve peace and prosperity, we should not lose sight of our main objective, namely, the proper utilization of our manpower resources. The establishment of industrial complexes, of new towns, of communication systems, are the outward and visible signs and manifestations of development and progress. But little real progress will have been achieved if in the process the human material is neglected. The history of past civilizations bears ample evidence of this.
214. In the final analysis, what we are seeking to establish here, within the framework of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, is the recognition of the brotherhood of man. It seems paradoxical that we should be searching for complex solutions to the political, social and economic problems which beset us, when it is so patently evident that the answer is to be found in the application of the simple precept that, as members of one family, the human race, we should “do unto others as we would that they should do unto us". Unless and until Member States are prepared to put this simple precept into practice, that peace and prosperity which we seek so desperately will continue to elude us.
215. Let me close with an appeal to the peoples of the United Nations, whose solemn pledge it is, among other things, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" and “to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples”. I appeal to Member States to demonstrate their sincere and unequivocal support for that resolve. The very survival of mankind and our world is at stake. There will be neither enduring peace nor prosperity in this world — be it for the most powerful or for the weakest nations — as long as we seek to satisfy none but our own selfish aims. In the United Nations we have created machinery capable of achieving the solution of our grave problems. Let us make full and effective use of this machinery.
216. We, the Members of the United Nations, have a responsibility to the peoples of the world, which have confidence in this Organization, to take effective action to find solutions to the problems which confront mankind. We cannot hesitate. Neither time nor the mood of the people is on the side of further delay. The Government and people of Jamaica maintain their pledge to contribute fully to the carrying out of this task through this Organization.