Mr. Viteri Lafronte pointed out that the General Assembly’s fourth session was meeting ten years after the beginning of the Second World War, which had taken place mainly in order to prevent an aggressor State from setting itself up as a dictator of the world.
24. During that decade, mankind had lived through a difficult period of intense activity, which in normal times would have sufficed to fill long periods of history.
25. The end of the war, however, had not meant the establishment of complete peace. The end of a struggle was always followed by long periods of' transition, in which the most serious and complex problems accumulated and multiplied. They required definite and decisive action on the part of States, Governments and individuals; both cautious patience and exemplary perseverance were needed in order to solve domestic problems as well as the international problems awaiting settlement in the erstwhile enemy countries and, above all, the problems between the victorious countries which had been the Allies of yesterday.
26. The countries which had participated directly in the war had reserved to themselves the right to establish the peace. Under the Charter drawn up at San Francisco, the United Nations had been given the task of maintaining international peace and security and achieving international co-operation in the solution of economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems which were international in character.
27. The United Nations had done much towards the accomplishment of the mission entrusted to it. If an impartial observer were to analyse the seriousness of the problems which had led to the war — the problems which had appeared during the war and those which had arisen since — he could not but admit that never before had mankind been faced with problems so vast in scope.
28. That was why everyone should appreciate the amount of positive work accomplished by a nascent Organization which was developing wisely and cautiously in an atmosphere of suspicion and even opposition, and had been able with care and good judgment to overcome obstacles and prevent disputes which might have turned into armed conflict.
29. It was true that there were some problems, especially in the political field, which it had not been possible to solve, or which had been solved only in part. Had it not been for the obstacles known to all, the rate of progress towards the solidarity of peoples could have been accelerated.
30. No one would maintain that the United Nations had done all it might have done, or that its work had been beyond reproach. It would be interesting, however, to pick out on a map of the world the places where the multiple and complex activities of the organs and services of the United Nations were being carried on. It would thus be seen in how many places the shedding of human blood was being prevented. The fact that five hundred million human beings had escaped the scourge of war would be appreciated, as would the influence of the United Nations in helping various countries to establish themselves as independent States. Mr. Viteri Lafronte drew attention to UNESCO’s cultural and educational work; to the protection of the rights of the worker, and to the preparation of peoples as yet non-self-governing for early independence and sovereignty.
31. An objective view of that panorama would lead to the conclusion that the United Nations had done much in its four years of existence and that its work would surely continue to the benefit of all States.
32. After mentioning some of the items on the agenda of the current session of the Assembly, Mr. Viteri Lafronte stated that, according to its report, the International Law Commission had selected for immediate study three of twenty-five subjects originally considered as capable of codification. As one of those concerned domestic jurisdiction of States, the Ecuadorean delegation considered that it would be advisable for the Assembly to recommend that the Commission should consider the matter as soon as possible.
33. The question of domestic jurisdiction had been repeatedly invoked during the Assembly’s discussions, in defence of various and at times contradictory theses, and the unfortunate last moment expansion of paragraph 7 of Article 2 of the Charter at San Francisco and the differing interpretations placed upon it would justify the International Law Commission in giving that matter precedence.
34. The previous year the Ecuadorean delegation had submitted to the Interim Committee a draft resolution to the effect that, when one of the parties to an international dispute claimed that the matter was one of domestic jurisdiction, the International Court of Justice should, at the request of the party, of the General Assembly or of the Security Council, give its opinion on whether the question was within domestic or international jurisdiction. That draft resolution was of supreme importance and it should be studied, and an opinion be given on it, by the International Law Commission or the International Court of Justice.
35. The delegation of Ecuador still believed that the United Nations should take advantage of the services of the International Court of Justice to the greatest possible extent, especially when the Court was not overburdened with work. Mr. Viteri Lafronte felt that an excellent step had been taken in requesting the Court to study the problem of reparation for injury suffered in the service of the United Nations.
36. Special mention should be made of the work of the Economic and Social Council, which was intimately related to that of the specialized agencies and the technical departments of the Secretariat. Those activities touched on all aspects of human life, and all the Members of the United Nations had had an opportunity to participate in the consideration of economic and social problems. The continuous work of the subsidiary bodies of the Council was an indication of the way in which countries, great and small, were presenting their real human problems and their suggestions for solution. Such economic and social activity enabled the peoples to come into direct contact with the United Nations and to gain faith in the Organization.
37. The report of the Economic and Social Council on the economic development of underdeveloped countries showed how conscientiously the instructions given by the General Assembly in its resolution 200(111) of 4 December 1948 had been carried out. That report might well be one of the most important topics before the current session of the General Assembly. The programme of technical assistance called for in the aforesaid resolution had already been started and the Secretariat deserved praise for the rapid solution of difficult problems arising in connexion with that first experiment. Each of the specialized agencies constantly received requests from Governments for advice and guidance in the solution of certain problems.
38. Ecuador came to the Assembly with deep faith in international co-operation. An unexpected catastrophe which had destroyed large areas of the territory of Ecuador had shown that the brotherhood of the American peoples was a working reality and that true universal solidarity also existed. The agreements adopted by various organs of the United Nations, the. action taken by the Secretary-General, and the rapidity with which the specialized agencies had provided assistance warranted Ecuador’s deepest gratitude.
39. Mr. Viteri Lafronte stated in conclusion that the President of Ecuador had officially reiterated his faith and confidence in the United Nations, his intention that his country should carry out its duties under the Charter and its obligations as a Member, and his unshakable fidelity to democratic principles in domestic affairs and international policy.