75. Speaking for the first time from this rostrum at this session, I should like publicly to congratulate the President of the Assembly, Mr. Belaúnde, and his country, the Republic of Peru, upon his well-deserved unanimous election. The special distinction conferred upon Mr. Belaúnde is a just recognition of his remarkable accomplishments over many years in the United Nations and a tribute to his outstanding qualities. I should like to add my best wishes for his recovery.
76. It is a great honour for me to be the spokesman of the people and Government of Ecuador in this Assembly, the highest forum of the international community. I speak for a people Which, under the protection of a democratic way of life, has become fully aware of the meaning of the peace for which it yearns: a constructive peace which will bring about justice among and within nations. I speak for a people which is working energetically to improve its standard of living and is proud to join in the crusade for the observance of human rights.
77. The technological advances which make the world smaller with every passing day and link the interests and fates of nations, emphasizing their interdependence, have necessarily turned the attention of all States to problems — such as disarmament — which were traditionally the concern of the great Powers and to problems — such as economic development — which until recently were of interest only to those directly affected. The survival of mankind may depend on the progress of negotiations between the nuclear Powers and therefore we all have something to say. Similarly, the economies of industrialized and under-developed countries are closely linked, so that the problem of economic development irrefutably comes within the jurisdiction of the international community.
78. The speeches made just a year ago in the general debate here had as their common denominator the hope, shared by all groups in the United Nations, for a resumption of negotiations on disarmament, a suspension of nuclear tests, the establishment of a control system for the permanent cessation of tests, and an intensified drive for the rapid establishment of a system of international co-operation for the peaceful use of outer space. In this year's general debate, we are gratified to be able to note significant progress, which may turn the tide of history.
79. As pledged in unilateral declarations by the Powers concerned, no nuclear tests were carried out in 1959. I should like to reiterate our hope that nuclear tests will continue to be suspended indefinitely throughout the world. Testing is even more important than disarmament in that it threatens the biological integrity of the human race, which can be affected by the fallout from the nuclear explosions. We also wish to express the hope that the Geneva negotiations on a control system, which may provide a permanent basis for the cessation of tests, will culminate in a satisfactory agreement.
80. Agreement has also been reached among the great Powers to reopen disarmament talks. We can assure the negotiating Powers that any effort to eradicate war enjoys the support of all the world's peoples. As Members of the United Nations, we who do not directly participate in the negotiations shall be duly vigilant, in the hope that the negotiating Powers will very soon be able to report positive results to the Disarmament Commission, Thus far, the cold war has paralysed United Nations efforts to achieve disarmament. It would be absurd, now that there appears to be some prospect for agreement among the great Powers, that they should find it preferable to work out their agreements outside the United Nations. We are living in an era of international democracy in which the constructive achievements of statesmen must have the moral support of the peoples and it would be most difficult, if not impossible, to find a forum other than the United Nations for the full expression of that support.
81. International co-operation for the peaceful use of outer space, which has become all the more imperative as the two Powers which have penetrated outer space continue their fascinating race to conquer it, has been frustrated in the United Nations because five members of the ad hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space have not seen fit to serve on it so long as there is no unanimous agreement regarding its composition. The continuation of that stalemate may delay a fruitful co-operation which, if it were started in time, would avert future conflict. Nevertheless, the ad hoc Committee has Submitted a report [A/4141] which takes a moderate approach and does not lose sight of the final objective of achieving world-wide international cooperation in this area. We regard this problem as one of the most important on the Assembly’s agenda and hope it will be discussed and negotiated in the First Committee in a spirit of mutual understanding which will result in constructive work and in the establishment of the machinery for international co-operation so essential for its solution.
82. The concern with problems of disarmament, nuclear tests and outer space undoubtedly reflects mankind's fear of the dangers of total war. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten, here in the United Nations, that the system of collective security encompasses such less dramatic features as the rule of law and justice in all international relations and the need of small States for what might be called individual security, which would dispense them from relying on armed force as a means of self-defence. Many of us, representing small States at the San Francisco Conference, dreamed of collective security in a two-fold sense, namely, world security and individual security, and saw in the United Nations Charter a first step towards its achievement. Every year, in this general debate, we should draw up a balance sheet showing what we have achieved and what part of our arduous task still remains to be done.
83. It is sad to have to admit that renunciation of the use of force — which is one of the basic commitments of the Charter — is not being fully observed, as shown by events in certain parts of the world. It is to be deplored that the political climate is such that the United Nations cannot even serve as a moderating force in those situations on a world level. On the other hand, there are encouraging signs. A review of the fourteen years of the United Nations existence shows that an international authority is taking shape which, in certain circumstances, may preserve law and order and which was non-existent prior to 1945. The range of diplomatic resources for the prevention and solution of international disputes has broadened substantially as a result of the evolution of the United Nations. UNEF which is still in the Middle East is an example of the resourced upon which the United Nations can draw. The problems of Kashmir, Korea, Lebanon, Jordan, Laos, although as yet unresolved, illustrate the fact that the United Nations has responded to the call of nations which felt the need for international assistance.
84. Since 1945, we have also noted a strengthening of some regional organizations whose function, under the Charter, is to supplement the action of the United Nations. With the growth of the United Nations and the increasing complexity of problems, their own importance will increase. This has been true of the Organization of American States which has just given an impressive demonstration of political maturity at Santiago, Chile, by coping with a touchy international situation by appropriate regional action. Perhaps we should count among the elements contributing to the new strength of the Organization of American states the dynamism, the wholesome and legitimate competition and the example of the United Nations, which, in turn, is stimulated by that regional agency.
85. Of course a system of collective security means that the authority of the United Nations must be strongly backed by its Member States. Ecuador has placed its faith in the Organization and accordingly has supported and will continue to support all measures to strengthen it. Members of the Ecuadorian armed forces have served with the United Nations observation groups in Kashmir and Lebanon, and, at present, we have considered it our duty, despite the economic sacrifices this entails, to give full support to the continuing and adequate operation of UNEF.
86. This general debate also offers an excellent opportunity for a periodic review of the functioning of the United Nations. Perhaps more important than a revision of the Charter — which has no immediate prospect of success — is the periodic review of the functioning of the organs of the United Nations. The lesson of fourteen years of experience has been, if anything, that the Charter is adaptable and flexible and that if it were not, the United Nations might have been swept out of existence by the radical political changes which have occurred since the Second World War. It is true that the mysteries of world politics hamper its effectiveness to some extent. However, we still have a vigorous Organization which has made a place for itself in the world's conscience In his admirable introduction to his annual report on the work of the Organization [A/4132/ add.1], the Secretary-General makes some very pertinent remarks on this question, which should be borne in mind during our deliberations.
87. Two of the principal organs of the United Nations have been increasing in strength and effectiveness: the General Assembly and the Secretariat.
88. At the San Francisco Conference, we small countries showed foresight in attempting to establish a balance among the principal organs so that the powers of the Assembly as the body representing the United Nations as a whole should not be curtailed. And the door was left open, in the relevant Articles of the Charter, for the discussion in this Assembly of any matter which was not on the current agenda of the Security Council. Accordingly, when the Council was powerless to act, the Assembly has rapidly taken decisions in questions of international security, as shown particularly by the recent emergency special sessions. Moreover, in relation to the admission of new Members, the Assembly took a long step forward towards universality of membership and enhanced its representative nature. Many have expressed fears that the methods and procedures of the Assembly have not kept pace with the expansion in its membership. Obviously, with its larger membership, the ability of the Assembly to produce positive results may be diminished; on the other hand, as it becomes more representative, the Members can get to know and understand one another better.
89. In practice, the broadening of the functions of the Secretary-General has offset what we might call the executive limitations of the Assembly. On the other hand, by participating in a body with such varied composition, Member States are continually becoming more proficient in the difficult art of co-operation and with every passing day, learning the lessons of international life, which means a constant give and take. As a member of a group of States which comprise almost half the membership of this Organization fourteen years ago and now represents barely one-fourth, I can assure you that we feel on much more solid ground now that our role in the Assembly is conditioned by increasing contacts with other groups and by the continuing process of negotiation and conciliation, than we felt when it was defined by the simpler but sometimes artificial system of numerical majorities. I should like to emphasize that we are prepared to work in the Assembly in close contact with the delegations of all groups of States in seeking common areas of agreement or, when there are none, means for reducing acrimony and narrowing divergencies.
90. The increasingly important role played by the Secretary-General, particularly in the exercise of diplomatic activity, in addition to those of his functions traditionally regarded as political and administrative, has been a factor in revitalizing the United Nations in recent years. His presence at certain diplomatic negotiations outside the United Nations has been a symbol of the Organization’s concern in vital matters. His peace-making activities in certain areas have prevented conflict. His policy of fostering the cause of the under-developed nations has been a true reflection of the spirit of the Charter. May I take this opportunity to place on record the gratification of the Government of Ecuador with his work and its support of his efforts.
91. Since we have referred to the diplomatic activity of the Secretary-General which has frequently been concerned with the problems of the Middle East, I should like to state that my country views with concern the abnormal situation which continues to exist with respect to free passage through the Suez Canal, both because freedom of navigation is a valid universal principle in itself, and because of the danger of renewed tensions in that sensitive area of the world. It is our hope that the further efforts of the Secretary-General and the co-operation of the parties concerned will successfully resolve this problem!
92. The situation in other principal organs is somewhat more complicated. The Security Council is still the organ which bears primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Paradoxically enough, however, it is sometimes inactive during periods when the world seems to be plagued with explosive situations which may jeopardize peace. We are bound to wonder whether the principle of unanimity of the permanent members may not to some extent have rendered it sterile, or whether its membership is duly representative of all parts of the world, or indeed, whether many international situations cannot be settled in a forum so dramatically dominated by the great Powers. Or is it that States prefer to resort to other means of solving their problems rather than risk being involved in major political debates?
93. It is true that occasionally the Council is able to act in crises such as those which occurred in Lebanon in 1958 and in Laos in 1959, both very complex situations in which the Council was able to take adequate measures. Given the important function of the Council, the Secretary-General suggests that it should hold closed meetings devoted not to the examination of specific matters but to a study of all those aspects of the international situation which may fall within its competence in virtue of the powers vested in it Under the Charter. That might be one of the possible means of strengthening the Council and it might perhaps be worth-while in such meetings to explore the possibilities of imbuing the parties to a dispute with the confidence that their complaints will be dealt with strictly on their merits.
94. The Economic and Social Council, considered jointly with its regional and functional commissions, bears heavy responsibilities which go beyond purely organizational matters and include co-ordination with the specialized agencies.
95. We consider the regional commissions to be an excellent example of efficiency and well-directed work, their success being due in a very large measure to the vision of their executive secretaries. The Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) has accomplished work of fundamental importance in making Latin American countries aware of their natural resources and preparing them for technical assistance. I shall have an opportunity later of mentioning its work in connexion with the establishment of a common market for Latin America. We cannot, perhaps, say as much for the functional commissions, which were set up as technical organs to advise the Council in their different spheres of competence, but which in practice have become bodies representing Governments and which tend to duplicate tide activities of the Council’s Economic and Social Committees to the neglect of the technical aspects of their work.
96. Without attempting to discount the praiseworthy efforts of the members of the Council, we should like to direct their attention to the magnitude of the economic and social problems before them and to the desirability of initiating a new phase of activity in which the technical approach to problems, as well as imagination, courage and faith in attempting to solve them would play the most important part,
97. Perhaps the most significant features of the present time are the awakening of a social conscience and the anxiety to improve the economic and social conditions of the peoples of under-developed countries. Two-thirds of the world's population, or more than a thousand million human beings, are refusing to accept their low level of living as an evil against which there is no remedy. The international community is rebelling against the fact that levels of living in the majority of States - in sixty of the eighty-two States Members of the United Nations — fall within the category of "underdeveloped" and against an economic system whereby in under-developed countries the average per capita income has barely increased by $10 in, the last seven years as against $530 in more prosperous countries.
98. It is an undeniable fact that the greater part of the world's population enjoys only the very minimum, or even less, of the bare necessities for existence and survival. It seems paradoxical that, in a world with immense Untapped productive resources, with vast natural reserves sufficient to feed a population several times the size of the present, there should be people with little or nothing to live on. What is the use of scientific and technical progress if nothing can be done to solve the problem of poverty in a world abounding with natural wealth?
99. Vast economic resources are squandered on preparations for war and funds for the advancement of science and technology are diverted more and more to the armaments race, relegating the fight against ignorance and poverty to second place.
100. This may not be the right moment to make a thorough analysis of the many aspects of the economic problem, a task which may very well be left to our representatives on the Second Committee, but it is certainly necessary to call attention here to the imbalance between the falling prices of raw materials and the rising prices of manufactured goods. This leads to a crying injustice: the purchase of manufactured goods entails ever greater sacrifices on the part of the people of under-developed countries who, as a result of the fall in prices of raw materials, receive an increasingly meagre reward for their work. We must also bear in mind that, because of the progressive population growth, the efforts of Governments to improve social services always fall short of the goal, while new facilities of all kinds become inadequate even before they are completed. It should also be noted that even if means of financing economic development have been increasing, in many cases the funds they provide scarcely compensate for the losses due to the fall in prices of raw materials.
101. The problems of under-development have economic, sociological and psychological elements that are so explosive that those who say that the next ten years will be crucial in the history of mankind are not far wrong. If under-developed countries are not made to proceed at a faster pace to enable them to reduce the gap between them and the industrialized countries we shall find ourselves on the brink of undreamed-of political and social change.
102. The people of the under-developed countries are well aware that the principal effort to improve levels of living must be a national effort; but they also realize that their slow economic progress is due in part to international causes, that the exploitation of resources require techniques that are still the properly of the advanced industrialized countries and that the economic policy of those countries has a definite influence on the development of the rest. The problem must be squarely faced in its national, regional and world-wide aspects.
103. May I refer here to some of the efforts being made within the United Nations and in Latin America. On the positive side, I should like to mention that our economic policy in Ecuador has enabled us to maintain financial stability and the balance of payments through adequate diversification of exports. We have made good progress in the liberalization of imports and foreign payments and, what is more, the day may be at hand when my country can announce the free convertibility of currency and the unification of its exchange system. This will mean sacrifices, but we are encouraged by the knowledge that our country is building its prosperity on sound and solid foundations and avoiding the injustices in income distribution which accompany development financed by inflationary methods. Moreover, I am happy to acknowledge that Ecuador has recently received international assistance in the form of public loans, and that foreign private investment is beginning to show an interest in contributing to the development of our country.
104. On the regional level, the American countries have decided on a united economic policy. They have accepted the simple but precise principles of the so- called "Operation Pan-America", clearly and felicitously set forth by President Juscelino Kubitschek of Brazil and expressed here by Mr. Schmidt [797th meeting], head of the Brazilian delegation, who is presiding over this meeting, in an able speech. "Operation Pan-America" makes it clear that high-flown Speeches about Inter-Americanism must be replaced by a gigantic effort for economic development, without which political regional co-operation becomes a mere abstraction.
105. "Operation Pan-America" presents a new philosophy which faces the realities of life in our time. It recognizes the fact that the ideas we have inherited from the tranquil past cannot help us to cope with a world in upheaval and that our thinking and our actions must be cast in a new mould.
105. A series of efforts is being made within the regional group of American States as a result of the Brazilian plan; the Committee of Twenty-one has met, the Economic Conference wags held at Buenos Aires, the Inter-American Economic and Social Council is functioning actively, technical studies are being made by His Secretariat of the Organization of American States, We hope that this increasing vigour will reach its culminating point in the Eleventh Inter-American Conference at Quito which will begin a new era for the people of America.
107. In the family of the United Nations, programmes have been undertaken which are on a small scale but are of vital importance for under-developed countries. Technical assistance has given tangible results in the training of specialized personnel, economic planning and the working out of methods of financing. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have effectively assisted economic development and monetary stability.
108. I should like to make special reference to two United Nations organs which have engaged in activities of great significance this year: the Special Fund and ECLA.
109. The Special Fund was set up just a year ago by the General Assembly [resolution 1240 (XBI)]. The appointment of Mr. Paul G- Hoffman as Managing Director was a happy choice. The Fund has launched its activities with speed, vision and thorough understanding of the situation in under-developed countries. The principles it has approved and the projects it has chosen show awareness of its goals. The Fund is intended to stimulate — by means of short-term projects with broad economic scope — the discovery and utilization of natural resources and also to act as a catalytic agent for private investment.
110. Unfortunately the funds available in 1959 barely totalled $26 million, while requests exceeded $100 million. We were therefore gratified to hear that the United Kingdom has generously decided to increase its contribution substantially, and that the United States has every intention of maintaining its unstinted contribution. It is hoped that at the 1959 United Nations Pledging Conference on the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance and the Special Fund, which is to be held next week, large and small countries will be able to follow the lead of the United Kingdom. I am happy to state that the Government of Ecuador will announce an increase of at least 50 per cent in its contribution as a step towards reaching the target set in the proportionate contribution scale established by the Managing Director. Contribution to the Fund is, for large and small nations alike, in the nature of an investment which will benefit them in some way.
111. Through ECLA a dynamic impulse was given this year to the project of a Latin American common market, a long-cherished ambition of our countries which has hitherto been unrealized but which has assumed new significance in the light of experience in Europe and Africa. The common market answers the need of the Latin American community for industrializing, increasing its agricultural productivity and dealing with the structural problems of its development. We have now realized that it is only by pooling our productive resources and our markets that we can maintain a rate of growth that will enable the Latin American countries to draw nearer to the more industrialized countries and to cope with the problems caused by the rapid increase in population. Under present conditions the isolated development of national economies scatters our resources, reduces our markets and does not allow us to take full advantage of the dynamic factor of population growth.
112. The population of Latin America is at present more than 180 million and will be three times that number in forty years time. Yet the average per capita income is scarcely one-tenth of that of the United States and one-fifth of that of the countries in the European Common Market. There has been some decline in development figures in the last few years, caused by the drop in the prices of raw materials, and this has strongly affected capital investment, limiting it almost entirely to domestic savings. International public loans received have barely compensated for the losses occasioned by the unfavourable balance of trade, so that these loans being at least in part compensatory, failed to produce the desired effect of stimulation.
113. At the eighth plenary session of ECLA held at Panama in May of this year, it was unanimously decided that a group of experts from member Governments should, at the beginning of 1960, draft an agreement for a common market, based on the studies made by the Committee on Trade and particularly by the working party set up by that committee and consisting of outstanding personalities of Latin America. The draft agreement, which will be submitted for signature to the member governments, will provide for the establishment of a free-trade zone which will gradually be converted into a customs union.
114. Latin America has built great hopes on the common market, and I should like to express to the Secretary-General the gratitude of my Government for the work accomplished with such dedication and skill by Dr. Raul Prebisch, the Secretary of ECLA and his colleagues.
115. The General Assembly is beginning its fourteenth session with an agenda comprising many difficult problems. My delegation will state its views on these problems in due course, basing its attitude on the Purposes and Principles of the Charter, which is not only a constitutional document but a code of international conduct. At this initial stage I have merely outlined our chief concerns, fears and hopes as we prepare to face the unknown perils which threaten us today. My delegation brings to this Assembly its deep conviction that technological progress will be an effective instrument in the removal of economic inequalities, that distrust between blocs of States will disappear to make way for a constructive peace and that this Organization will be regarded by succeeding generations as a symbol of the unity and progress of mankind.