59. Mr. President, allow me first of all to take this opportunity, which did not present itself earlier, to express to you the congratulations of the Netherlands delegation upon your election to your present high office. As many speakers have already pointed out, this is not only a tribute to you personally, but also a recognition of the important part which Africa and the Africans play — and are entitled to play — in world affairs today. No greater change has taken place in the United Nations since I first addressed this General Assembly, more than twelve years ago, than this rapid emergence of a continent so frequently but incorrectly termed the "Dark Continent", into the light of world affairs. The accession of so many African States to the United Nations is, furthermore, an important contribution to the universality of the United Nations.
SO. This latter reason is also the cause of our rejoicing over a second event at which I should like to express my delegation's happiness, namely the admission of Zambia, Malawi and Malta as new Members of the United Nations
61. Malta we particularly welcome, not only as a new member of the European family of nations, but also as a stepping-stone between Africa and Europe — a stepping-stone which has always served in history to the mutual advantage of both continents and which today is more needed than ever before.
62. With the admission of Zambia and Malawi the number of African Members of the United Nations has increased from three at the birth of the Organization in 1945, to thirty-six today. What a tremendous development — almost two score African States in less than a score of years!
63. This leads me to the present situation of the United Nations. We must view the situation realistically, without ignoring the serious character of its problems. An organization like the United Nations is, like any human being and any other organization, bound to have its ups and downs, which sometimes succeed each other rapidly. The United Nations — let us admit it — is this year in one of its downs. Looking back, we now realize that last year the eighteenth session of the General Assembly met at one of the Organization's high points, in an improved international atmosphere resulting from the Moscow test ban treaty. Today, the General Assembly proceeds through the shadows cast by two huge problems: on the one side, a financial crisis which at present looks almost insurmountable; on the other side, the equally formidable problem of the increasingly diverging levels of prosperity between the developed and the less developed countries. Twenty years ago our Organization was a shining new achievement born from the scourge of war. After almost two decades of expansion well beyond the original exceptions, elements of crisis seem to loom larger now than does the certainty of further progress.
64. Today the United Nations is in the throes of a dispute which threatens to extend beyond all reasonable bounds and to cripple the whole activity of the Organization. My delegation sincerely hopes that there may still be found a last minute solution which will not prejudice the rules of the Charter. If this should prove impossible, my delegation feels that it would be better to come to an unequivocal decision now rather than to have this Assembly drag on further as a half-lame giant. If this problem can finally be solved and the decision loyally respected by all parties concerned, we trust that the Assembly can then proceed to devote its energy again to more fruitful activities.
65. My country considers it an honour to have been made a member of the Security Council for two years. We are thankful for the trust thus reposed in us. Needless to say, the Netherlands, together with the other ten members of the Security Council, will carry out this heavy responsibility in the best interests of international peace and security. In doing so it will base itself on the principles of the Charter and, in particular, on the principle that military force should never be used as a means of solving an international dispute, a principle dear to my country ever since the days of Grotius. It is clear that in our time, more than ever before, this principle should be respected.
66. We hope that within the period of our membership the amendments to the Charter providing for an extension of the Security Council and of the Economic and Social Council will enter into force. This will at last bring about a better representation of the many new Members that have joined the United Nations since 1945, a representation which these new Members have claimed so strongly and with such good reason. As is well known, my delegation has always been in favour of such an extension, and my country was therefore happy, after receiving parliamentary approval, to ratify the pertinent amendments to the Charter a few weeks ago.
67. A more adequate representation of the new Members should also remove the objections which have been raised during these last years with regard to the more active role which the Security Council is playing. This latter trend became more conspicuous in 1964, when the number of Security Council meetings almost doubled the figure for 1963. Thus it would seem that the Security Council is slowly being restored to the role for which it was originally intended by the authors of the Charter, namely, that of exercising primary reponsibility for peace and security in the world. Although the abuse of the veto has unfortunately not ceased, my Government believes that the more active role of the Security Council is to a certain extent a healthy development. In fact, the unforeseen increase in the number of Members of the General Assembly — which renders it a somewhat cumbersome body — maims it less fit for executive action. This being said, I must immediately add that the General Assembly should, in our view, remain the supreme representative body of the Organization and that my Government could not go so far as to agree to any arrangement which would give the Security Council exclusive jurisdiction over peace and security.
68. These latter principles apply particularly to a field which, in the view of my Government, is bound to become of ever greater importance as a means of preserving peace, namely, that of peace-keeping operations. These operations have developed over the years on the basis of practical needs, and some have been among the most successful achievements of the United Nations. Some operations have had their shortcomings, some have been heavily criticized for one reason or another, taut most operations, let us not forget, have helped to prevent some very dangerous situations from bursting into full-scale war. It is all the more regrettable that the financing of two of these operations has given rise to a dispute which, as I said a moment ago, threatens to paralyse this present Assembly. And it is all the more important that we should try to arrive at a more solid basis for future operations, as regards their initiation, their technical organization and their financing. My delegation will indeed be happy to co-operate with interested delegations from all parts of the world to further this aim.
69. It is disappointing that for the last year no further agreement has been reached about measures for disarmament, in which some progress had previously been achieved. However, I derive some hope for the future from the growing realization on the part of the principal military Powers that they all have a common interest in freezing and, if possible, reducing the extent of their armed forces.
70. In the Eighteen-Nation Committee on Disarmament — to which my Government continues to attach great importance — many proposals have been put forward. We hope that when these discussions in Geneva are resumed they will lead to further improved understanding and ultimately to agreements. My Government suggests that high priority should be given to an agreement on the non-proliferation of nuclear arms. The recent atomic explosion in China, which we deeply regret, has infused new urgency into this problem. We are profoundly concerned by the realization that we may foe well on the way to a most dangerous multi- nuclear world. This development makes it urgently necessary to come to speedy arrangements in order that the number of nuclear Powers should not further increase.
71. Peace and prosperity are, as has often been said, inseparable. Important as it is to maintain peace by the elimination of conflicts, it is equally important to give peace a solid foundation and a deeper content by raising living standards.
72. Having dealt with the aspect of peace, I should now like to say something about the equally important problem of the economic and social development of the less developed countries. When we look back over the last fifteen years we cannot fail to be impressed by the tremendous activity exerted in that field. At the same time there is a general realization that the great activity and the enormous sums expended have thus far produced only limited results. This paradox is steadily becoming more visible and should induce us to seek a shift in emphasis. If we were to proceed along the same road as in previous years, we would need generations to achieve a higher standard of living for all. This really will not do; it is imperative that we take a short-cut leading to more concrete results within a shorter period of time.
73. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, held in Geneva last year, may provide the impetus needed for a new upward trend. This will depend on the new Trade and Development Board and its subsidiary organs, as well as on the periodic conferences. If successful, these new bodies may prove to be instruments of historic importance for the betterment of the fate of hundreds of millions. One condition for their fruitful activity will be that they are given their right place within the machinery of the United Nations. For my country, Chapters IX and X of the Charter concerning international economic and social co-operation have lost none of their fundamental importance. The new workload for the United Nations in the field of trade and development fits into this pattern.
74. Nowadays voices are being heard to the effect that all United Nations activities in the social and economic field should be transferred from New York to Geneva, or elsewhere, thus bringing about a separation of the political and the economic activities of the United Nations. I deem it right to warn against the danger of separating those two activities that are so closely interwoven. It would indeed be sad if we were already to forget the lesson drawn in 1945 from the experience of the old League of Nations — namely, that no organization of States can confine itself to political activities except at the risk of its own existence.
75. I am gratified that the Secretary-General, in his report on the administrative requirements for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, has given proper weight to the basic need of keeping together in one integrated pattern the total United Nations effort in the economic and social field. In that connexion, the planned review of the role of the Economic and Social Council on the basis of the provisions of the Charter seems a matter of urgency. Here, just as with the Security Council in the political field, there is scope for strengthening the Council's task as an executive body. Under the authority of the General Assembly, but with its own clearly defined powers, the Economic and Social Council can help to guide the execution of the policies of the United Nations throughout the various specialized bodies. The Economic and Social Council should also be developed as the principal executive body of the General Assembly in co-ordinating the activities of all the related world organizations in the field of economic and social advancement. That is all the more necessary because of the increasing number of new organs inside and outside the United Nations.
76. Inside the United Nations, we shall, in a few months, be considering the new mandates for the World Food Programme. My Government considers that experiment, which has now been going on for three years, a success. Its continuation in a more elaborate form may be an important contribution to the existing form of co-operation between developed and less developed countries. We therefore hope that the coming conference in Home on this new way of disposing of food surpluses will likewise open up new perspectives.
77. Outside the United Nations, a new chapter has, much to our satisfaction, been added to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). That chapter, due to be signed within a few weeks, is dedicated to the principle that less developed countries are entitled to special treatment because they are in a weaker position, as well as in a phase of accelerated development. The Netherlands fully subscribes to that principle.
78. In that connexion I should like to emphasize the importance of the consultation of a number of donor countries in the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. That Committee provides for an extensive exchange of views on different aspects of the relations between donor countries and receiving countries. It maintains growing relations with other international bodies, such as the United Nations and its regional organizations, as well as with specialized agencies, such as the World Bank. Similarly, the contacts of this donor group with less developed countries is increasing. My Government welcomes those new trends.
79. In a more limited context, my country is making its contribution to the increasing prosperity of the world as one of the members of the European Common Market. That Community, as is well known, is experiencing a rapid and tremendous economic upsurge. It is perhaps not superfluous to mention again that its growing prosperity has wholesome effects on the rest of the world as well. In a direct way, that takes place in the form of aid to the eighteen associated countries, aid which, for the five-year period beginning in 1963, totals $735 million. Of the total number of 81,000 technicians sent to developing countries, no less than 55,000 have come from Common Market countries. Indirectly, the wholesome effects of the Common Market's progress are visible in its growing trade, which is by no means limited to exchanges between its members. That is shown, for instance, by the fact that from 1958 to 1964 the total imports from countries outside the European Community increased by no less than 66 per cent, whereas the Common Market's exports to those outside countries increased by only 51 per cent. My Country, by its geographical situation, its history, its economic structure, has always had an important stake in trade with the other continents and will continue to exert its efforts to increase the economic relations between the Common Market and the outer world.
80. I have mentioned some aspects of the political and economic situation which give hope for the future. I consider it my duty, in the interests of the United Nations and the promotion of prosperity in the world, to say something about a few aspects which cause concern to my Government. I mentioned before that the United Nations, after many months of rapid growth, is showing signs of a crisis. This derives partially from the fact that the large majority of less developed, young countries have to co-operate with the small minority of older, more developed countries. Fruitful co-operation between those two groups is essential for the well-being of all Members, as well as for the raising of living standards in the world. Such cooperation is possible only if each group, in determining its own attitude, takes into account the views, the interests and the responsibilities of the other group. A mere mechanical application of a voting machine is indeed a serious threat to the future, if it is not restrained by an awareness of the contributions of others. Let me mention a few examples.
81. The mandatory contributions of Member States to the United Nations and its specialized agencies derive from budgets decided by a two-thirds majority of the votes, as is well known. However, less than 20 per cent of the Member States are paying more than 80 per cent of the contributions — or, to put it differently, a majority of 80 per cent is paying less than 20 per cent of the contributions.
82. In order to prevent misunderstandings, I wish to make it clear that the main contributors are perfectly willing to continue and even increase their contributions. Such a situation, however, can continue only if the group commanding the majority votes exercises due restraint when making use of its voting power. If not, it is to be feared that such a lopsided situation may, in the long run, become unacceptable.
83. The same problem plays a part in the matter of equitable geographical representation within different United Nations bodies. Up to now, the composition of some of the executive organs of the United Nations has been based on a situation which prevailed in 1945, and my delegation has for years advanced the idea that that representation should be revised in the light of the entirely changed conditions. We should now, however, guard against falling into the other extreme by introducing methods for filling vacancies based purely on the number of votes, without due regard for an equitable distribution based both on geography and responsibility.
84. Let me mention in this context, as a typical example, the Special Fund. The excellent results obtained by the Fund are, in the opinion of many countries, partly due to the structure of its governing body which provides for parity of representation between more developed and less developed countries, and for an advisory role for the specialized agencies. For this reason the main donor countries place great value on the maintenance of this well-tested structure in the planned merger between the Special Fund and the Extended Programme of Technical Assistance into a new Development Programme. For reasons of wisdom and equity this balance should be maintained; for I seriously fear that if the future structure were to be based purely on voting strength this would lead, as far as my country is concerned, to a reappraisal of the extent of our contributions. Basically this is a matter of mentality more than of written texts. No clause about weighted voting, no conciliation procedure, no assurances of self-restraint of the General Assembly will have much effect on the future of the Trade Conference, unless the majority of the Members is conscious of the views, the interests and the responsibilities of the minority.
85. In a debate which took place in this very building a few weeks ago, bitter words were spoken about the humanitarian action of Belgium and the United States of America, by which hundreds of humans of many nationalities and races were saved. Having for years opposed all forms of racial discrimination, my delegation feels obliged to point out that racialism in reverse would be as unjust and as dangerous.
86. It would indeed be tragic if the East-West conflict, which fortunately has shown some signs of abating in the last two years, were to be replaced by a new controversy between North and South. The problem of raising the living standards in the less developed countries remains one of the main tasks of our Organization, and my country remains determined to give its utmost efforts to that task. But it must be done in forms which take into consideration the interests and responsibilities of both sides. If not, in my own country, as in others, the tendency might grow in favour of channeling aid in new forms and through other bodies. My Government would regret such a development and trusts that with the co-operation of all concerned, this can be prevented and the United Nations will be able to emerge strengthened from the present shadows.
87. I share in this respect the faith in the unrivalled character of the United Nations which was expressed by the Secretary-General in the introduction to his yearly report, where he said that the solution of world problems by the United Nations; "will depend to a great degree upon the validity of my faith in the unique value of the United Nations as an instrument for reconciling differences of opinion and not only as a framework in which they can manifest themselves..." [A/5801/Add.1, sect. IV.]
88. The United Nations remains a unique worldwide organization for the solution of conflicts and for increasing the living standards of those hundreds of millions still living in want and poverty. My country is determined to continue its contribution to this double task. May the Almighty give us wisdom and perseverance to fulfil these tasks successfully.