The annual session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, convened in keeping with Article 20 of the Charter, satisfies the democratic aspirations of all its Members, and by providing an opportunity for a debate which acquaints the world with the problems on whose solution the maintenance of peace depends, it compels States to follow, or to give the semblance of following, a policy conforming to the purposes and principles on which our Organization is based. Opposition by some, defence by others, and criticism from many quarters, provide the necessary material for a thorough understanding of the present international situation.
2. From this high rostrum speak the great and the small, those who have interests and positions which they are anxious to preserve or to expand both inside and outside their frontiers, and those of more modest station who have no ambition but to, live in freedom and dignity. The men who speak for their States; are not all of the same human stature: those who speak for a powerful country are mounted on a pedestal which multiplies their capacity and their influence a hundredfold: they are like giants. Those who speak for the medium or small countries have virtually no pedestal and are hardly seen or heard, Nevertheless, this rostrum has the virtue, whatever the State represented, of amplifying the vibrations of the words spoken from it so that they spread to the farthest horizons; when speaking from this place, we all feel ourselves to be equal, and through this wonderful achievement of the spirit we can cherish the hope that one day, although there is as yet no positive sign of it, the States will represent, not arbitrary desires and forces unchecked by reason, but legal institutions which surrender part of their sovereignty for the sake of order and security. That is the salient and attractive feature of this world parliament which was born with the League of Nations at Geneva and which, with the United Nations, is slowly growing in prestige, so much so that statesmen keep back their governments’ most important declarations and most decisive and far-reaching statements until they can announce them from this rostrum and so speak to all five continents.
3. If the General Assembly did nothing more than bring together many countries to hear and listen to each other, that in itself would be a magnificent achievement, for in this way the ground is broken for the sowing of the seeds of tolerance and respect for different forms of civilization, and these seeds may bring forth much sweeter fruit than is yielded by the cold, hard ground of purely diplomatic relations. This general debate, moreover, is some remedy for our need to make a constant revision in the programme we imposed upon ourselves at San Francisco, when, desperate with grief after unspeakable tragedy, we went so far as to sacrifice our equality by accepting the veto. This survey allows us to measure the progress we are making along the difficult path of interdependence which has replaced the anarchical freedom of States.
4. In the debate now proceeding, eloquent speeches have already been delivered describing; in impressive detail, the advances made in the study of the economic and social factors which have so large an influent on the development of peoples; we have been told how we may, in the light of information collected after long study, deduce conclusions previously unknown to us which we could not have reached without the combined efforts of men and resources which far excel any possible effort in isolation.
5. In the impressive procession of speakers which have so far occupied this rostrum, our attention was drawn to the intelligent and detailed memorandum of grievances read by the representative of Sweden [379 meeting], calling upon the Government of its great neighbour to fulfil the obligation of all States to submit any dispute that may arise between them to an international tribunal. That neighbouring States would thus prove that its desire for peace, repeatedly proclaimed at many congresses and in political programmes, is real and not a mere propaganda trick, as might be suspected from its obstinate refusal to comply with the request of Sweden, a democracy that might serve as an example to many countries which pride themselves on greater military, economic and social resources. Like Sweden, other States have voiced their complaints in eloquent speeches, and many of them charge the Organization with being ineffective because it has not succeeded in finding satisfactory t solutions for the problems-brought before it. All the speakers we have heard so far have analysed from different points of view the most serious topics engaging the Assembly’s attention, and all of them have agreed in attaching the utmost importance to the economic problem, to such a point that it is generally admitted that the future of mankind depends upon its timely and adequate solution.
6. My delegation associates itself with those which have analysed the world situation without optimism but with full confidence in the United Nations as a “centre for harmonizing the actions” undertaken byStates to carry out the gigantic task of saving our generation from the scourge of war and the grip of poverty, disease and ignorance. It is fully confident that the Organization will create the conditions that make individual and collective life worth living. For this. purpose, it is essential that all States should be willing to comply faithfully with the letter and spirit of the Charter they signed at San Francisco or acceded to later. Ecuador has complied with the Charter and is prepared to do so without reservations, regardless of the sacrifices involved.
7. My country has been sorely tried in the last few years, and while these ordeals might justify some scepticism regarding the value of legal principles, they have not succeeded in destroying its strong conviction that sooner or later these oft-violated principles will triumph and the rule of justice will be re-established, hot only in the Americas but throughout the world. If the Powers which are little used to subordinating their ambitions to the rule of law are to accept the peaceful solutions offered by international organization and international justice, we shall need long and untiring propaganda work to win the support of the peoples, who will impose their views on their governments.
8. The establishment of international courts of justice, with compulsory jurisdiction over all problems without exception, will be the only way of preventing the misuse of force and the recurrence of injustices which weaken international understanding and threaten to destroy the basis of the United Nations.
9. We had special pleasure in listening to the representatives of Chile, New Zealand and Argentina; the first showed with unanswerable logic how the profound revolution which has taken place throughout the world must be met with valour and intelligence ; and the others contended that steps must be taken for the substantial revision of our Charter, since past experience has shown that this instrument on which the United Nations is based must be improved.
10. A special committee of jurists should, be appointed this year and given time and means enough to prepare a suitable draft for circulation to all governments. Then, after it has been fully discussed in each country, the committee can receive the considered suggestions of the parties concerned. After the Comments of all the Ministries of Foreign Affairs have been received, the General Assembly can place on the agenda of its tenth session a proposal for the calling of a General Conference of the Members of the United Nations in order to review the Charter, in accordance with the provisions of Article 109, paragraph 3, of the Charter itself.
11. My delegation considers that the Statute of the International Court of Justice should also be amended. It does not wish to specify now in what respects the Statute might be amended so as to adapt it to new trends of legal thought and to the development of regional systems, which merit special consideration; even at this stage, however, I should like to mention the need to create a new organic system of. international justice which will better reflect the various forms of legal thought in the world. The great services already rendered by the International Court of Justice could be increased if its Statute were to empower it to organize itself into permanent Regional Chambers where the most important languages spoken in the respective regions would be accepted as the working languages. In the exposition and defence of the law, the languages of the States which submit legal problems are of enormous importance. It is equally important that our Continent should possess a regional court of justice, closely connected with the Organization of American States, but at the same time part of the Court of The Hague, lest the harmony which should prevail in the sphere of law be destroyed. These are simply ideas which can be referred to the special technical committee which the Assembly should appoint this year to study the delicate and complex problem I have just outlined and to submit a report showing the need to convene another conference of Members of the United Nations to amend the Statute of the Court, by methods identical with those employed for reviewing the Charter.
12. The two basic instruments of the world Organization can be amended normally by following the rules laid down in the Charter. But all our work in this direction can be arrested by the veto. If, by any misfortune, such a serious and far-reaching event were to occur, I believe that the democratic world could not remain indifferent and agree to go on being subject to the tyranny of the veto, which has been denounced by most statesmen and by world public opinion. We could not allow the progress of the Organization to be halted or to continue our subservience to rules rendered obsolete by irresistible progress. We are sure that the States which have the power to block the evolution of the United Nations by vetoing any revision will then show themselves truly worthy of the confidence placed in them by the group of States which, at San Francisco, vested in them the anti-democratic right to outweigh with a single vote the wishes of all the peoples of the world. If such difficulties should arise a suitable procedure would have to be devised for overcoming the obstacle, once all reasonable means had been exhausted of preventing the loss of legal unity which was a great triumph achieved by the Chatter, and the perpetuation of the division of the world into two hostile camps, one of which would undoubtedly be subject solely to the arbitrary rule of the strongest. If this were to happen, the uneasy peace under which we have suffered since the incompatibility of the democratic and communist States became apparent would last very little longer. But we should have to go on without hesitation to rebuild the United Nations, which cannot be allowed to, disappear if order and security are to reign in the world. The revised Charter, or, if necessary, the new Charter, must be in harmony with the new social, political and economic trends,
13, My delegation has specific instructions on the subject of the serious and delicate colonial problem, in particular with relation to Tunis and Morocco, Ecuador shook off the colonial yoke after a long and bloody struggle and, since it had taken the lead in the struggle in the last century, suffered the direst consequences ; it therefore has a sacred duty towards countries which are going through the same process as it did before it achieved emancipation, which long to win their freedom and have prepared themselves to fulfil the arduous duties which the exercise of sovereignty imposes on a modern State. My Government and the people of Ecuador ally themselves with and enthusiastically support all countries which are struggling to rid themselves of colonial exploitation, to break the bonds which bind them to the fate of other countries against their will and to their misfortune. Unfortunately, this great movement of independence which is stirring among the peoples which are subject to a colonial system, under whatever name, is being strongly influenced from outside by political agents who exploit the simplicity and ignorance of the masses to lead them, under the banner of freedom, into another slavery, much harsher than that from which they wish to escape. The peoples who wish to break the bonds of colonialism and to arise as independent States are being skilfully exploited; those who support them and, in some cases, their leaders, nourish the evil design of subjecting them to a worse servitude.
14. The criticism directed against the colonial regime of some States is, of course, justified. It should not be forgotten, however, that France recognizes and respects human dignity in the territories under its sovereignty, and that it has worked and is working hard, With all the resources at its command, to prepare the inhabitants of those territories to manage the independent regime which it is proposed to set up. France is handing on its culture through schools, universities and technical institutes which are turning out men distinguished in every branch of human knowledge, to whom it will eventually be possible to delegate the responsibility of leading their fellow citizens. France has transformed villages in those territories into cities which enjoy all the facilities of the richest urban centres of Europe or America; it has forked their mines and cultivated their fields by scientific processes which have transformed them into veritable centres of wealth that will serve to give these countries a high economic and social level, so that they will not fall into the hands of those who are anxious to separate them from France or subject them to a despotism which sacrifices individuality to the State. France cannot break with its noble legal tradition; France cannot forget that it is the cradle of the Ideas and principles which have produced our civilization, We must have faith in this great democracy and give it an opportunity to find for itself, through free and open discussion with the peoples tinder its leadership, a formula which will reconcile conflicting interests and allow for the birth of two or more new democracies which may join the ranks of the free peoples and co-operate with us in the common task of building a better world. The United Nations should be the place in which the problem of these countries independence can be discussed, without intervening directly in the argument. It can lend all its co-operation, and help them to achieve the aim which we all desire; The United Nations cannot impose any solution at this stage of the negotiations. Later, if it is so requested by one of the parties, or if peace is threatened, it can proceed to act in accordance with the terms of the Charter.
15. The profound and delicate political understanding of France encourages me to think that it has already realized the position in which the historical circumstances of the century have placed it and that it will not remain deaf to the demands of reason and justice. It will solve this temporary difficulty in accordance with the aspirations of the peoples and will recognize, with its noble and traditional courtesy, that the colonial regime is impossible in sufficiently developed territories and that such countries are entitled to manage their own affairs. France, the mother of freedom, must heed the call for freedom if it is to remain faithful to its own most splendid traditions.
16. The best weapons with which to defend our ideals are not to be found in the arsenals of war. All the armies in the world are not enough to resist the force of ideas, whenever these ideas are the interpreters of natural and human realities. I believe that our greatest weakness in this cold war between the western and the communist Powers, which is gradually breaking down all moral principles, is that we have spent more money on the rearmament programme than on social and economic assistance to the under-trained and under-developed countries. The little sum that has been allocated to those countries for that purpose has only been enough to show them how much they need and, instead of producing a feeling of gratitude, has created an undercurrent of passive resistance and ill-will which is waiting for a favourable moment to declare itself, skillfully exploited by the common enemy. This enemy has given them nothing, but it offers them a paradise which, beautiful, distant and unknown, serves admirably to attract unsuspecting innocents. It is interesting to see, in that connexion, that a service inadequately rendered engenders no more gratitude than does a service rendered clumsily or discourteously.
17. A large increase in economic and social assistance to all countries which need it is a matter of immediate urgency. If millions of dollars have been spent unhesitatingly on the monstrous programme of armament which is regarded as necessary to hold back aggression, it is essential that we should be bold enough to set aside the same amount for moral rearmament, the education of millions of ignorant men, the feeding of hungry peoples, the restoration of health to regions which are sources of suffering and disease, for public works, electrification, housing, transport, etc., as was so brilliantly expressed by Mr. Santa Cruz, when he made his moving plea [379th meeting] for the conquest of the universal revolution which threatens, like a hurricane, to destroy all that was so patiently won by our ancestors, and developed by us without a genuine and fitting understanding of social justice.
18. The technical development of Latin America is of special interest by reason of the vast natural resources which are still unexploited. To be fair, we must recognize that special attention has been paid to this regional problem and that the Deputy Director-General of the office of the United Nations Technical Assistance Administration has spared no effort to satisfy the requests constantly made by our governments, which he has answered in a way which deserves our deep gratitude.
19. Previously, my country suffered from the disastrous visitation of certain very highly paid technicians who came to study subjects in which we had little or no interest, or {or which they were not prepared, or who failed because they were incapable of understanding either our language or the social environment in which they were working. This background made for a certain lack of confidence in the usefulness of technical co-operation, and this mistrust my Government is trying to dispel. The present position is different, and we cannot but express our gratitude towards those experts with open and understanding minds, such as the distinguished Latin-American officials to whom I referred earlier, who have sent men of real capacity to study our budgetary, financial and administrative problems and to work as a team with national personnel whom they are training to continue the programme which they planned and started.
20. If Ecuador receives economic assistance for modernizing its ports, completing certain highways and putting into effect a large-scale plan of electrification, it will be able to increase its food production and thus help to alleviate the crisis of which we are all well aware.
21. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is waging a vast campaign for the purpose of transforming mankind. The mentality which is incapable of adapting itself to new social conditions and the most recent technical inventions is doomed. It is regrettable but true that most schools and colleges in Latin America still follow antiquated programmes and are not carrying out their important task of training men capable of dealing with the complexity and mutability of the modern world. The instrument with which we are equipped to guide them, though wonderful in itself, lacks the elements which circumstances require. The task assumed by UNESCO is so delicate and difficult that it has had to begin by revising its own methods, revolutionizing systems and laying the foundations for a life which demands a new style of thought and action. We must, however, congratulate ourselves on the results that UNESCO is achieving in many countries and we cherish the hope that governments will lend it greater support so that its beneficent influence may continue to increase, for it is an influence which elevates minds, cleanses hearts and gives new force to the will.
22. I should like, Mr. President, to offer my sincerest wishes for the success of this session of the Assembly, the conduct of whose business has been so auspiciously placed in your hands. It is to be hoped that all the representatives will co-operate in a Speedy solution of the problems on our agenda and that their moderation, their intelligence and their noble spirit of tolerance will help to create a favourable climate in which this uncertain peace of ours may grow in strength, and the clouds which threaten to cover the earth in darkness lift and disappear.