85. Mr. President, on behalf of the Jamaican delegation I wish to join in congratulating you on your unanimous election to the Presidency of this historic session of the General Assembly, I have no need to speak of the legacy of debt which Western civilization owes to Rome and to the people of Italy. Modern Italy, in the vigour of its political life and the freshness of its political thought, continues to be a subject of absorbing interest to us all. To this freshness and vigour you, Mr. President, have yourself contributed in no small measure — as you have to your country's growing influence in European and international affairs. It augurs well for the success of this session of the Assembly that a leader of your outstanding and varied abilities and your wide experience in the theory as well as in the practice of political and economic affairs should now be presiding over our deliberations.
86. My delegation was very pleased that one of the first announcements you were able to make in this hall after your election was the gratifying news of the agreement on a cease-fire between India and Pakistan. I wish to express the thanks of the Jamaican Government to the Secretary-General for his indefatigable efforts and our support to the Security Council for its firmness in this crisis. My Government hopes that a permanent solution of the problem of Kashmir consistent with the best interests of its people will soon be found.
87. Pate has apparently decreed that the nineteenth year shall be a critical year in the life of world organizations. It was the year which saw the end of the League of Nations; so my delegation feels a real sense of relief that our United Nations has survived the threat of permanent paralysis which loomed over it in its nineteenth year. We now know that we can enter upon the twentieth regular session with a new belief in the robust constitution of the United Nations, a new faith in the viability of our Organization, To those who doubted it, the United Nations has demonstrated once more its essential resilience. It has survived the dangers of the last year because it is indispensable to all of us, and for this same reason it will grow even stronger.
88. As we conclude the second decade in the life of the Organization, the process of review and stock-taking which began in San Francisco must continue. In the view of my delegation, the United Nations community ought now to resolve to make the twentieth regular session of the Assembly a new beginning; it ought to be our determination that the third decade in the life of our Organization will be a period of unparalleled achievement. Prom this new beginning, the high objectives of the third decade should, we suggest, be guided by the following three principles: first, that Member States will not accept the impasse or the stalemate as the final solution of any problem; secondly, that we will not drift along in inactivity and console ourselves that it is realism to do so; and thirdly, that we will search continually for new ways and means of achieving the objectives of the Charter.
89. The maintenance of international peace and security still remains the most urgent and demanding of the United Nations objectives, and it is inevitable that our contributions in this general debate should reflect our preoccupation with this subject. We have noted the reports of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. My delegation was pleased to observe the consensus arrived at that normal business should be immediately resumed in the Assembly, We have noted the conclusion that the current financial problem arising from peace-keeping operations should be removed by means of voluntary contributions, The Government of Jamaica has already made its contribution for this purpose, and we hope that other voluntary contributions will shortly be forthcoming in sufficient amounts to wipe out the deficit on peacekeeping expenditures.
90. Jamaica has interpreted the reports of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations as disclosing a further consensus: that it is impracticable at the present moment to secure any amendment to those Articles in the Charter which deal with the maintenance of international peace or which attempt to define the respective responsibilities of the Assembly and the Security Council in regard to peace and security. If it is indeed the case that no amendment is practicable at this moment, the only alternative which remains to Member States is to make the best of the Charter as it is. The Jamaican delegation here expresses once more Jamaica's unchanged determination to cooperate with all other Member States in ensuring that the Charter will remain an effective basis for our co-ordinated efforts in maintaining international peace.
91. The immediate crisis over Article 19 of the Charter has passed, but the conflict over differing Interpretations of the roles and powers of the Security Council and the General Assembly is not resolved. It is clear that discussion must continue until disagreements are reconciled, no matter how long this may take.
92. At the same time, it is essential that a solution to this intractable problem should be found without delay. There are urgent tasks in the area of international peace and security which only the United Nations can effectively undertake, and so long as the Organization remains immobilized by internal dissension, remains deprived of financial resources and remains so uncertain about the locus of its authority as it is today, it cannot act decisively in any matter and it will not dare to try the radical new measures which new crises might require. Because of this it would be a grave mistake for the United Nations to decide to do nothing more at the present about the unresolved internal issues relating to authority over peace-keeping operations. If one path to agreement is blocked, or seems to be, other paths should be explored. If the study of one aspect of United Nations responsibility for international peace is unfruitful, this should not preclude the examination of other aspects of the question.
93. In the opinion of my delegation, there are three main aspects of the questions of maintaining international peace in which study and exploration should continue. One is that of peace-making, to which the Secretary-General in the introduction to his annual report has drawn attention. As he so rightly points out, this should parallel peace-keeping; and it cannot be denied that United Nations machinery for good- offices, conciliation and mediation has been neglected in recent years. The particular potentialities of the International Court of Justice, for example, have remained largely unused, For this reason my delegation welcomes the initiative of the United Kingdom in inscribing an item on the agenda dealing with the peaceful settlement of disputes, and considers that a study of the possibilities of peace-making within the United Nations system will be most timely.
94. The next area of effort, in my delegation's view, is provision of stand-by forces which would be placed at the disposal of the United Nations and held in readiness to be employed when the necessity arises. Last year, speaking from this rostrum, I referred to the matter of long-term agreements with Member States concerning armed forces, assistance and facilities, which were envisaged in Article 43 of the Charter. Seeing that no such agreements are being negotiated, there would seem to be no alternative but to place stand-by forces at the disposal of the Secretary-General without prejudice to the question of whose authority shall determine their use, It follows that the Secretary-General would need an adequate planning staff and an adequate command to organize and direct the deployment of these stand-by forces. Effective military operations cannot be mounted at a moment's notice except on the basis of contingency planning of some kind.
95. The third area of examination is, in our view, the means of financing peace-keeping activities. Jamaica remains of the opinion that small nations and middle nations cannot buy international security at bargain rates. We seek to preserve our independence and our territorial integrity; we seek to be no one's clients. We believe that the authority of the whole international community, exercised through the United Nations, is the only firm guarantee of international security, and we are in no doubt that the United Nations must therefore be given full financial support. The financing of legitimate peace-keeping operations should never, in our view, be allowed to become a purely voluntary exercise. For this reason my Government has communicated to the Special Committee a detailed formula for the apportionment of peace- keening expenditure, [See A/6026, annex I.]
96. Another subject of vital importance to everyone is that of disarmament. The Jamaica delegation has been pleased to observe the resumption of disarmament negotiations in Geneva this summer in response to the call from the Disarmament Commission which met at Headquarters earlier this year. The Disarmament Committee's examination of formulas to facilitate agreement on a comprehensive test-ban treaty and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and a general reduction in the arms race, must be encouraged. There seems to be real hope that agreement may be reached before too long on a comprehensive test-ban and on proliferation. We must point out, however, as others have done, that agreements designed to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons will not be effective or lasting unless real progress is made with the denuclearization of the existing nuclear Powers. The danger of proliferation will always be present so long as arsenals of nuclear weapons continue to exist.
97. Jamaica recognizes, further, that for there to be real progress on disarmament, whether in regard to nuclear or conventional weapons, all of the world's States must be involved in the negotiations. This is why we endorsed the proposal made In the Disarmament Commission for a world disarmament conference comprising representatives from all Governments, whether Members of this Organization or not. It is possible that such a conference will provide opportunities for initiatives in many fields.
98. It is opportune that this Assembly session should be concerned with review and reappraisal of the role and functions of the Economic and Social Council, now that the amendment to the Charter is being implemented. The significance lies not just in the fact that enlargement of the Council will make it more representative politically. Even more important is the opportunity it provides of embracing in the Council's membership States in all stages of economic development. It is important that the Council truly reflect an economic cross-section of the United Nations membership. Only if it is so constituted will it be able to concentrate its attention on the fundamental problems affecting the majority of Member States.
99. The enlargement will bring in new Members with first-hand knowledge of the crucial problems which developing countries face; and should put into sharper focus the urgent necessity for finding economic and social solutions for these problems. In particular, Jamaica hopes the Council will consider, and try to meet, the special needs of countries which are approaching but have not yet reached the point of self-sustaining economic growth. This is an area that has not received adequate attention in the past; we know the economic and social objectives of the Charter cannot begin to be achieved unless the majority of Member States have a growth that is self-sustaining. It is also clear that few developing countries have managed to get any closer to self-sustained growth than they were five years ago. As the gap widens between the rich countries and the poor countries, the process of growth for the poor countries becomes more difficult.
100. Within the United Nations system the main responsibility for international policy in the fields of economic and social development rests squarely on the Economic and Social Council. The Council now has a new opportunity to take a fresh look at this responsibility, to appraise its character anew, and to gear itself for the new tasks that have come with the increase in the membership of the United Nations. But the Council must streamline its organization and improve its operating methods in order to fit its role as central formulator of policy and central co-ordinator of the United Nations efforts to raise living standards and promote social betterment.
101. It may be significant that this review of the Economic and Social Council's role is taking place in the middle of the Development Decade, when we have seen the failure to achieve even the modest requirements set for the decade of development, and when it requires considerable optimism to believe that without significant new stimulus the targets can be met by 1970. This is evident in the Secretary-General's progress report on the Development Decade.
102. It was long ago clear that the developing countries could not pay interest at market rates, repay capital and maintain an adequate rate of development, all at the same time. Now, against the experience of even more unremunerative prices for basic commodities, and without any significant expansion in the direct flow of investment resources from developed countries, the prospects are worsening.
103. It is imperative that the trend be corrected. It is imperative that developing countries should face a better prospect. It is necessary that there be more positive action on the things about which we have talked so much, including the accelerated flow of capital and technical assistance to developing countries; the establishment of a United Nations Capital Development Fund; and the accelerated industrialization of the developing countries. Surely it is fully recognized by this time that the scope of these problems is much greater than the efforts now being made.
104. Inevitably, the allocation of functions between the Council and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will be raised; but this is not an insuperable difficulty. The guidelines have already been drawn in that the Assembly has demarcated and assigned to the Conference responsibilities in trade and in development as it relates to trade. The Conference has the challenge of reorganizing global trade on the basis of the body of principles worked out at Geneva last year.
105. Jamaica recognizes and welcomes the initiatives that certain developed countries have taken in moving towards the objectives of the Conference. However, we are still very far from the necessary concerted action by developed countries.
106. I interpret any questioning, at this stage, of the extent to which recommendations in the Final Act of the Conference on Trade and Development are binding on Member States as simply a tactic for delay. Conciliation procedures were worked out and incorporated into the working system of the Trade and Development Board precisely because it was recognized that certain decisions will affect particular interests of some Member States. Persistence in such questioning merely invites doubts as to the real intentions of the questioners.
107. It is difficult to perceive what real progress has been made in implementing the principle which has been negotiated, agreed and incorporated into the Final Act which states that: "Developed countries shall progressively reduce and eliminate barriers and other restrictions that hinder trade and consumption of products from developing countries". The Conference must move quickly on to its next stage. It must introduce measures to ensure more remunerative prices for basic commodities, measures to expand market opportunities for the export products of developing countries, and measures for the encouragement of higher levels of production in these developing countries. This is the area in which action must now be taken. About the need for action and the required area of action, there is no dispute, but when we come down to the method of action, new obstacles seem suddenly to appear.
108. Without meaningful concessions from developed countries there can be no significant improvement in our economies because the bulk of development has to be financed from export earnings. Shortfalls of export receipts undermine development plans and arrest economic growth. The time is long past when the farm worker whether in sugar, bananas, cocoa, coffee or any other crop will be content to toil six days a week, fifty-two weeks a year and find in the end that his earnings cannot support himself and his family to a decent standard of life.
109. We, the people of the developing countries, are no longer content to leave our farmers and workers at the mercy of blind and selfish market forces because they happen to be producing for export. We need to secure stable and remunerative prices for the commodities they produce — prices based, of course, on reasonably efficient production. It is not enough to talk smoothly about over-production, about the need to diversify agricultural output, and to move from one commodity to another, unless the international community advances, at the same time, concrete measures for financing the transfer from one form of production to another.
110. I turn now to one area of United Nations activity in which my country has taken a special interest — I refer to human rights, and particularly to the International Year for Human Rights. The Committee on the International Year for Human Rights, of which my country's representative had the honour to be Chairman, prepared with great care and diligent examination, and after wide consultation with Member Governments of the United Nations, a report with a programme of activities for the International Year. This report was submitted to the Commission on Human Rights. In the time at its disposal, the Commission was unable to consider the Committee's entire programme and recommendations, but all of the most urgent proposals have been accepted by the Commission and in turn by the Economic and Social Council, Thus the Assembly now has on its agenda, and Is being invited to approve during this session, a schedule of measures relating to the celebration of the International Year which are intended to be implemented during the period leading up to 1968.
111. The Jamaica Government has anticipated the Assembly's endorsement of this interim programme in so far as it concerns our internal arrangements for the International Year. My Government has already formally decided to appoint its own committee to organize our national celebrations and to establish an advisory body to review our national legislation against the standards set by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
112. It is a source of considerable satisfaction to Jamaica that the Commission and the Council have accepted and recommended for the Assembly's approval, the proposal that an International Conference on Human Rights should have a central place in the activities of the International Year [see A/5945, annex II].
113. The main purpose for which this Assembly designated 1968 as International Year for Human Rights [resolution 1961 (XVIII)] was to carry out a review of the progress made in giving effect to human rights since the Universal Declaration was promulgated. It was also the Assembly's intention that the celebrations of 1968 should make a lasting contribution to the cause of securing universal respect for human rights and universal observance of human rights. My Government has no doubt whatever that an International Conference will provide the most effective forum in which the desired review of progress can be carried out and we have no doubts that an International Conference can be used to make a lasting contribution to the cause of human rights, We feel sure that those who will attend that Conference will respond to the spirit of the International Year.
114. The promotion of human rights was a major objective with which the United Nations was founded. In the Charter it has a place of equal importance with the maintenance of international peace, with the promotion of higher living standards for the people of the world, and with the programme of decolonization. Up to now, however, the promotion of human rights has not been accorded the attention or the status it deserves within the United Nations system.
115. In the opinion of my Government it is time for the bodies exclusively concerned with Human Rights to be accorded their proper status in the United Nations system and for adequate resources of finance and personnel to be assigned to the promotion of Human Rights, It would be proper that questions such as these should be examined within the framework of the International Conference.
116. The essential prerequisite for the success of this Conference is, of course, that it should be adequately prepared for. My Government hopes that the question of adequate preparation for the Conference will receive the attention it deserves when the relevant item is considered during this session.
117. I could not close this address without referring to the question of Non-Self-Governing Territories. We have just joined in welcoming three new Members into the United Nations. Their admission once again emphasizes the Organization's goal of universality and the success of its programme of decolonization. Jamaica looks forward to the early independence of the few remaining parts of Africa which are still under colonial rule. We are also especially concerned to see British Guiana and the remaining territories in the Caribbean obtain their independence without more delay.
118. There is, however, a particular problem which is becoming daily more important in the area of decolonization and to which the United Nations must now address itself. It is the future of small territories which have little hope of economic viability, if left to their own devices. I must again urge, as I did last year, that the United Nations recognize its responsibility to those countries. The international community has a duty to devise means whereby their legitimate aspirations for self-determination can be reconciled with the need for economic viability. It cannot be in the interests of either the international community or of the States themselves that they should become independent today only to fall prey tomorrow to the strategic and political machinations of more powerful States. Economic weakness invites such machinations.
119. Let me say, in concluding, that this twentieth session marks for the United Nations a life-span greater than its predecessor, and Africa has the distinction that it was a son of that continent who, with skill and patience, steered up past the hazards of the nineteenth session. The milestone was commemorated at San Francisco and even there the process of stocktaking began. At this time, within the United Nations system, we are much concerned with the process of reviewing our methods and reappraising the assumptions with which we have worked. This is a good beginning. Let us keep those things which we have found to be sound, reject what is not, and devise and adopt new approaches and new methods where necessary. There are welcome initiatives in the maintenance of peace, but we also recognize the lack of progress in constructing the longer-term conditions for peace. The third decade in the life of the United Nations must be marked by our intensive endeavour to erect bulwarks against disputes and to build a framework for international security and the heightened well-being of mankind.