UN General Assembly
1995

security in the minds of people. The need, therefore, to strengthen the arms of preventive diplomacy becomes imperative. In the recent past, the United Nations has been increasingly called upon to carry out peace-keeping and peacemaking operations. In fact, the number of demands made on the Organization is now straining its resources almost to the breaking-point. The erratic and reluctant disbursement of contributions by some Member States has highlighted the shortcomings of such operations and exposed the limits of this approach in ensuring peace and stability. We therefore need more than ever to place much greater emphasis on preventive diplomacy and allocate more resources to this activity. We believe that, in the long run, the cost of supporting programmes in 18 preventive diplomacy would be far outweighed by the actual costs of dispatching Blue Helmets around the world. In this respect, we urge the international community strongly to support regional initiatives, such as the mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The experience of my country as a result of my own personal