UN General Assembly
1963

77. The first concern of the United Nations, I know, is the keeping of the peace. If we were to fail in that, the whole brave human experiment would have failed; we would go down for good. But, second only to the keeping of peace, the great purpose of international statesmanship today must be to improve the living standards of all the world's peoples and to make possible a better life for all. The role of the United Nations in this field is necessarily limited. But if we wish, and if we will, it can be one of great and lasting significance. 78. Experience is more and more underlying the central significance and compelling urgency of economic and social questions in these years, rightly named the Decade of Development, and our concern in that field is at the moment focussed on the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; we have been honoured to serve on the Preparatory Committee for that conference.