UN General Assembly
1984

6. However, criticism of the United Nations is possibly stronger and more widespread today than at any moment since 1945. I need not enumerate the shortcomings of the Organization, nor would it be very fruitful to try to draw up a catalogue of our failures and disappointments. Most of us are only too familiar with these problems. But what seems to be lacking, in our opinion, is a sense of purpose, the political will to overcome our difficulties by common endeavour. Over the years, this has led to a gradual erosion of confidence in the Organization, which, in tum, has resulted in a retreat from internationalism and multilateralism—a process to which the Secretary General rightly draws our attention in his report.