UN General Assembly
1986

"Extreme poverty cannot be accepted as the inevitable consequence of natural differences between men, nor can it be accepted as a characteristic of still-backward societies beset by want. I am convinced that for those who will in the future have the responsibility of governing, the major challenge will be to overcome the barrier poverty has set up before us." The maintenance of harmony and the achievement of peace have a special significance in each country, one that can be identified only with the constant and determined search for social justice. Yesterday, before the Assembly of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, I stated that problems of the developing countries are not only extremely serious but that they have become even worse because of the weaknesses of the present international economic situation.