UN General Assembly
1982

The less developed countries are poorer than ever before, and many relatively prosperous countries which appeared to have good economic prospects have now run into major difficulties. These trends, if left unchecked, could threaten the stability of the whole international monetary system. 6. It is clear that the problems facing the world community in this month of September 1982 are indeed formidable. In many areas of international life it would be no exaggeration to speak of the present situation as one of serious crisis. 7. What of the means available to the world com¬munity to deal with these serious and critical problems? How effective are the Organization and the procedures which have evolved since the Second World War in promoting a sense of community and a common response to international problems? 8. Here too, I believe, we can speak of a crisis. The events of the past year, and of the past six months in particular, seem to many people around the world to have called most seriously into question the effective¬ness and