UN General Assembly
1992

equality of States. Tendencies towards domination and hegemony are still a factor to reckon with, hence our concern with the issue of the security of small States. Equally, we cannot fail to register the lingering perception on the part of developing countries, particularly small States, that the post-cold-war era can potentially lead to their political and economic marginalization. We trust that a matter of such importance as this will evoke an appropriate response on the part of the international community in the period ahead. The new world order we are striving to build will remain on a shaky pedestal unless it places at the centre issues relating to the dignity of the human person. Happily, there is already a global consensus acknowledging that democracy and respect for fundamental human rights are a starting-point for international stability and a foundation for a world free from national and regional conflicts. It is in this context that we hail the decisions of the Assembly to convene in the not-too-distant future international conferences on human rights, on women and on development.