UN General Assembly
1988

In his report on the work of the Organization for 1988, the Secretary-General recalled that he was cautiously optimistic that "the sails of the small boat in which all the people of the Earth were gathered seemed to have caught a light but favourable wind". (Д/43/1, p. 2) I take this opportunity to pay a tribute to the man who has played no mean role in the careful and patient navigation by which the vessel has come within sight of large sections of the shore. The Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, has earned the admiration of all for his patience, his skill, his understanding touch and his grasp of the larger questions as well as the small details involved in the various issues dealt with by the United Nations. The decision to confer the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding on our Secretary-General was a tribute to his exceptional contribution to the cause of peace.