UN General Assembly
1979

229. This session marks the end of a decade and foreshadows what the world is likely to meet in the 1980s. It is so easy to become discouraged or to be complacent. Though no major war took place, proxy wars continue to be fought in many parts of the world. And in many parts of the world also, peace often remains as ephemeral as ever. Though the number of countries which have achieved independence has increased considerably since the decade which is now coming to an end, the quality of life of the many millions of men, women and children remain at an unacceptably low level. In our view, freedom and independence can only be meaningful if and when the living conditions of the poor and dispossessed are improved to a level in which they can live with dignity. 230. We believe that, in the coming decade, the United Nations itself must redouble its efforts in order to break what Pope John Paul II described as