UN General Assembly
1986

Last year at this time we gathered to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the founding of our Organization. For a brief period, the world's attention was focused on the United Nations and the dramatic activities here at Headquarters. A few observers were drawn to, and mesmerized by, the obvious glamor and excitement of that historic event. Most, however, waited anxiously for the results of our thought and reflection on what had been achieved during our first 40 years and what had not, where we have been and where we are going. For us, and for most of the world, it was less a period of celebration and more a period of critical evaluation. Today , we are not commemorating a notable anniversary. There fore, fewer cameras, microphones, flashbulbs and notepads are present. Fewer words are written, fewer said, and even fewer listened to. None the less, what we say and do at this session will be just as important and crucial to the future of the human race as what was said and done at the last session.