UN General Assembly
1965

68. Their importance in the young Organization was justified by their importance in the war. But in twenty years the world has advanced. The colonial empires which had greatly added to the representative character of their masters have collapsed. The United Nations, which twenty years ago was composed of fifty-one nations now has 117 Member States, that is to say more than twice the original number. And although technical power is for the time being the prerogative of a few "great" Powers, new political forces have emerged which must definitely be taken into account.