UN General Assembly
1992

Over the past 45 years the peacemaking function of this Organization has been circumscribed by the dictates of the cold war. The threat of a nuclear holocaust was averted not so much by reason but by the certainty of mutually assured destruction. The United Nations was relegated to the role of spectator, fearful of the consequences, but powerless to act. Peace and security in many regions was breached. This often reflected the surrogate conflicts between the super-Powers, exploiting the reality of economic disparities and nationalist or ethnic animosities.The United Nations can no longer remain impotent to prevent conflict/ to make peace/ to build peace and to keep the peace. The Secretary-General's "Agenda for Peace" contains many innovative proposals in these areas. They provide a constructive basis on which Member States may formulate effective responses to conflicts, actual or potential, around the world. Jamaica will contribute to the search for a full consensus on the effective role for the United Nations and its organs in the new scenario. The interface between the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice can best provide the requisite framework for legitimacy, authority and the operational context of international law.