UN General Assembly
1980

296. The toll of violence in such a very small area is indeed appalling. Over the past decade more than 2,000 people have been killed and 25,000 injured. There have been 27,000 shooting incidents and almost 7,000 explosions. Translated into human terms, the figures represent a society that is virtually under siege, with whole areas and neighbourhoods which can scarcely remember peaceful conditions. Perhaps even more disturbing are the social malaise and economic stagnation which have come about in Northern Ireland. Because of the continuing instability, valuable opportunities for economic development have been lost. Industrial and agricultural outputs are now lower than in the early 1970s. The population, which had been increasing up to the 1970s, is now static or declining. Overall unemployment stands at 15 per cent. In some areas it is as high as 28 per cent.