UN General Assembly
1994

what place do we now give to the human dimension in relationships? 31 The end of this century is constantly being redefined by shocks, upheavals and various types of aggression born of negativism. More than ever, the success of our societies will depend on their capacity to absorb these shocks and, when there is nothing or little left to reinvest courage, determination and perseverance, in spite of sometimes terrible lack of understanding. But we also have to reinvest our capabilities, our funds, our means and our inborn willingness - in other words, unprecedented alliances have to be struck; for there is no longer time to philosophize about the world we shall bequeath to our great grandchildren. Because of the unprecedented speeding up of history demographic, economic and social projections are becoming alarming in the medium term and no longer in the long term to which we had grown accustomed through our cozy selfishness or our defiance in the face of the unforeseeable. The phenomenon of exponential growth, which is widening gaps and encouraging rivalry, causes immediate