UN General Assembly
2012

peaceful settlement of our disputes and seek to prevent rather than react to events. In the 1950s, Secretary- General Dag Hammarskjöld urged us to be mindful of the need to respond at an early stage to crises in order to avoid the outbreak of disputes between parties or the conf lagration of a dispute into an open conflict, or in the event that a conflict does break out, to ensure that it can be contained. We have been caught unaware and so many ongoing problems in the year 2012 have gone unsolved. We have been largely successful in ensuring that international law prevails over the right to wage war. However, the involvement of our Organization in conflict prevention still falls quite short, as avowals and statements of intent on their own are insufficient. It is therefore our common duty to strengthen understanding, tolerance and mutual respect. As was recalled by the Secretary-General here on 13 September, as well as by his predecessor, one of the strongest factors for conflict prevention, and thus