UN General Assembly
1990

Forty-five years ago, in the aftermath of the Second World War, my country helped lay the groundwork for what became the United Nations. The San Francisco Conference, although held on the still smouldering embers of that terrible conflict took place in an atmosphere of faith and hope. The very fact that the Conference was held is proof that humanity, aware of its creative capacity, had faith that it could build new instruments that would promote understanding and concord among peoples. At the start of this forty-fifth session of the General Assembly, we can be optimistic that those noble goals can be achieved. A cursory review of the main events of the year that has elapsed since the last session - a year which by any measure was exceptional - supports that view.