UN General Assembly
1962

166. If this is an era of national revolution, then it is also an era of nation-building. Countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America are all severally engaged in the task of evolving their own national patterns. For the process of nation-building, with all the struggle and turbulence it entails, is a necessary complement to decolonization; without this complementary process, indeed decolonization would be meaningless. Highly developed nations should take care not to obstruct a country engaged in the business of peaceful nation-building. It should be universally recognized that diversity in national, social and political systems and in national cultures is a characteristic of the world today. We must all respect the individuality of every country, be it large or small. For if we do not do so; we shall fail to honour a people’s fight for independence. The primary task of the United Nations should be to work towards a world in which many different national identities can flourish side by side, a coexistence of different national identities.