UN General Assembly
1979

78. The close of a decade is conventionally the occasion for a retrospective assessment of the past to discern what the future holds for us. The 1970s, which we are leaving behind, has by all accounts been the most disastrous decade for mankind since the end of the Second World War. In comparison with it, the preceding two and a half decades were years of steady achievement for most of mankind; and even those who experienced disappointments and setbacks were hopeful that, given time and effort, they could correct their errors and join the mainstream of progress and advancement.