UN General Assembly
1986

It has put at the center of the international system universal standards of law and conduct and has made respect for these the first obligation of membership. It has provided a now almost universal forum where States can draw attention to their grievances and avail themselves of the mechanisms to hand for the conciliation of differences. Though regional wars have continued, many crises have been defused and wider conflict avoided through the good-offices role of the Secretary-General and the contribution of peace-keeping operations. It has nurtured the process of decolonization, which has seen over 100 States come to independence. It has established universal standards for respect for human rights to which all Member States must aspire, and it has sharpened vigilance in the detection of abuses of those rights. Through its specialized agencies it has pushed back the boundaries of famine, poverty, disease and underdevelopment, and it has housed and nourished those displaced by wars and other disasters.