UN General Assembly
1992

bottled up by the cold war, a growing and frightening tendency is exposed to settle ancient differences by the use of force. The Agenda for Peace also reminds us that there are other critical issues which threaten not only the security of Member States but also the future of the planet itself. Poverty, disease, malnutrition, crippling levels of debt and negligible economic growth are scourges in themselves. They can unleash despair and anger that will destabilize political and social institutions. Environmental degradation does not threaten only our immediate surroundings and livelihoods; problems such as the depletion of the ozone layer, the spread of toxic chemicals, climate change and the overfishing of the seas put at risk the well-being of whole communities, and even the very survival of certain small island countries. Weapons of mass destruction continue to proliferate. We must take a stand against those who are blind to the lessons of the past and remain determined to acquire or expand their stocks of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction. The Secretary-General reminds us, too, that