UN General Assembly
1984

166. Mr. President, one of your most onerous responsibilities in the coming year will be to oversee preparations for the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations. Barbados considers the celebration of this anniversary to be of the utmost importance, beyond the formalities of ceremony and protocol. This anniversary will provide the opportunity for the international community to assess the operation of the present international system and then to improve it to meet the realities of today's world. 167. The Charter of the United Nations was framed at a particular point in history, in the face of a particular set of circumstances, to meet a particular set of objectives. There is no doubt that the international system has been eminently successful in the humanitarian and social areas, in health and education, in agriculture, in emergency relief, and in relation to the interests of workers and the welfare of refugees. Despite all this, the United Nations system is too frequently the target of criticism.