UN General Assembly
1960

168. In a gigantic effort to solve the problems arising from its geographical situation, Paraguay has in the last two years acquired twenty-three ships suitable for river traffic, which are being built in the shipyards of Spain and Japan and will be delivered within the next few months. It has also built extensive international highways, which now link its capital with the road networks of Brazil and Argentina, and it is continuing the construction of another 780-kilometre highway which crosses the Paraguayan Chaco and will soon reach the border with Bolivia. In order to appreciate the magnitude of this effort, it should be remembered that twenty years ago there was not one metre of road or highway in the whole of Paraguay 169. Asuncion, our capital and the founding city of other cities of America, had to wait for over four centuries before it had the essential services of running water and public sanitation which were installed recently, just over a year ago.