text: peopleextendboththeirprayers andthei~practical help.wewerepleased tojoin yesterday intheconsensus ontheresolution adopted inthisAssembly expressing ourcommon so~idarity withtheMexican people. ItwouldberemissofmeasaCanadian ifIdidnotsadlyrecallthatlast weekCanadaandtheunitedNationslostoneofourgreatest soldiers andstatesmen, thelateGeneral E.L.M.Burns. CanadaispartiCUlarly proudthathewasthefirst commander oftheunitedNations Emergency Forceandthathewasapractical architect ofpeace-keeping. General BurnswasalsooneofCanada's mostthoughtful proponents ofdisarmament. Hiscontributions trulyembodied thebestidealsofthe Charter. Wemournhispassing, butinreflecting onhisdedication tothehigh principles andpurposes oftheunitedNations wefindanexamplethatisinspiring fortheyearsahead.* *Mr.Al-Ashtal (Democratic Yemen), Vice-President, tooktheChair 4RM/10 A/40/PV.9 32 (Ml'.Clark,Canada) Attheageof40somepeoplehavewhatistermedamid-life crisis, butthis description certainly doesnotapplytotheUnitedNations. TheremaybemUltiple crisesintheworldsystemtoday,butattheageof40theunitedNationsisalong wayfrommid-life. Infact,viewedinthelongrangeofhistory theUnitedNations isstillverymuchinitsearlyyears. Thisperspective helpsustoestablish amorebalanced andfairassessment of theunitedNations inthisimportant anniversary year.Optimists wouldliketosee theUnitedNations astheflowering ofaworldthathascometogether. Pessimists decryit.fornothavingbrought peace.Realists recognize thattheUnitedNations haspersisted successfully initsglobalstrategies forhumansecurity despite the divisions amongnations. Initsfirst40yearstheUnitedNations hasmadeaninestimable contribution tobuilding af~amework foraglobalsystemthatresponds tothetechnological interdependence andvulnerability ofmodernsociety. Technology hasrevealed the commonqualities oftheentirehumanfamily. Everyone wantstoavoidthescourge ofwar.Everyone wantsthe opp'~";.unityforeconomic development. Everyone wants theguarantee offullhumanrights. Thetackling ofthese COnuno.1demandsisthe dailyworkoftheUnitedNations. Iftherearefrailties intheunitedNations, andthereare,ifthereissome ineptitude, andthereis,letusthisyearcelebrate theUnitedNations endurance andaccomplishments while resolvin~ toimproveitsprocedures. Inconflicts prevented, indisputes mediated, intheeradication ofdiseases, inworld-wide development progress, inthesavin~ofcountless humanlives,the unitedNations hasenriched humanexistence. IthasdoneallthisonabUdgetthat islessthan$1per.year foreveryinhabitant oftheplanet. TheUnitedNations shouldnotneedtobedefended, butitdoes,andIemphasize thatCanadanotonlyIA/40/PV.9 33 (Mr.Clark,Canada) defends theunitedNations butwillworktostrengthen itandworktostrengthen otherpartsofthemulilateral system. Thisisthewaytowards thepeaceandthe growth, thefreedom andthejustice, whichtheworldneeds. Thechallenges facingthemultilat~~al systemreachbeyondthisinstitution. Questions a~ebeingraisedaboutwhether thestatesoftheworldwillworktogether orwhether nationswilldrawbacktotheirindividual devices. Whether tn2issue isdebtortradeorculture, whether thenations arerichorpoor,largeorsmall, thereisarenewal ofdoubtabouttheinternational system. Developing countries againthisweekinthisHallthreatened to.abandon aninternational monetary system whichtheybelieve hasabandoned them.Tradeprotectionist pressures arerampant, anddatesaredelayed foranewroundofmultilateral tradenegotiations. E~~~nditu~es onarmsincrease; sodoesterrorism; sohaveregional conflicts. Ifthatcontinues wewillallbethevictims. Certainly acountry lik~Canada isimperilled ifnations cannotagreeontherulesoftradeorthereliefofdebt orthecontrol ofarms.Twenty-four yearsagoonly12percentofourgross national product wasbasedonexports; todaythisfigurehasmorethandoubled. WhentheunitedNaticns beganCanadawasrelatively unaffected byviolent sectarian disputes inothercountries; todaywe,liketheworld,aretargets ofterrorists. Fortyyearsagodrugs c~technology ortheeconomic policies ofothercountries had relatively littledirectimpactonCanada; todaytheycanintrudedirectly onthe lifeofeveryCanadian community. Soitiswithallcommunities, inall countries. Insosmallamodernworld, weareexposed, inescapably, tocommon problems whichnoneofuscansolvealone. Instead ofretreating inward, theworld mustreachout-notonlytocelebrate ananniversary buttocopewiththe inescapable realityofmoderntimes.R4/1O (spokeinFrench)A/40/W.9 34-35 (Mr.Clark,Canada) Today,Irenewthecommitment madebysuccessive Canadian Governments tothe unitedNations ever sil.~eitsbirthintheashesoftheSecondworldWar.Prime Minister Mulroney hasalready personally reaffirmed totheSec:re~ry-Genera1 during thelatter's muchappreciated official visittoCanadaearlier thisyear,Canada's aspirations withregardtotheunitedNations. Nextmonth,theCanadian Prime Minister willbemeeting herewithnumerous otherworldleaders toprocla~ yet a~aintheimportance oftheunitedNations.Ra/ll A/40/PV.9 36 (Mr.Clark,Canada)
analysis: The text appears to be a speech or statement by a Canadian representative to the United Nations, celebrating the organization's 40th anniversary and highlighting its achievements and challenges. The speaker emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and the United Nations' role in promoting peace, security, and development. The text touches on various global issues, such as disarmament, debt, trade, and terrorism, but does not delve deeply into specific economic, environmental, or scientific topics.