The 38th floor.

• Position: Excerpts from UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's October 1 to December 31, 1993 statements about foreign affairs

The need for

resources . . .

Three challenges are before us: peace, development and democracy. Without peace, there can be no development and there can be no democracy. Without development, the basis for democracy will be lacking and societies will tend to fall into conflict. And without democracy, no sustainable development can occur. Without sustainable development, peace cannot long be maintained . . .

It is our privilege, and our responsibility, to leave our children a better world than the one we inherited. We do not refuse the task. But we should be given the means to carry it out. So, first, we need resources. Without resources, the United Nations will be powerless to carry out its tasks.

On attacking hunger . . .

The world now produces enough food to feed its population. The problem is not simply technical. It is a political and social problem. It is a problem of access to food supplies, of distribution and of entitlement. Above all, it is a problem of political will . . .

Hunger is a global issue. Its existence violates that most basic of human rights - the right to survival. And it is our responsibility as an international community to guarantee that right. The United Nations is central to this task because the solutions must be comprehensive. Food security requires an across-the-board effort. Its political, social, economic and technological factors all must be involved and integrated. Above all, food security must be guided by a political consensus on the need for action, as well as its nature and scope . . .

To attack endemic hunger, we must address underlying causes. The real answer to hunger lies in measures to era poverty . . .

Today some 800 million people suffer from insufficient or poor nutrition. We have the experience and the resources to feed them all. We do not always have the political will to do so. I am most encouraged that the political will is emerging. I have just received a letter from President Carlos Menem of Argentina. He suggests the setting-up of an international volunteer corps for the fight against hunger. This is certainly an initiative which merits serious consideration.

Multilateralism, an indispensable asset . . .

A new, integrated view of the United Nations is in the making. It involves global human security in all its aspects.

Thus, the United Nations has been asked to do more than at any time in history. Having heaped immense new responsibilities on the Organization, the world is now asking: is...