"...The worst only needs to happen once..." (nuclear war)

• Author: Perez de Cuellar, Javier

You have before you at this session 64 resolutions dealing with disarmament. During the past weeks in the First Committee, your able and dedicated representatives have worked diligently to devise resolutions on almost every aspect of nuclear and conventional disarmament and arms limitation. Their efforts have been painstaking and thorough.

I believe I would be failing in my responsibility as Secretary-General, however, if I did not take this occasion to voice my alarm with the current state of disarmament endeavours in the world. We must ask ourselves if we are truly committed to the first precept of the United Nations Charter, "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war".

The Charter gives both the General Assembly and the Security Council responsibility for considering disarmament and the regulation of armaments. Today, there is no more important task before us. The threat of nuclear catastrophe is not one issue among many. Preventing such a horror is the pre-condition of all our endeavours. The great tasks before this world Organization, the challenges of economic and social development, progress in human rights, the construction of a world of justice and human dignity--all will be in vain if we fail to prevent nuclear disaster.

Imperfect as it may be, the Uni Nations is the only existing expression of the entire international community. The common aspirations of the world's people must be articulated here. And none is more fundamental than the survival of humanity. I will not rehearse once more the terrifying statistics that seem to have numbed us with their repetition. Suffice is to say that a nuclear war could never remain limited and could never be won. Its effects would not be confined to the nuclear adversaries but would threaten the existence of all the peoples on this earth. It could lead to the extinction of humanity. Doomsday scenarios need not be proven: the existence of the risk is enough. For the worst only needs to happen once.

As I look across this Hall, I see the delegations of 159 Member nations. Almost all the world's peoples are represented here. And all of them--all of us--live under the nuclear threat. As Secretary-General of this Organization, with no allegiance except to the common interest, I feel the question may justifiably be put to the leading nuclear-weapon Powers: by what right do they decide the fate of all humanity? From Scandinavia to Latin America, from Europe and Africa to the Far East, the destiny of every man and woman is affected by their actions. No one can expect to escape from the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear war on...