Statement by the President on United Nations Day, 1978

On this day marking the opening of the 33d United Nations General Assembly, I have signed this proclamation designating October 24 as United Nations Day, 1978. The proclamation is a call for increased attention and support by the American people for the U.N. and its affiliated agencies.

The U.N. is now more involved than ever before with many of the central issues of our time, and we cannot fully advance our national interests or help build a more peaceful world if we ignore the potential of the U.N.

As a peacekeeper, the U.N. at this moment has four major operations in the Middle East and in Cyprus. In addition, the Security Council is expected to adopt soon a mandate for a U.N. civilian and military presence which will implement the agreed settlement in Namibia. And the British-American proposal for settlement of the Rhodesian crisis also includes a U.N. peacekeeping role.

In the vital field of development, the U.N. system has become the world's largest purveyor of technical assistance, helping to press development programs in various fields, to uncover mineral deposits, and to identify investment opportunities. Few U.N. activities are more critical to the United States than promotion of the rapid and orderly development of the poorer nations of the world—countries which already constitute our fastest growing export market and the source of many of our mineral requirements. And conduct of the critical North-South economic dialog is occurring largely under the auspices of the U.N.

In the promotion of human rights, which has been one of the major concerns of my administration, we have been heartened by recent advances within the U.N. system, even as we recognize that much more progress needs to be made. International organizations can play an especially vital role in this field. This December we will mark the 30th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a product of the United Nations, which provides a special reason to hope and work for greater progress in human rights around the world.

Nor should the more direct benefits of our participation in the U.N. be overlooked. Americans are more protected from health hazards, air accidents, sea catastrophes, and environmental dangers than ever before because of U.N. activities. U.N. programs like the World Health Organization's smallpox eradication campaign, or the World Meteorological Organization's World Weather Watch cost relatively little, yet they save the American people several hundred million dollars every year—year after year. We could not possibly carry out these programs by ourselves except at enormous cost. It is appropriate that we acknowledge once a year the unusual contributions to our health and welfare that are provided by these critical programs.

For all of these reasons, the United Nations is of clear and growing value to the United States, and the proclamation is- sued today is a reflection of that concern.

In March of this year, I submitted to the Congress a special report on my views for possible reforms of the United Nations system. Among the things that I would like to see are

—more effective procedures for the settlement of disputes between nations-before they erupt into bloodshed;

—increased preparedness for dispatch of U.N. troops in peacekeeping efforts whenever and wherever needed;

—quicker and more effective reactions to reported human rights abuses;

—a study of ways we might develop autonomous sources of revenue for the international community;

—increased accountability for the expenditure of the funds contributed by 149 nations; and

—greater operational efficiency. It is clearly in the American interest to ensure that the United Nations operates as effectively as it can, and we are now working with other U.N. members and with Secretary General Waldheim to bring this about.

As we undertake this important effort, I believe that Americans everywhere need to reflect more fully on the important contributions of the United Nations—the opportunities it provides and the direct benefits it brings. With this in mind, I ask the Congress to continue to provide the U.N. with the moral backing and financial support that have permitted the United States to play the significant role in the organization that we have since it was created.

The proclamation issued today will provide an appropriate reference point for increased attention to the United Nations and its affiliated agencies. I ask all Americans to join me in reinforcing our support for this vital institution.