Opening Statement to the Eleventh Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly

"The human future will be a result of human design - for better or for worse. And the human future will be one - one for the world as a whole." - Dr. Salim, August 25, 1980

Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim delivered this address at the opening of the Eleventh Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in August 1980, convened to address the growing global economic crisis. Speaking at a time of deep recession, rising debt in the developing world, and mounting geopolitical tensions, he warned that the international economic system was failing to meet the needs of humanity. Emphasizing the growing interdependence of nations, he called for renewed political will to establish a more equitable global economic order and to launch sustained negotiations on international economic cooperation for development.