Workshop for Peace (2nd edition, 1960)

[bell] [music] [music] [music] In 1950, a new landmark arose in [music] New York City. People who had seen war twice in their lifetime were determined to save [music] succeeding generations from the scourge of war. This new building was dedicated to that task. A permanent headquarters for the United Nations, the world's workshop for peace. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> When the flags fly before the building, it's a sign that the [music] nations are gathering to discuss the world's problems. Presently, many visitors will come to listen to the debates. [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] Heat. [music] [music] [music] [music] Heat. [bell] >> [music] [bell] >> This is the general assembly hall where the general assembly [music] meets for several months every year where the delegates and their advisers are seated. Final preparations [music] must be made before every meeting. The delegations are seated in alphabetical order. Each country has one vote. Earphones must be in good order, for through them the delegates hear the speeches in the five official languages. Here sits the elected president of the general assembly and this gavel is the symbol of authority of the assembly's president. Over the years, some of the world's outstanding diplomats have served as assembly president. Here is Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit of India presiding at the eth session of the general assembly. Many heads of state and other national leaders have spoken from this roster. [applause] Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England. President Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States. [applause] President Alfredo Lopez Mateos of Mexico, [applause] [applause] His Majesty King Muhammad V of Morocco, [applause] Premier Nikita Kushchov of the Soviet Union, [applause] Premier Mendes Florence of France, >> [applause] >> Prime Minister Jawahalu of India. [applause] The regular sessions of the General Assembly are usually held in the autumn of the year. Many countries send their foreign ministers to act as chiefs of delegation. Mr. Andre GMO representing the Soviet Union. Assembly. A careful record is kept of every word spoken before the assembly. Behind the scenes, correspondents are busy reporting the news of the General Assembly to the world. And to do this work, news agencies and newspapers of many countries maintain correspondence permanently at United Nations headquarters. Come on. >> While the correspondent works in his office, he can listen to the proceedings in the assembly hall, >> such as this speech of Ambassador Belund of Peru. for international. The stream of visitors is continuous. More than a million people every year come to visit the United Nations headquarters. The buildings were designed by a group of architects from several countries. Guides speaking a wide variety of languages take visitors on tours of the buildings and explain the purposes they serve. [bell] [music] This model is used to show how the buildings are laid [music] out. The low building with the curved roof is where we saw the delegations meeting earlier. [music] This is the conference building where United Nations councils hold their meetings. And in this tall building works the [music] United Nations Secretariat. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Visitors are first taken to see the chambers of the three councils. This is the trusteeship council chamber. Its design and decoration were contributed [music] by Denmark. Millions of people live in territories which are governed by other nations in some of them known as trust territories. The governing nations are by agreement directly responsible to the United Nations Trusteeship Council for their administration. The council promotes their progress towards self-government or independence. This was the scene when emissaries from British Togo land came to speak to the council on behalf of their fellow citizens. Mr. President, distinguished members of the trusteeship council. I have come here as a petitioner representing the chiefs and peoples of Taga, Nanumba, Nrei and Gongja who are within the northern section of Togoland and the United Kingdom trusticia. I accepted to come not in order to discredit Togoland unificationists in your eyes for after all they are fully entitled to their own convictions and desires. Be such desires genuine or selfishly motivated nor to tell you my own personal wishes. But I have come to tell you what the people have asked me to tell you and to assure you that they mean what they say and their minds are firmly made up. >> The people of Togoand spoke their minds later when they voted through a plebic to become part of a new independent state, Ghana. The result of the voting is 76 in favor, none against, and no abstension. I'm therefore pleased to announce that it is the unanimous decision of the assembly to admit Ghana to membership in the organization. Will the acting chief of protocol be kind enough to escort the representative of Ghana to his seat on the assembly floor? [applause] >> [applause] >> Next, visitors are taken to the chamber of the economic and social council. The design and decoration of this room come from Sweden. Here, as in all United Nations meetings, five languages are used. But for those who may not understand the speaker's language, there are earphones which bring a translation in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese. also like to add the following. In this regard, there are a certain number of other factors which must be taken into account. In particular, the date at which the various reports are prepared. economy. The objective of the United Nations is not only to prevent war itself, but also to remove the cause of war. This council is therefore concerned with questions of economic and social progress, cultural advancement, and the promotion of human rights, practical questions of everyday life. This council also brings together the representatives of the United Nations specialized agencies, each of which works in a particular field. Education, food and agriculture, health, labor, loans for development, communications, atomic energy, and many others. [music] The third chamber on the visitors program [music] is that of the security council. It was designed and decorated by Norway. It's on the Security Council that the United Nations Charter has placed the primary responsibility for maintaining peace. There are five permanent members, China, France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States, who must agree on all important decisions [music] of the council. [music] I now put to the vote the paragraph commencing. I'll read it out. Having considered separately the applications for membership of Albania, Jordan, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Salam, Nepal, Libya, Cambodia, La and Spain. Those at this particular meeting, the council is seen approving new applications for membership in the United Nations. >> [clears throat] >> against >> abstensions. >> Abstension. >> The voting is eight in favor, none against, and three abstensions. The paragraph which I've read is accordingly adopted. In recent years, the council has been called upon to deal with many world crises, hostilities and wars in various parts of the world and on border disputes between nations. [music] The guided tour doesn't take the visitors behind the scenes in the tall glasswalled building which houses the secretariat. Here are the offices where the permanent staff of the United Nations carries on its day-to-day work. [music] [music] [music] [music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Thousands of letters arrive every day. Letters from governments, from United Nations offices and representatives all over the world. Let us from political observers, doctors, economists and engineers from the people who are working in the field for the United Nations. Letters too from private citizens of every nation. [music] [music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> 4 WE'RE NOW IN THE PART OF THE secretariat which deals with technical assistance affairs. And here's a letter from the Middle East from a country there which is receiving technical advice on problems of its textile industry. Every kind of help is provided by specially recruited experts to countries who ask for it. advice ranging from improvement of handiccrafts to vast irrigation schemes are doing very well indeed. Yes, he will the first place. That's right. Yes. Let's go. Let's sir. to maybe Yeah. Oh, Miss Lane, could you take these two, please? >> Yes. Uh-huh. >> The men and women who work here come from all parts of the world. They don't represent their governments. They're responsible only to the United Nations itself. [music] >> [music] [music] >> On this floor are the offices of UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. To many throughout the world, UNICEF has given the United Nations a [music] personal meaning for it deals directly with the health and the well-being of millions of mothers and children [music] of many countries. Here, United Nations doctors and health experts study the problems of faroff places and select the supplies and equipment needed there to make children healthy. >> One, is this the design you have selected? >> Yes, it is. >> Give me long distance, please. I'd like to place a call to Geneva. >> Operator, this is Plaza 41200. May I go overseas operator 364 to Geneva, Switzerland, please? United Nations 1235. Thank you. As the world's meeting place, United Nations headquarters speaks to countries all over the world. Both at headquarters and through information centers in many capital cities, the Office of Public Information makes available the latest information about United Nations affairs. This office is responsible for making known the work of the United Nations in words, in pictures, in films and radio, by publications and on television. For the success of the United Nations work depends on a well-informed public opinion. The office has much to tell about the decisive role the United Nations has played in the life of several nations and millions of people. How for instance the United Nations helped to bring self-government to Libya. [music] [music] How the United Nations helped to bring peace and independence to [music] Indonesia. >> [music] >> How millions of mothers and children are being helped by UNICEF [music] or how United Nations technical assistance is drawing on the knowledge and experience [music] of all nations to help countries to help themselves. >> [music] >> Grand [music] heat. >> [music] >> We're at the top of the secretariat building in the office of its chief, the secretary general. The Secretary General is rarely here while the General Assembly is in session, for his duties take him to many of the assembly's meetings. In the General Assembly, he sits at the President's side. He represents no single member country, but the collective interest of all of them in a more peaceful world. Thus, he has a unique contribution to make to the processes of international negotiation and the harmonizing of conflicting interests. >> Soviet Union, >> United Kingdom, United States. >> It's also his duty with his staff in the secretariat to help carry out the work of the United Nations approved by the representatives of the nations. Yugoslavia. >> This work goes on, >> must go on around the year and around the clock in the workshop [music] for peace known as the United Nations. It's on this ceaseless work, often slow and unspectacular, that the world rests its hopes for a future of peace, progress, and better [music] standards of life in larger freedom. Heat. [music] [bell] [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [bell] >> Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [bell]