From 50 Years Ago: Bring UN Up-to-Date.

By no means the least manner in which this fif-teenth session of the United NationsGeneral Assembly has assumed exceptional importance is by the fact that questions regarding the or-ganisation itself have come to the fore. Not only is the person of the present Secretary General brought into debate and controversy, but his very office is sought to be revised. Similarly, there are suggestions that the Charter itself needs re-writing; and, finally, the very home of the United Nations is pronounced unsuitable and demands are made that it be moved out of New York. At a time when very serious problems con-front the world, these might seem rather trivial issues to raise. In fact, they are not. Indeed, one of the main reasons why the United Nations is at present appearing somewhat confused and in-adequate (in spite of opportunities which, for the first time in its history, give it a truly constructiverole to play) is that its own development has not kept pace with the changes in the world’s bal-ance of power since the end of World War II. It is very necessary that the UN is, in a sense, brought up-to-date and made truly representative of the world as it is, instead of being outdatedly remi-niscent of the days when neither Asia nor Africa counted for much in international counsels.