The "Geneva Charter", which emerged from the U.N. Conference on World Trade and Development, may prove to be a turning-point in world affairs: the hopes .of the masses of the Third World, and of fighters against war and poverty everywhere may turn upon the effective implementation of this so-called "Magna Carta" of the poor nations. Colin Legum (writing in the Scotsman, 20th: June) suggests that the outcome has a three-fold significances: 1)Both blocs at last responded to the rise of the new nations by avoiding dogmatic, Cold War approaches; the realisation seems to be percol-~ ating through - even to Sir Alec! - that the decisive and dangerous confrontation now lies in the poverty-stricken, ex-colonial areas. 2) A new U.N. organ was set up "to create jointly new trade and new wealth, so as to share a common prosperity"; thus, the tendency for the U.N. to become a platform for the under-privileged in their fight for social justice grows. 3) The Afro-Asians achieved a link-up with Latin-America, to form "the 75" - "a trade union of the poor nations"; it is, of course, upon this effective unity that the other positive achievements really depended, and upon its continuation that the realisation of the rather vague proposals and general hopes of the Charter will depend.
The Charter will confirm the view of those who believed that the U.N. can become a positive instrument of social justice on a world scale, and that, given the right attitudes, we can break dow the terrible divisions in the world peacefully and constructively. Whether the unity of the "75" can be the basis for a safer world will depend on attitudes in the"overdeveloped" areas. The left in Western countries has a vital role in building unity with the Third World in its struggle for a decent living standard, and in pressing for new attitudes and policies. Meanwhile affluent Britain remains frozen in a provocative Cold War alliance; spends £2000million on arms; and carries on an imperial frontier-war of the classic type in Arabia while the annual model change in affluent Detroit costs as much as India's total investment programme.