INAUGURATING
THE 15TH PUGWASH
CONFERENCE
We
and the Ethiopian people are honoured to welcome to our country this most
distinguished gathering of eminent scholars and scientists. The occasion is of
especial significance to Us since We respect and earnestly seek to support in
all Our actions the very principles which have brought you together here from
diverse nations and political creeds vigorously and openly to discuss with one
another some of the major problems of our time. We are pleased, indeed, that
the University and the Foundation which bear Our name, have been able in some
measure to further the noble work and ideals of the great men whose efforts led
to the creation of this extraordinary series of Conferences on Science and
World Affairs. We must acknowledge once whose indomitable courage and profound
moral and scientific teachings have left an indelible mark on the history of
our times, and whose spirit infuses and enlivens the discussions which take
place under the aegis of these Conferences.
It
was, of course, inevitable that Pugwash should one day come to Africa; nor
could a more appropriate location have been found for the first of these
Conferences ever to be held on African soil. For it was in this very room that
the unity of Africa first took form and substance less than three years ago
with the establishment of the Organization of African Unity. The location is
appropriate, not merely because this room and building are in some ways
symbolic of the common hopes and aspirations of all the free peoples of this
continent, but also because the fundamental principles which Africans have
espoused in so joining together appear to Us to be closely linked with those
which underlie the Pugwash Conferences.
These
Conferences arose out of the belief that there were certain problems facing the
world today; problems of such vital importance to mankind that there was great
need to discuss them freely without reference to conflicting moral or political
ideologies; problems indeed of such magnitude, such universal importance, that
common ground of agreement must and could be found and common proposals for
their solution could arise through the process of objective observation and
analysis in which scientists are trained.
Free Communication Needed
Africans,
too, have recognized the imperative that there must be, for the sake of their
common welfare, some means for the free communication and exchange of ideas in
an atmosphere untainted by extraneous political considerations. We may not
consciously have sought the “scientific” way to deal with Our problems, but we
have recognized and continue to maintain Our belief in the necessity for an
objective approach to the difficulties which we share.
In
these hours of crisis and tension across the world, no nation, however willing,
can hold itself apart from the encroachment of political and nationalistic
forces. Nonetheless, it remains clear beyond doubt that the interests and
concerns shared by the developing nations cover a vast expanse demanding exploration,
but as yet scarcely known to exist.
Thus,
the subject matter of this, the fifteenth of the Pugwash Conferences, is vital,
timely and potentially of far-reaching importance. The developing world now
includes the greater part of the human race; thence it is essential that the
hopes, the aspirations, and the necessities of its peoples be carefully
evaluated and understood.
Progress
in this world had been possible only through the consistent application of
knowledge which was amassed by you scientists and your predecessors during the
past centuries. One need look no farther than the wonders of Axum and Lallibela
to realize that this continent in which you are now assembled did, at one time,
share the benefits of science and technology.
However,
all of you here, trained, and excellent, in the application of your minds to
the true understanding and betterment of the world, are now confronted with
what has been termed the “revolution of rising expectations.” Ultimately, this
is a revolution which can be peacefully accomplished only through an unselfish
cooperation among nations. Yet we cannot postpone the needs, the hopes, the
aspirations of our peoples indefinitely.
Little
Spent For Development
To
be sure, there exists throughout the world a sense that something must be done,
and, as well, a belief that all that should be done is being done. But in terms
of the enormous resources squandered in wars or in the amassing of weapons of
destruction or even devoted to the enthralling conquest of space, the amount
which has been allotted to bettering the existence of the individual in the
developing world is little indeed.
Poverty,
fear, ignorance, disease are not problems vanquished in the wake of scientific
progress; they are the problems with which we struggle from day to day.
All
these problems will surely not be solved by the present Conference. But, it is
Our earnest conviction that, at the very least, the forthright exchange of
ideas and impresssions concerning them will occur here.
In
a world made strong and prosperous through the force of man’s intellect, it is
a further challenge to that intellect that science be charged to solve the
unique problems of development; for all mankind must share in the better life
which progress has made possible.
It
is this challenge which must triumph over the evils that plague our peoples;
which must temper and reduce the racial, political and religious differences
among them; which must bring to them the peace required for the better world
which you seek to create.
It
is this challenge which must be the impetus and the inspiration of your
deliberations here.
Dec. 29,
1965.
Selected Speeches of His
Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie - page 105 –
Translation and information in German
Proceedings of the Fifteenth Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs; Scienc in Aid of Develping Countries, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 29, 1965-January 3, 1966. [Paperback]
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