no doubt that the.admission of the German Democratic Republic to membership in the United Natioms will serve, the “cause of strengthening universal peace. T&is is an impoi+ta;it step ,of ,grdat; his.t~~d?l:dgnificance and it will serve $e interests of all peaoeloving States, the United Natmns itself and the peoples of Europe and the whole wocld. 55. With its highly #developed ,economy, advanced sciellltific and technological (experience and gich cultural tri&.ions the Cbmmn Demoloratic Republic mak’es its own weighty colnttibution to the development of inter- national co-oparation and economic, ,trade, sciecntific, technicail and cultural relations, and occupies a worthy place among the most highly ‘developed States of Europe and of the whole world. By an overwhewng majority of votes at the twenty-seventh session of the General As:sembly the Ge,rman Democratic Republic was elected, M the same time as the Federal Republic of Germany, to the Governing Council of ,the United Nations En- vironment Progranun8e. That was (the first time the United Nations had taken a vote afl&tinlg the two Ger,man States mid it amounted to a vote of titer- national confidenIce in tiem; the same number of vchtes- 120--were cast in favour of the election of the C3erman Demooratlc Republic and the Federal. Republic of Germ‘any to the Governing C~oancil, That was un- doabt;edly symbolic. The German Democratic Republic WRS next elected unanimously by the Econo’mic and S,ocial Council to membership of the Ecolnomic Com- mission for Europe, where it snocessful~ly and fruiitfully oo-operates with otther United Nations Members. No one can doubt th,at as a fully fledged Member ,of the united Nations the German Democratilc Republic will put its resources, progressive political experience and economi,c pote*ntial do full use in sleeking to rscalize the noble pu,rpose’s of the United Nations and to bring about international co-operation. 