In his Introduction to the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization, September 1968 Secretary-General U Thant observed that during the period under review the deterioration of the international political situation had continued. There had been no progress toward peace in Vietnam; in the Middle East the year had been one of continuing tension and frustration; developments in Czechoslovakia had created a feeling of insecurity. In the field of economic and social development the second session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) had not lived up to the great expectations of the participants, especially the developing countries. The chronic problems in the field of decolonization and apartheid had only deepened. Some limited progress had, however, been made in the fields of disarmament, outer space, and human rights.