A/39/PV.51 General Assembly

The delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic is participating in this debate because we believe that the item is one of the most important on the agenda of this session. A study of the relevant documents shows the importance attached by Mem- ber States and the various specialized agencies of the United Nations, as well as the Economic and Social Council, to the critical situation in many African countries caused by various problems, some imposed upon them, others fortuitous, others inherited and yet others due to natural causes. At present science does not know the reason for these last and cannot predict how long they will continue. I am referring to desertification and drought which form part of climatic changes that have been recorded in history in various parts of the world for centuries. If today it is possible to control such scourges and to foresee and avert natural dangers, the studies submitted to us in United Nations documents nevertheless show that drought is a serious problem which we have to face and cope with through international co-operation. 2. Drought and desertification are one thing, and the question ofwhat the General Assembly can do to limit their devastating consequences and save the lives of millions of human beings is another. The international community, in an interdependent world that believes in solidarity, cannot stand aloof from this .tragedy of Africa. Therefore the United Nations and its Member States must study this issue now before us not only because it is an emergency situation which requires an immediate collective response, but also because efforts must be made to establish a more just international economic order. If such a system existed today the international com- munity would be able to solve this problem, through mechanisms and criteria and system which the United Nations does not at present have. The warning given by the tragic news and heart-rending pictures showing the sufferings ofthe African peoples could perhaps open up an opportunit~ for a new international effort to fulfil the commitments and promises relating to the restructuring of the interna- tional economic order to make it compatible with the new reality, and that reality is interdependence built on the common destiny of the world, whether we like it or not. NEW YORK 3. We are pleased to note that at their last meeting the Foreign Ministers of the States members of the Group of 77 drew the attention ofthe entire world to the fact that the critical economic situation in Africa should be given priority and treated with two non- contradictory aspects in mind: the imbalanced inter- national economic situation on the one hand, and, on the other, the emergency action required to alleviate the suffering from, and overcome the consequences of, the natural disasters of persistent drought and desertification and other disasters to which the third world has been subjected. 4. Having given priority to the most urgent African questions, the Ministers expressed serious concern at the critical situation of the world economy. They emphasized that the developing countries face a hostile economic environment, while the developed countries have reached various levels of economic recovery. The Ministers noted once again that the gap between the developed and the developing countries is basically the result of inequalities inher- ent in the present international system. They stated that the crisis is not a cyclical phenomenon but a symptom of structural imbalances. 5. The Secretary-General has emphasized in his report that "It will now be necessary to move forward from reflection to concrete action. In this transition, Africa should not stand alone; its economy is still too fragile to withstand the enormous stresses and strains of moving from crisis to reconstruction and development." [A/39/594, para. 207.] The General Assembly must make a positive re- sponse to the appeal by the Secretary-General. 6. Because of the historical and fraternal ties that we have with the suffering peoples in Mrica, and on the basis of the principles and requirements of Arab- African co-operation, we believe that at this session the General Assembly must give the highest priority to this issue and examine it pragmatically and seriously. In fact, those who help Africa are helping themselves. No one is better than anyone else in this interdependent world of today. 7. Hence, the General Assembly has a dual para- mount responsibility. First, it must deal with the emergency situation-and the Secretary-General and the specialized agencies have been warning us for some time now that this emergency was coming-so that millions of our African brothers in the countries designated by the Secretary-General in his report may be saved. Secondly, the General Assembly must take parallel action to deal with the economic crisis in Africa within the context of the overall economic crisis engulfing all the developing countries. All the heads of delegations of developing countries referred to this crisis in their statements during the general debate at this session. la~ly senously becaus~ of the drop In commodIty mediately to Ethiopia, where thousands oflives are at pn~es. Because of qll~, they have suffered losses risk because of famine, and to find a solution to the estImated at $202 bIlhon. critical situation in other countries, such as Chad, 9. In addition, the advanced countries have not Niger, Mali and Angola. These are just examples; lived up to their commitments for official develop- there are many other countries at risk. The note of ment assistance. On the contrary, these resources fell the Secretary-General was clear in defining those to $3.3 billion in 1983, as opposed to $3.5 billion in priority areas in which international measures should 1982. Still worse, however, is the fact that capital be taken consonant with the extent of the crisis. His flows fell by about half.-from $14.2 billion in 1982 proposals are closely linked to the view that the to $7.8 billion in 1983. This has resulted in an even present grave crisis in Africa should prompt the more burdensome debt for Africa. Indeed, by the end international community to put an end to the of 1983, the foreign debt of African countries .imbalance in relations between North and South. amounted to about $150 billion. In addition, the Th~ situation in Africa has, indeed, exposed this present disaster is caused by the increase in interest imbalance which is victimizing thousands upon rates and debt-servicing costs, which have absorbed thousands of human beings, particularly women and 25 .per cent of African export earnings. Moreover, children. There is no guarantee that such crises, with there has been a reduction in the export 6f commodi- their tragic results, will not also occur in other parts ties produced by African countries, because of pro- of the developing world. Therefore, while the priori- tectionism, quotas and other restrictive trade prac- ties set by the Secretary-General apply primarily to tices. Had it not been for that deterioration which Africa, they also apply to all poor and more seriously has affected Africa and other continents, Africa could affected countries. ~ave-with its resou~ces and th~nks to the co~opera- 13. We also pay a tribute to the Secretary-General tI<?~ among. developmg countnes-coped wIth the for his proposals in regard to the direct responsibility cnSIS resultmg from the drought. of the United Nations. While they may not be new, 10. It is now for the General Assembly to deal with for them finally to be implemented a certain financial this critical situation, taking account of the requests and administrative flexibility is required, along with of the developing countries for just economic rela- joint financing and additional participation. We tions and for a global dialogue. It is for the developed agree with the Secretary-General that measures countries to resolve the crisis, not merely by a should be taken by the United Nations and that they benevolent approach, but also through a scientific should be addressed primarily to the three funda- and economic approach, on the basis of a principle mental areas that he mentioned in his note and which adopted after the elimination of colonialism-name- need not be repeated here. ly, t~at t~is i.nter~ependent ~orld is responsible for 14. Without doubt the Lagos Plan of Action,l as the SItuatIon Inhe!1ted by Afncan and ot!ter.countnes acknowledged by previous speakers here and by the fr.o~ long centunes of repugnant explOItatIon, colo- Secretary-General in his note, showed the determina- mahsm and enslavement. tion of the African countries to take their own fate 11. Regarding the sluggish progress in the global firmly in hand. But, as the Secretary-General said, negotiations, it is not surprising to see the Western "the peoples of Africa need us: their trials are ours mass media, especially the American media, and too and it is together that we shall overcome them." some official circles, claim that responsibility for the [Ibid., para. 19.] crisis in Africa lies with the.national p.olicies of 15. In the wake of that and other appeals, we would G~~e!Dments of the developmg .countnes: They like to say to our African brothers once again that cnt~cIze those Goyernments for try~n~ to satIsfy the despite our limited resources at this time, we will b.asIc needs.of theI~ peoples by p~ovIdm~ free educa- spare no effort, through the United Nations and !IOn, fo!lowmg a'pnce con~r~l poh~y,.agnculturalall:d elsewhere, to help them to move beyond this difficult mdustnal planmng and gIvmg p~onty to t~e publIc trial in their struggle to end the crisis through sector. ~here are t~ose who explOIt.t!te famme of !he immediate and medium- and long-term efforts. dev~lo~mg. c<?untnes and the cnSIS under whIch . 'h _ Afnca IS smkmg today because of drought such as 16. As the Afnc~n.peoples were a ..le t~ free them can affiict all countries, even the richest; they try to se~v<:s from colomah~~ and very soon WIll ~e able to create the impression, as the famine is prolonged, ehmu?-at.e the remaImng pockets o~ rac~sm, a~d that the critical situation is the result of an ideologi- col,?nIahsm, we are sure .th~t they wIll tnumph m cal clash between East and West. By that door they !heIr second stru~e to elImmate all tha.t was mher- enter, along with the capitalist dragoman, attempting Ited from cen~ur~es ,?f bacl,cwardness Imposed on to interfere in the internal affairs of countries which them by colonIalIsm In all Its forms. need urgent assistance, medium-term and long-term 17. Mrs. KIRKPATRICK (United States of Ameri- assistance, rather than advice which serves only to ca): The grim images of death from starvation we exercise pressure with the purpose of imposing have recently seen coming out of Africa have moved imperialist hegemony on a continent which faces the compassion of the people in the United States difficulties but which possesses enormous material and around the world. The dimensions of Africa's resources, human potential and the necessary frame- immediate crisis seem almost overwhelming. In work to carry out its own economic, social and addition to the human tragedy in Ethiopia, thirty-six rall~ing to A~rica'sside. I~ my own country, all forms lI~c~ea~ea some 3~ per cen~, averagmg nearly $1 of aId to Afnca, and partIcularly to those hardest hit bIllIon a year. ThIS. figure IS o~er and a1?ove- t~e by repeated cycles of destructive drought have been e~ergency food. asslstan.ce mentIOned earlIer. It IS rising significantly in the past months. Two weeks tWIce as much aId to Afnca as my co~ntry g~ve only ago, my Government announced an additional $10 seven yea:r:s .ago. The same tren.d IS mIrrored m many million in emergency food aid to Ethiopia. This other traditIOnal don~r cpuntnes.. Recent years have raises our total aid to that country to $45 million this been.marked by a major I~creaseIn the share ofto!al year, roughly double our emergency aid of last year. offjcIal development assIs~ance devoted to low-m- . come, sub-Saharan countnes. 19. Only last week PreSIdent Reagan also approved .. . . an additional $45 million in emergency food assist- 23. DespIte slgnI.ficant aSSIstance flows, for more ance to the drought-ravaged African nations of t~an a decad~ Afncan development has .lagged .con- Kenya, Mozambique and Mali. All in all, food sIderably behInd that ~f other develop109 regIons. assistance to Africa increased by 175 per cent this The r~cent global receSSIOn compounded these long- year, and we are still considering other emergency st~ndmg .p~oblems, a?d now ren~wed dr~u~t has appeal requests. In addition, private citizens in dnven mIllI~nsofAfncans further mto .destItUtIOn. A America continue to open their hearts _and pocket- stark questIon confronts us: had Afncan deve~op- books to the d~vastated peoples of Africa. Private ~ent stu~bled. before the drought made a tembly voluntary organizations and United Nations agencies difficult sItu~tIOn desper~te? State-controlled pro- in this country are being swamped by inquiries and grammes deSIgned to provIde.a short cut to de.velop- contributions. The response has been an affirmation me!lt had already resulted In a sharp dech!1e In of the special compassionate bond between the ~gncu~tural output. Manr parts of the contment, peoples ofAfrica and the people of the United States. mcludmg areas that prevIously had been ~et food . . exporters, had become dependent on food Imports. 20. Other We~tem count~es.are .also respond109 Coercion failed where market incentives might well generously to.thIS catastrophIc SItuatIon. The Europe- have succeeded. an CommunIty recently announced an emergency , . grant of nearly $22 million for relief efforts, and "24. Our challenge here todar IS not on.ly to express individual countries are supplementing that assist- our COIlcem for the current phght of Afncan peoples, ance. We applaud all these efforts. but also to chart a course for the future which faces .. . and ac(:epts the hard lessons of experience. I am 21. Cle~rly, the current mO~IlIzatIon of the wor!d pleased to note that there is a growing consensus on commu~Ityhas been substantIal. In f~ct, the sur~e If what sort of policies are called for. A joint ECA- food shIp~ents has begl;ln to stram the r~gIOn s African Development Bank report put it very suc- transporta~I?n system. ~hIPS art? stac~ed up In h~r- cinctly. "Growth" it declared bours awaItmg off-Ioadmg. GraIn waIts on the pIer" ' . .' for trucks to transport it to refugee camps and cann~t come. Simply ~ro~ mcreased goyernment feeding centres. Such situations dramatize the need sp~ndmgand Interve?tIon m the econ~mIc pr~cess for careful co-ordination of relief efforts, and they as m the past. What IS necessary at thIS ~tage IS for also make clear the obligation of national Govem- gov~m~~ntsto. a~~ t~ remo~e ~bstac~es m the ~ay ments to make relief efforts their first priority. What of. mdlvIdual l.nI.tIatIve., eln:tllnate mapproPI?-ate is more reprehensible than to find relief for some pnces and. SubSIdIes WhICh dIscoura~e production, regions hampered and disrupted for political rea- ~nd effectI~ely control ~aste a:nd mIsman~gement sons? What could be more discouraging to the In t~e publIc se~tor. ThIS e~taI1s more relIance on generous impulse of people abroad than reports of effi~Ien.t allocatlC~n.mechamsms and more dece~- corruption among customs or military officials who t~alIzatI~n ~~ deCISIons away from central a?,thon- control the transportation of these crucial food ties to mdIVIdual producers and to firms. supplies? With. this i~ mind, we should also ask Simply put, these two regional institutions recom- ourselves what ImpreSSIOn the General Assembly will mend that African Governments put their faith in leave if we appropriate $75 million for a grand their people. They should do so not for some conference centre in Addis Ababa, while millions ideological or political motives but because it works. starve f~r ~a~k of food elsewh~re in that country. ¥arket mechanisms and adequate producer incen- What pno~t!es a:nd preoccupatIOns are reflected m tIves haye proved to be the most effective engines of such a deCISIon In such a year? economIC development. They worked in Europe and 22. Though the tragic situation in East Africa has Nort~ ~erica in the last ce~tury, and they are only recently focused the world's attentioD on Afri- working In South and East ASIa today. ca's ec~nomic woes, these problems are :10t new. 25. We believe the qualities required in this crisis They WIll. not be was~ed away when the rams come are those which have often served us well: compas- once ~gaIn. !he Un.Ited States ~as ~ong been co- sion, realism, industry and optimism. These are the operatmg With Afncan countnes m efforts to qualities that transformed the vast wilderness of the strength~n African de,:elop~ent against the inevita- New World. We try to make them the basis ofour co- ble, tragIC cycles of clImatIC and economic change. operation with countries in today's world which Our support for international institutions such as themselves face the same challenges of development. 2~. W~ should a~l recall. that the desperate gloom the profound crisis now affiicting Africa. WIth WhICh some VIew Afnca today was mirrored two 34. The causes are both external and internal. The decades ag? by dire predictions for South Asia. Yet, external cause is basically the worsening of the though senous problems have yet to be surmounted international economic crisis, which is characterized people there now look to the future with justifiabl~ by the collapse of commodity and raw material hope. So too can the people of Africa if their p~ces, the stagnation-indeed, reduction-of offi- Gov~rnments have the wisdom to take down the cial development assistance and of net capital flows barners. th~t block the many roads to progress. The and the considerable increase in Africa's external future lIes. m th~ hands of farming women when they debt a~d ~ebt serv~ci~g resulting primarily from the ha~e the mcentI.ves to grow the food that will feed exceSSIve Increase m mterest rates and the value of theIr hungry natIons. It lies in the ambition of small- the dollar. Internally, apart from certain political scale entrepreneurs when a climate exists to encour- errors, which must be recognized-but the impor- age their initiative. It lies in the prudence of Govern- tance ofwhich Africa's detractors, who are frequently ments that encourage productive private investment those who are themselves the source of such errors, from abroad. It lies in the wisdom of leaders who tend to exaggerate to conceal the external causes realize that.the greatest and most lasting monuments which lie at their door-the main cause of the critical to leadershIp are the accomplishments of individual economic situation in Africa is a generalized, persist- people who toil in freedom for a good they have ent, unpr~ced~nted drought. This led the Secretary- freely chosen as their own. qeneral, In hIS report on the work of the Organiza- 29. Mr. ADJOYI (Togo) (interpretation from tIon [A/39/1], to state that many African countries French): "Today, developments in science and tech- were facing crises with the worst drought in the nology have brought men on our planet closer twentieth century. together and provided developed nations with 35. As regards the effects of the crisis in Africa, it prodigious means of bringing about spectacular should be emphasized that this is a matter of the ch~nges in the life of man. But what would be the conjuncture of a multitude of crises, including in pomt of such progress, the fruit of the intelligence particular the following. an~ labour. of ~he human community, if one of the 36. First, there is a chronic food crisis as a direct pnmary objectIves ~~re ~?t the overall improvement result of the serious drought, which is characterized of the human condItIOn? The words of Gnassingbe by enormous food shortages, malnutrition and fam- Eyadema, Founder-President of the Rassemblement ine. According to studies carried out bv FAO ~c.tion, we have wS~.~:t:~=i~~::::,::::..:~~:~:o:::::".d:S:ib:t::.~:':~.:~ ,. R~f1!gees in Africa its intention to earmark $15 actual reduction in, production, are now quite well ml~lOn over .the period 1984-1986 to. finance known and have been f:ully described in the report of projects submItted to the Conference deSIgned to the Secretary-General. They are, basically: a fall in stren~hen the stf!lctures in the countries of asylum. the real value of official development assistance; The ImplementatIon of many of those projects has monetary instability, with fluctuations in exchange already begun. rates and high interest rates; the relentless deteriora- 59. Italy has also consistently reinforced its finan- tion in the terms of trade; the near disintegration of cial support for FAO, UNDP and UNICEF, encour- the multilateral trade system; and the harsh policies aging such organizations to intensify their action in of financial bodies in regard to loans. favour of Africa. . 66. Africa is the poorest and therefore the most 60. At the recent UNICEF meeting on the especial- vulnerable continent, and it has certainly been the ly difficult situation ofAfrican children we were glad region most seriously affected by economic recession. to note that, having strengthened its offices on that From the first oil shock in 1973, and particularly continent and having improved co-operation with since 1979-1980, there has been a constant and other United Nations agencies and organizations, disturbing deterioration in the economic and social UNICEF is now well on the way to meeting the situation of African countries. For geographical and challenge posed by the worsening situation of mil- historical reasons the continent-and many speakers lions ofchildren in that continent by responding in a have made this point-has the sad privilege, accord- manner more commensurat~ with the seriousness of ing to all the economic indicators, of combining a the crisis. whole host of negative factors. It has half the land- 61. Let me mention here that in order to strengthen locked countries, t!tree quarters of the ~east devel- and streamline its action in the field of emergency oped and most sen?usly affected countnes ~md the aid, and in particular in order to intensify its efforts greatest concentratIons o~ refugees a~d dlsplacc;:d in the struggle against hunger, the Italian Govern- per~ons. Moreover, the lIteracy rat~ IS lowest In ment has recently decided to establish a new mecha- Afnca, and 70 per cent ofthe populatIon are close. to nism which will be enabled to act more rapidly. A bill or be~ow the threshold. of absolute ~overty, whl~h for the setting up of the new administrative structure explams why the c01!n~nes of the contment, ~aken dS has already been introduced in Parliament. a whole~ have a !1egl~gI~le share of world a~ncultural 62. In conclusion, we accept the challenge which productIon and Industnal output and of SCIence and the critical economic situation in Africa presents to technology for devel.opment. us all. We are looking forward to an understanding 67. To those nega!Ive factors h~s been added for on common lines of action in favour of the affected some years now the Impact of the Inexorable drought African countries. These lines of action will have to and desertification, which not only place millions of deal with the double challenge of survival and individuals in a ~atastrophic food situ.ation b.ut development. They should be based on the recogni- threaten ~he very eXIstence of ma~y count~es,partIC- tion that primary responsibility for the development ularly those !lf t~e Sahel, and an ~ncrease In the debt of that continent's economy lies with the Govern- burde~, WhICh IS no~ the maIn concern of the ments and the peoples of Africa themselves but that countnes of our contInent. the rest o.f t~e international community is under a 68. The drought which started in Africa in the late ~o!a! oblIgatIOn to c0l1?-plement and supplement tJIe 1960s-although the relentless desertification pro- IndIVIdual and collectl~e efforts of ~he ~ountr~es cess had already been noted before independence-is concerned. The future dIrectIon of ItalIan aId polIcy without doubt the most serious in Africa in the for Afri~a will. be defined, ~aI?ng fully in~o account twentieth century. The scope of the problem led the the deta.I1ed pIcture of Afnca s needs as. It emerges international community to set up the Permanent from thIS debate and the recommendatIons of the Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the General Assembly. Sahel [CILSS] in 1973 and to convene the United 63. Through you, Mr. President, I wish to assure Nations Conference on Desertification at Nairobi in the African countries that the Italian authorities will 1977. Despite the efforts made since then, the continue to give their undivided attention to Africa's Governing Council of the United Nations Environ- serious problems, in the spirit of that constructive ment Programme, meeting at Nairobi in May 1984, relationship between Italy and Africa which history had to express its concern over the few concrete and geography have forged. results attained since the launching in 1977 of the 64. Mr. DIOP (Senegal) (interpretation from Plan of Action to Combat Desertification. French): The prolonged crisis in which the world 69. In view of that situation, the head of State of economy has been engulfed in this late twentieth Senegal, at the meeting of heads of State and century would seem to be getting worse in the Government ofthe States members ofCILSS. held at au~terity efforts to ensure a rational use of resources, failures, from the fifth session of the United Nations can hardly lead to anything so long as an unfavoura- Conference on Trade and Development ble economic environment and all sorts of natural [UNCTAD VJ, the Third General Conference of the disasters systematically break down what has been so United Nations Industrial Development Organiza- laboriously built up. tiOil [UNIDO IIIj, the eleventh special session of the 81. The international community has already done General Assembly, UNCTAD VI and UNIDO IV. a great deal to offset the suffering of our people. In 88. It is undeniable that the credibility of these this regard, I must stress the initiative of the Secre- organizations has been seriously eroded because of tary-General, who in January and February 1984 the sterility of important negotiations engaged in visited 17 severely affected countries south of the under their auspices in the last few years. This haf: Sahara in order to observe the extent of the crisis two causes, and there are two attitudes involved. On there. His report on the critical economic and social the one hand, certain developed countries have done situation in Africa4 needs no comment on my part. their best to pit organizations in the system one 82. It would be difficult to list here all of the against the other, as if discussions on international organizations in the United Nations system and trade, industrialization and finance, for example at development assistance organizations, governmental the level of UNCTAD and UNIDO, overlapped the and non-governmental, that have come to us in competence of GATT or IMF, whereas in fact the Africa. We might leave some out. Many countries activities ofall these organizations are complementa- have also been involved on the bilateral and multilat- ry and very closely linked to each other. The position eral levels in this outburst of solidarity. taken by those countries simply reflects their increas- 83. What I am saying is that the response of the ingly conspicuous suspicion of multilateralism and . . I . h b ... their undeniable relegation to a secondary rank of Internatlona communIty as een pOSItIve In many their concern for the problems of underdevelopment. respects, particularly with regard to immediate needs, but the task is immense, and the situation is They would prefer to focus on their domestic con- such that almost everything remains to be done. We cerns. must tackle the roots of the problem. There has been 89. As to the third wc:-ld countries, it must be a diagnosis of the ills affiicting Africa. They are: acknowledged that in always wanting to return to all deterioration in the terms oftrade, drought, desertifi- of their proposals as a whole without taking account cation, indebtedness, a drop in official development of the results of earlier negotiations, they regularly assistance and a blockage in the North-South dia· run the risk of seeing the developed countries renege logue. on the concessions that they made in extremis, and 84. To deal with the first two points, the measures often against their will, at Belgrade, Rome, Geneva to be taken are quite well known. It will suffice just to or even in New York. refer to the Lagos Plan of Action, the Special 90. Faced with such a situation which may indeed Memorandum on Africa's Economic and Social continue in the present circumstances, with the Crisis,s adopted by the Conference of Ministers of recovery of the economy in some developed coun- the Economic Commission for Africa, the report of tries, one might ask oneself what must be done to the Ministerial Conference at Dakar for a joint policy emerge from this impasse. Perhaps we should reflect to combat desertification and to protect nature, and on the comments made at this session by Mr. also the report of the Secretary-General. Genscher, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal 85. Concerning indebtedness, our analysis of this Republic of Germany: problem in Africa has at least exposeu the structural "The North-South dialogue will be successful only nature ofeconomic and financial problems which, in if it is conducted in awareness of the equal dignity some cases, had been hidden in an overall more ofall the world's cultures . . . The North may be favourable situation. Between the annual stabiliza- richer than the South, but it is not thereby WIser, tion programmes of IMF and those of the World more human or more cultivated." [See 8th meet- Bank and its branches, which deal with the long term, ing, para. 67.] generally 15 to 50 years, there has been a hiatus 91. Africa in the late twentieth century believes in which has been considered only pressure of circum r dialogue and human fraternity. Alongside dry logic stances, with random and disorderly solutions. No and soulless technology we think there is room for a sort of intervention by either institution, much less new sensibility. We are willing, because we believe in any joint action by the two, has led to a genuine the human race, to make the maximum effort solution. .' ourselves, without any bitterness, without excessive 86. Each of those two agencies has applied mecha- optimism and, above all, without any intention to nisms that must now be strengthened and harmo- harm anyone, so that we can all work together and nized so as better to reintegrate them and refocus find solutions to the dual challenges of survival and their objectives on the essential problems that have development that are created by this most serious now been identified, so as most effectively to help the economic crisis of Africa, and j" which the harmo- transfer of real resources to African countries in a nious development of our countries will play a basic ~he oth~r .hand, manl;lfacture~ goods Impo~ed fr?m continued the process of creating economIC ~odIes mdustnahzed countnes contmue to. gp up It! pnce. begun in 1975 with the Economic <;::ommunIty of Some of~hese products, such as .medIcme, agncultur- West African States. In 1976, BurundI, Rwanda and al mach~nery and t~ansportatlOn, labo.ratory and Zaire established the Economic Commun}ty.of the commUnICatlOns eqUIpment are essential. At the Great Lakes Countries. In 1979 the OrganIZatIOn for same time, de~t. se~ice per capita is increasing the Management and Developm~nt of the Kagera dangerously. It IS In thIS atmosphere so unfavourable River Basin was founded as the mstrument for co- to gro~h that African countries ~ndorse the harsh operation between Burundi, Rwanda, :ran~ania a:nd reme~Ies an~ ~dJustments pres~nbed f01: them b.y Uganda. In 1981, 20 African countnes, mcludmg reducmg theIr Imports an~ p~bhc expendIt!Jr~. It IS Burundi, created a preferential trade area. In 1983, e~sy to understand that thI~ cl~mate makes It Impos- an economic organiz~tio~ comprising 1,0. ~e~tral sIble to set up real, contInumg development pro- African States was Instituted. These InItiatIves, grammes capable of generatin~ progress, essentia!ly which I mention merely as examples, reflect the because of the lack of sufficIen~, secure finanCIal determination of African countries to co-ordinate resources. their efforts to achieve collective economic autono- 95. As if all of these difficulties were not enough in ~y. They require the sl!ppC?rt and ~o-operation.ofthe themselves almost to paralyse our economies, the InternatlOnal communIty In t!te Imple~ent~tIOn of pitiless advance of the desert and an unprecedented the development pl~n~ estabhshed, taking Into ac- drought combine to destroy the agriculture and count the charactenstIcs of each country. grazing lan~s !yhich for ~entu~es have pr~vided food 101. In Burundi we have opted for a policy of rural f~r the maJonty of ~he Inh~bItantsof Afnca. Burun- development in view of the fact that the majority of dl, ~y country, wh}ch untIl now has benefite9- from the population lives in the countryside and practises relative fo~d suffiCIency, has been affecte~ thIS year agriculture and cattle raising. We attach the highest by the ternble scourge of drought. The raIny season priority to this sector. This policy is reflected in the was too short and the harvests~ consequently, very creation of integrated rural development societies, meagre. The next season seems hkely to be very poor whose essential task is to get the people to work as well. together to expand crop production. They achieve 96. The Secretary-General's report on this subject this thr?ugh the distribution of selec~edseeds and.the states: "In Burundi and Rwanda, recent harvests of protection of plants..They struggle vIgoro~sly agam~t cereals and pulses were down 30 per cent and 50 per erosion by reforestation and the construction of antI- cent respectively on production last year". [See erosion ditches. A/39/594, para. 27.] Tha.t was why my ~ou~try had 102. Our rural development policy is also directed to seek emergency food ~Id for the first time In more at combating underemployment and the exodus of than .20. years. The~e IS no need to prolo~g the young people t -, the cities. To this end, no effort is descnp~lOn of the ~a~nful con~e.quences of thIS state spared to develop small rural administrative and of a~aIrs for the hvmg condI~lOns of. our peoples, commercial centres. In this context, we especially partIcularly the most economIcally dIsadvantaged. stress road infrastructure, in order to end the isola- The problems are well known to all. tion ofvarious parts ofthe country, and the construc- 97. We have to act. The nature and extent of this tion ofhydroelectric micro-power-stations in order to tragedy call for action on three levels: emergency provide energy for our rural areas. Also fqr the humanitarian aid, a short-term programme for the benefit of the people we strive for the maxImum development of vital priority sectors such as agricul- development of preventive medicine by stepping up ture and transport, and a long-term plan for the the provision of health centres throughout the coun- co-~rdinate aid going to Africa. We hope that the always have; we always will. It is demonstrated by the NaIrobi office will be strengthened with an improved close relationships, by the development efforts over ~nsur~ t~at all the eff0T!s we undertake are.effectiv:e 124. It is now widely recognized that structural m theIr Intended reduct~on of hum~n ~uffe~ng. As. IS impediments to growth, especially in agriculture, well know~, transportatIon an~ 10gIstIcal dIfficultIes have been the source of much of the decline in are .of pa~I~ular concern. It WIll be part of the Co- output. FAO estimates that for agriculture alone per ordma~ors job to oyercom~ the.bottlenecks.and to capita output fell in sub-Saharan Africa by an see t? It that the assIstanc~ IS dehyered as qUIckly as average of 1 per cent per year during the 19708, and possIbl~. Just yesterday-m fact, just last nIght-the the decline has been even more dramatic in the Co-ordmator and t~e Secretary of State returned to 1980s. Some would call it catastrophic. Pricing, Canada from a tnp ~o AddIS Ababa to assess at marketing, investment and income policies have ~,?l;ln~ level. what mIght. best be done. It was .an failed to provide adequate incentives to local produc- mItIatIye dehb~rately ~esIgned further to galvamze ers. Governments often did not make food produc- CanadIan pubhc opmIon. tion a priority in terms of public investment. Rapid 118. In the case of Ethiopia, Canada has already growth in population-between 3.2 and 4 per cent contributed between one quarter and one third of all per annum-has been an additional barrier to self- food aid over the last four years, amounting to some sufficiency in food, as has the expanding desertifica- 275,000 tons. In the light of the present crisis, we tion and loss of agricultural land. These tendencies, have dramatically increased our food aid to Ethiopia coupled with an international recession characterized by more than 50 per cent, to a level of SCan 26 by falling commodity prices, high interest rates, million for 1984-1985. As contributions from indi- rising energy costs and inflation, have crippled yidual C~nadia~s and Canadian organizations pour production and economic growth. m, we WIll ObVIOusly do more.. 125. Just as the immediate crisis cannot be ignored, ~ 19: But as speaker after speaker in thIS d~bate has the deteriorating economic situation in Africa over mdIcated, the response to the emergency IS merely the last decade can be neither dismissed nor hidden. the beginning. What must come now is a Herculean African nations and the international community effort on t~e. part of. all Il}emb.er nations t~ ~ddress must both acknowledge that our past initiatives .ha~e those condItIons WhICh gIve nse to the cnSIS. failed in whole or in part. For African countnes It 120. At the heart of the response lie the efforts of me~~s a recognitio~ that ~ome of their d<?mestic the African nations themselves. They have been and pohcIe~ .have. b~en meffecttv~ or. lI~app~opn~te-a are indomitable in pressing the issues to the world recognItIOn, ~ncIdentally,. whIch .IS ImphcIt m. th.e stage. In particular, the ECA Conference of Ministers draft declaratIOn. For the mt~rnattonal commumty It at Addis Ababa last May analysed the crisis in vivid means that many of our Investments have been detail and provided a series of short-, medium- and misdirected or ill-conce~ved. We ~ave pro~ably long-term prescriptions. The Ministers deserve our placed too much emphasIs on financmg new mfra- every support. structure and ignore? the problems of maintaining it. 121. Indeed, there is a certain deja vu about this More of the same IS pOIntless for us all. very debate. It is right and necessary that there be a 126. Canada believes, therefore, that remedies must culmination to the process that began some time ago, be simultaneously applied to the short-term crisis but let us see it as a culmination, given the litany of and the long-term economic malaise. Our immediate studies, reports, documents and conferences that concern, naturally enough, has been relief to the have animated United Nations activity on Africa estimated 150 million victims of the drought in the throughout all the intervening months. The Secre- 24 most seriously affected countries and to the 4 tary-General alone has released a number of search- million refugees from other natural or man-made ing and thoughtful papers in 1984. Indeed, it is disasters. In 1983-1984, Canada provided over $100 difficult to underscore adequately the remarkable million in various forms of assistance to meet quality of the Secretary-General's initiatives on Afri- emergency food shortages in Africa. ca.. Hi.s office has provi~ed focus, ~omentu~ and 127. Our commitment will not diminish; it has objectives. The EconomIc and SOCIal. CouncIl last intensified. In 1984-1985 African countries will Jl;lly, ~s everyone knows, engaged .m a notable receive over $90 million in bilateral food aid alone, dISCUSSIon on the prob,lems of the contment. We also almost doubling last year's allocation. That repre- have the W~rld Bank s speclal'programme for su~- sents 45 per cent of all such Canadian aid. Another Saharan Afnca and, finally, dunng the co~rse of thIS $14 million will be allocated for international relief d~b~te, the eme.rge~ce ~f a ~raft ~eclaratIOn on the organizations. Assistance to Africa through WFP, to cnttcal economIC sItuation m Afnca. which Canada is the second largest donor, which 122. What we are saying is that we have subjected gives us some pride, will be maintained at its current the crisis in Africa to a continuing and remorseless high levels. a~sistance. durin~ the 1980s. We will continue to 136. This draft declaration, potentially, is a singular dIr~ct an InCreaSIng volume of resources towards the document. It is lucid and sensible. It ties all the agncul~ural sector.. In 1983-1984, 38 per cen~ of.the strands together. It speaks, eloquently, to the imme- Cana~Ian InternatIo.nal D~velopment Agency s bIlat- diate human tragedy; it recites, convincingly, the eral.dIsbursements I~ Afnc~ went towards tp.e pro- emergency concerning food, water and the ugly motIon of food secunty, agncultural productIOn and encroachment of the desert· it identifies the decline related ,infrast~ct~re. However, we recognize that in export earnings, the appalling levels of indebt- Cana?a s contnbutlOn can only suppo.rt~ rather than edness and the stagnation of resources; it asserts the substItute for, eff?rts on the part !JfrecIpIent Gove~- responsibilities of African Governments themselves ments to dea.l wIth .the underlYIn~ problems faCIng to fashion development policies in response to the food pr~ductIOn. It IS ~hey who WIll. fi~d the means crisis; it confers importance on national food strate- an4 devIse the str~tegles to tap Afnc~ s un?,?ubted gies and integrated rural development plans; it agncultural potentIal. As the ~hanges In pohcles ~re acknowledges the primacy of physical and social made, Canada stands commItted to further asslst- infrastructure; it stamps with approval the urgent ance. need for co-ordination; and it argues, with irrefutable 131. Improved co-ordination is also essential for cogency, the case for a substantial increase in bilater- domestic and international efforts in the short and al and multilateral funding. !ong terIl?-. The African c~untries must play a key.role 137. With all of that Canada can agree. On those In en~unng that all ayaIlabl.: .resources are utIlI~ed few points where we may differ, the draft declaration effectIvely. Such a polIcy reqUIres close co-operatIon offers a promising basis for mutual accord. One of ~Ith the donor~, t~e World B~nk and UNI?P to the primary reasons for this debate is to mobilize !m~rove co-ordInatIng mec~amsms. There IS an international opinion in our respective countries and IndIspensable need ~or an Integrated framework. abroad. A final declaration, adopted by consensus, What does that mean. It means that t~ere must be a would go a long way towards that end. framework at the country level to gUIde all donors . . and that country itself in developing programmes of 138.. When we are f1~lshed WIth the words, .t~ere support for structural adjustment. We have made remaInS the vul~erablhty of the hu.man condItIon. progress in this area recently, and we salute the Let us get on WIth the tasks that he ahead. wi.llingness of many African countries to respond to 139. Mr. LAUTENSCHLAGER (Federal Republic thIS challenge. of Germany): During this session of the General 132. Moreover, resources are not merely physical Assembly our interest is focused on Africa. The and financial; they are obviously human. It is clear to sorrows and hopes of the people of that vast conti- everyone that the human resources potential within nent, so close to us through our friendly relations, are Africa itself must be tapped if long-term develop- of concern to us. We want to help to conquer the ment in all of these areas is to succeed. The provision acute human suffering, but we want also to contrib- of outside experts on a short-term basis is a mere ute towards enabling the countries of Africa to look stopgap. In order to maintain the momentum that, forward to an economically secure future. As the we hope, will start with this debate, all the parties Secretary-General stated in his note of 1 November involved must pledge themselves to the provision of 1984 [A/39/6271, it is not only a matter of overcom- the necessary education and training for African ing situations of acute distress but also of laying the personnel. In short, human resource development foundation for a resumption of economic growth and must play a central role in any future African development. Africa is a rich continent; there is no .143. My Government's development co-operation Development Bank with a contribution topping DM 170 million, while UNDP receives more than DM IS planned, in co-ordination with the national poli- 110 million. cies of our African partners, with a view to strength- ening all the essential elements of the economy- 148. Within the European Community we account agriculture, mining, industry, transport, commUDlca- for a contribution under the second Lame Conven- tions ~nd energy supply. The high degree of our tion of OM 3.9 billion, equal to more than a quarter financIal and technical co-operation with Africa of the overall volume, 80 per cent of this amount devoted to the development of agriculture and rural being allotted for Africa, and we also contribute to areas reflects our common adherence to the view that other development aid programmes of the European agriculture is the key sector in the development Community, bearing our regular share. process. We are co-operating bilaterally to implement 149. Outlining all these official aid measures should food strategies which African countries are establish- not make us forget the extraordinary efforts of the ing or already pursuing. We attach special priority to private sector in the Federal Republic of Germany. the protection of the environment and natural re- Business manac ':os from my country render an sources, which includes combating desertification, important contn\::..ution towards the economic devel- soil. erosion and destruction of tropical forests. opment of the African continent. Apart from capital, Agnculture, however, can assume a leading role in they also transfer technological know-how, thus generating growth only if the complementary sectors strengthening Africa's export industries and provid- ofindustry, transport and communications, as well as ing positive impulses for the labour market. The e~ergy sl;lpply, are develop~d. I should like to empha- Federal Government in particular has enlarged its sIze the Importance to agrIculture of balanced indus- promotional offer to small- and medium-sized busi- trial development. nesses, the backbone of any sound economy. 144. We welcome regional co-operation and pro- 150. The problems of desertification, on which we mote it wherever possible. One example is the commented at length in the Second Committee, have Southern African Development Co-ordination Con- been receiving our growing attention for some time fere~ce, which my Government has provided with now. My Government has spent more than DM 300 specIal funds to finance expert services and studies in million since 1974 on projects closely related to the fields of transport, the training of specialist desertification control, mainly in Afnca. We are personnel and the production of seed. prepared to devote a greater share of our develop- 145. In 1983, funds in the order of 2.3 billion ment aid to programmes and projects related to deutsche mark were channelled to Africa. In response desertification control if interest is indicated by our to the SecretaI¥.-General's appeal, we made available partner countries. a further 50 mIllion deutsche mark for a special food 151. To no small degree, our ability to help can security programme in 1984. Our humanitarian aid, always count on a strong response from our popula- in particular for the drou~t victims in Africa, has tion. Appeals by the television networks and the been stepped up by two thIrds, now reaching a figure churches have met with an extraordinary reaction of DM 20 million. Only a few days ago, on 24 recently. In a matter of a few weeks more than DM October, the Federal Government, motivated by the 70 million have been donated-a further token ofthe immense human suffering in Ethiopia, allocated a solidarity which the people in my country demon- further amount of DM 20.5 million for food aid and strate in the face of the burning problems in Africa. hu~anitarian aid to conquer the famine in Ethiopia. 152. I have so far tried to make some concrete WhIle we are assembled here, foodstuffs and trucks statements, to describe facts, and in the orocess NOTES ILagos Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Monrovia Strategy for the Economic Development of Africa, adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of Africa Unity at its second extraordinary session, held at Lagos on 28 and 29 April 1980. 2Lima Declaration and Plan of Action on Industrial Develop- ment and Co-operation, adopted by UNIDO at its Second General Conference, held at Lima in March 1975. 3Caracas Programme of Action on economic co-operation among developing countries, adopted at the High Level Confer- ence on Economic Co-operation among Developing Countries held at Caracas from 13 to 19 May 1981. 4F11984/68. 5F11984/110, annex. 6/bid., para. 66.