A/45/PV.40 General Assembly

I therefore request representatives viehing to participate in the debate to put their names on the list of speakers as soon as possible. The first speaker is the representative of Bolivia. Mr. NAYAJAS MOQRQ (Bolivia) (interpretation from Spaniah): Speaking OD behalf of thG Group of 77, Mr. President. it is always a source of satisfaction to see your important post filled by as distinguished a member of the Group as you. I therefore wlah to sxpra.. ~ l.tiafactioD at the fact that you are pre.idiag over thi. ~rtant ..etln9 to con.idar the outca.e of the Second United .atio•• Conference OD the Leaat Developed Countd"a, which v.a heleS in Pad. in SepteMber 1990. In hi. recant report (AltS/G95) the Secreta~-Gen.relatate4 tbat~ taten togethtltr, the Pads Declaration and the ProgrDIIIB of Action for Le.at Developed Countirea for the 1990a, which was adopted at that Conference, are a reflection of the 4etel'llination of the international COMUJlity to act urgently AIl4 effectively to err.at and reverse the 4eterioration in the aoeio-econe-ie .itu.tioD iD the le.at developed countrl.a an4 to revitalise their growth and develOPMent, bale« on the principle of shered r••ponsibll1ty end atreagthened co-operation. It .uat be r.c.lled th.t la the P.rl. Decllratlon ••veral priorlty .r... of reinforc...nt of tJw effo~t. of the lea.t d.v.lope4 countrl.. by Ist.rnal .upport .a.ure.. It ... rQcognh.d,. for ,s8llple,. that 1n an 1acreaD1ngly interd.pendent ~[ld national polici.. have little chanc. of .ucc••ding without I .upportive .st.rul .nv!roDll8nt ud .upportiv. illlt.rnational action. In that cont.zt,. the fun~ntal rol~ of official develOpMent a••i.tance aDd,. in particular,. the n••4 to iDcr•••• it. 901.-. .ub.tutially was .tr••••d. Stallarly,. the c~~nt of all couatri.. to provide • la.ting .olutioD to the d.bt proble. of ths l••at developed couatd••,. a. _11 I. to Clolltdbut. to the integration of tho.. countri.. into the int.rnational tradiag ay.t••,. through greater aark~t Ice•••,. w.. r~!terat.d. ID the Dec1aratioD of Minist.re of ror.ign Affair. of October 1000,. the Group of 77,. wh11. taking aote of the poliit1v. outco.. of the Conf.r.nce,. al.o •.,re••04 it. fi~ convlctioti that the iat.rDationa1 cc.aunity would continua to pay ••riou. the ca.Ml~Dt UA4.rtak.~in the Sub.tantial ••w Progr.... of Action for the 1110. for the Le••t Developed Countri••,. particUlarly with regare! to the thr•• afor...ntion.4 i ••uca•• With r••pact to official aevelopaeDt a••i.tanc&,. the .r09[.... of Action cl.arly e.tabli.he. the cc.al~nt. aeau.ad by the different catagor!l. of dODor eountri••,. groupa4 .ccording to tbeir ai4 polici.. and their activitie. with re.pect to th8 leailt devllope4 countde.o In accorauc. with th••• ec..itllantil. firat,. donor countrie. which already provi48 1101'1 thu O. 20 per cent of th.ir gro&ll n.tio••l prod~ct should continu. to do .0 end Ive. incr.a.. their effort., ••condly,. tho.. eo_tri•• which bay. lilt the target of 0.15 per c.nt .et by the ,r.9iou. Pr09r.... of Action ahou14 COMmit th••••lve. to r.achlDg the targ.t of 0.20 per coat by the ~ar 2000, Dd. thirdly. tho•• cOl\lllltt8d to the 0.15 per ceDt tar90t .houle! r.aff'.lm that ob'ective od recOlllllit th.IIDelve. to achieving it within the ••t five y••r. or do .verything po••ibl. to acc.lerate thob oDd••vours to 1'••• that flgur.. It go•• without .aying that all the countde. agr..e4 that tho.e r••ourc•••hould be provided In conc•••ional terms. Accol'«iag to pr.lt.inary ••timat,. maae by the secretariat of the United .ation. Conf.r.nc. on Trad. oa DGveloplllelit (UHCTAD) mentioned in the report by the S.creta~-GeD.ral to which I have alrea4y ref.rr.d, the impl.mentation of thes. undortaklDgc c~ula result in an average growth rate of the gro,. domestic product of the l.a.t d.velope4 countries of about 1 percentage point lower than that .ec...ery to achl.ve the condition. for r.covery pr•••nted by the UHCTAD ••cr.tariat to the Conf.r.nc.. Thus. although these cummitMeDt. ao be thought of a. • po.itiv. outca-e. they cannot fUlly ...t the e.t.rnal capital re~u!re_nts of the l.a.t developed countrie.. od coasequ.atly other "ays od meos mu.t be sought to .Dabl. tho.. countrio. to obtaiD addltioaal finADcing in order to achieve acc.l.rat.d ecoao-ic growth. With regard to the ••t.rDal ind.bte4D.ss of the l.ast developed countries. in the Pr09l'.... of Actioa for the 19908 for the Least Developed Countries it is ~.c09Di••d that the debt ov.rh09 continu.. to be a ma'or obstacle to the d.vel~at plaD' of the l.a.t d.v.loped countri.s. That overh09 40es not allow for .d,u.~nt ¥ith growth and .ak•• more difficult the political commitment nec•••ary for r.fo~. Th. Progr..... a180 und.rscor.s the a.ed to strengthen the .ffort• ..a. iD the coat••t of the int.raatioaal d.bt r.ll.f strategy and iavites the iat.rD.tional cOBmUBity to take CODcr.t...~sur.8 to alleviate the debt burden and incr•••• cone.s.ioDal finooing. Aa far as official bilateral 4ebt i. concerned, for exampl., all donor countrie. are urged to implement measures to cancel or provide equivalent relief for bil~teral con~essional - or official-development-asaistanc. debt - as a matter of priority, and important recoNmendation8 are made pertaining to other official bilateral non-conce.sioaal debts. According to the report of the 8ecretary-General, the.e appeals and recommandations seem to have already aehtevea so.. important results. I should mention that the Government of France, which lent all its valuable co-operation to ensuring the holding of this importlDt Conference in Pari., announced during the Conference the canc.llation of the bilateral conces.lonal debts of the least d.velop~d countries in other region8 of the world, in addltioa to ..asures already taken to cancel the debt of the least developed countries of Africa. Sigilarly, gention must be mad. of the proposal of the Netherlands during that Conference calling for the COllective and complete caacellatioa of the bilateral official debt of the severely indebted least developed countries. Mention _ust be gade also of the United Kingdom propoeal at the meeting of tho rinDtice Ministers of the Community in September 1990 - a proposal for a significant improvement in tne Toronto terms through an initial reduction of two thi~ds of outstanding official debt. It is important to emphasi.. also that in the recent report by the representative ot ~e United Rations Secretary-General on debt matters, which yes based, among other things, on consultations car~ied out by the author with the Governmeats of the developed countries, new forms of debt alleviation for low-income countries, including, ob~iou81y, the least aeveloped countries, were proposed, calling for tho complete cancellation of official-development-assietanc. debt of the least developed countries 88 well as for the conversion of bilatoral non-conce.sional debt into longer-torg loans. To .1:Iftl up, t.he interDatioaal coftllllUD1ty .ee..8 to be perfectly ••are of the official bllater&l debt problem of the lea.t developed countrl.. and to be IDcrea.Jagly c~itte4 to ~aking all the Dece••a~ effort. to .olve it. FiDally, iD the Progr.... of ActioD aultilateral in.titution. and aevelo~Dt fUD4. v particularly tho•• providing credit UDder DOD-coDce••iGDel te~., ara iDvited to con.ider .eriously the possibility of taking measure. a~4 at alleviatiDg the burdeD of the debt the lea.t d&vlllope4 coutrl.. 0W8 theJI, taking into accput the Deed to pr••erve tho.e institutioD" prestiga in iDternatioDal fiD.acial market. a••ell .s thei~ souad fiDaDcial ba.i•• Lastly, dODor countrie., commercial baaks aad DOD-govOrDMelltal org&Di.atioD~ are urged to cODsider various mecbanisms to alleviate th. co-..rcial debt burden of the least developed couatries. With regard to the ~!fficultie. fACiD; the 1.alt developed cOUDtrl~N in r.lation to their for.l~~ ~~ade, in the Pr09r.... of Action .-phallI i.plac.d on the &gr.eBeDt to pay lpe~lal att.ntion, vithin the fr~~k of aultilateral trad. negotiations, to the needs 01 the lealt d.veloped countri.l, .~rly application of the -olt-favouro«-nat!on clauc., elt.lnation or lubstlDtlal r.ductioD of tariff IDd oth.r barrl.re, and increa••d liberali'.tlo~ of trade in toxtl181 aDd clothlDq, tog.th.r vith other nea~ur... Specific ....ur•• pert.iaing to qr••t.r u.~ aa4 t.prov...nt of th. qener.lia.d .y.t•• of prefer.nc.. Ire allo ••t out. All the•• ..alur.. vll1 eontribut. to iMPEOvinq ace... to int.rnational ..rk.t, for product' origlnatiDq in the le••t developed count&i... ID thi, regard .~haDl1 va. pl.=ed OB the need for th.s. countrle. to diverDify their .zportc IDd Iti"oDgth.n multilat.r.l co-operation in the Ire. of commoditi... Pin.lly, the i~rtlDc. ls r.eogni,od of compens.tory finlacing I. a .bort-terM ..a.ure to h.lp ab.orb the .hock of stroDq swings in the export .,rDiDgs of the le••t developed countri.,. The Group of 77 wish., to express its deep concern at the unab.ted erisis .ffocting the d.velopment ~fforts of the le.st developed countries. It bopes that .11 the provi8ion. in the PrPqraMme of Action for the Le••t Dev.loped Couatrie. for the 1~90. viII be impl.mented •• loon as po••ible. Mr. TRAlLIR (It.ly) (interpretation from Froncb). Speaking OD bebalf of the Buropean Community IDd its member State., I vilb firlt to expre" our GovernmeDt,' satisfaction vitb the .ucc••s of the Second Unit.d N.tioD' Conference on the Least Developed Countries, wbich v.s held iB Pads l ••t September. I wisb also to thank Dot only tbe host country but also the United Rations Conference on Trade and Developmant (UNCTAD), as secreta~lat of the Conference. Tbe Twelve believe that the Paris Conference was ID event of major importance for intern.tional economic co-operation. fte European C.-alf:l' aac1 Ita ....1' Itaus re.fflm tUl!' fall c'-meAt U tIMt baIIlc priaclple aN1er1rlag tile Decluatlotl ~te4 la hd., .....11', str.DgtbeDe4 ~artDa!'sb1p basad oa vlGble aatioDa! pollci••, e hlgber 1...1 of .lDt.craatiIDDa), co-.operatloD ~1J4 OM tM rajocUoD of UJ' urglM11l1atloa of tbe l.ast dfwelO1*i couatd•• aD4 oa a fav"vabl. iatenatioDal ec«)D08lc cl11tatfl, t:be 'urthenlOr., I wbh to e-pilaob. ~t we ... ia the doCa.eiltll Adopted In Puie a r••ll.. aa4 overall balanc@ that will c.rtaiD1y facilitat. the effort. to 91ve .ffoct to the agre.4 prlacipl~•• Coaf.r.nce Oil the "'a.t IMvelope4 Coutd.. adopte4 provisioa. that 81'8 ....,1817 fr_ the poiat of vlft of cladty aa4 thei¥' fU'-r.ach,~ag Datur.c provlsioa. oa the i&fortBDc. of offieial develo,.eat •••iataac. aD4 the dGbt probl... All the•• i ••u•• ar8 d.alt with eoat eloqueatly ia the 4oC~Dt. a40ptea la 'arl•• COMUDity aa4 ita ....~ Stat•• coatlliU8 to cODsider ~velot-eDt eo-operatioa with the poor••t cOUDtrie. a top priority. 0111' iaer.asod co-o~ratioawith ~ cOUDtrie. of S••t.rD B~rope la DO way affect. tbe det.~lDatioDof the CORMUait~ ad its "'1' Stet.s to .tX'eDgthe. their co-operatioa ,,1.th the 4evelopiDg countri••, iD particular with the 1••st 48••10,.4 cOUDtri••• ne 1'velve ar8 ".l'1' II1Ich aware of the burdea oa tlw•• c01llltr~•• and of the pre.ellt deterioratioa of their .coDe-le sltuatloa~ ••pecial1y .fter tbe iacr.... iD energy pric.. a. a coa.equoDco of the iava.loa of Kuwait. If thi. .ituatloD -erg proloDge4 .it could l4la4 to a worsening of the develop&ent pro.pecta of a con.iderable nuaber of the lea.t developed countri••• In t~lD9 to a..... the dovelo~nt prospecta of the.8 countries in th~ 19903 we .ust alwaye te.p in alnd that there are substantial differQnces aacng the. and that their situation and prospectlll are DOt unifol'll. ne least 4e".lop&4 countries with the ..'or difficulties aro tho.e whi~~ ill the 1980s ezperiencea local conflicts and insecurity. In the economic field some of them follo¥8d unsuitable national policies, including ezc••sive Mil!ta~ ozpenditure, which 844ed substantially to the impact of unfavourable extornal conditionmc Stagnation in agricultural production, ezcessive po~ulation growth and degradation of basic natur~l re.ourc.. are the main elements of the negative econc.ic cycle of -est of the least davelope4 countrie.. Thi. cycle manifests it.elfin different ways, with important variations from country to country, but the link bet••n thes. eleMnts ia CODlllOIl to lIOat of th.... This cycle must be brot_" if the lea.t dev.loped countries are to resume their growth. It is clear that the national policios that th••e countries .ust pursue to this en4 will r~ire the large-scale active support of both bilateral and multilateral donors. ODe of the prioritie. 8ingled out in the PrograM&8 of Action ls the promotion of an intftCJrato4 policy of rural developlent with the aill of iDcreaaing food production, enhancing rural income and dev.loping the activities of the Don-agriCUltural sector. The Twelve recognis. that during the latter part of the 1geO. aajor policy reforas ..re initiated by many of tho l.a.t d.veloped countries to carry out .tructural transfo~ations of thoir economi.s, to reduce bU4geta~ and balance-of-payment deficits, to adapt to .arket conditions aDd to stimulato the (Hr. %ru1er, ~) contribution of the private sector and private iDitiativ~ to the .con~ic development effort. The Twelve support the." l'efoma because we are convinced that they constitute the .ssential prerequisites for reversing the continuoU3 decline in growth in th••e countries in th~ l&st 20 year=. The lesst developed countries ~at are carrying out theae reforms in a cohorent way are alr~ady seel~g growth rat~s vhich 6 although c.rtal~ly s~lll too mod.st, at least constitute a positive trend. countries veare bett6r fo!:' the five years to COla than thcty hael becn In the paat five years• No r.c~i.e that a very important factor. in fact vital. factor in improving the development prospects of these countries will be the existence of a more favourable international environment. The main responsibility for ensuring this falls of course on the shoulders of the industrialised countries. The least developed countries need more open access to martets. a more liberal trade system. appropriate debt relief and effdctive help in their national efforts to protect the enviroDment. At the same time, they will need higher levels of external support, particularlF in the form of official development assistance to supplement their national efforts. The Governments that I have the honour to repre6ent in this discussion are committed to attainment of the targets agreed upon in Paris. Despite constraints on national budqets, includinq cODstraints deriving from tho macro-economic effects of the Gulf crisis. the EuropsaD Community and its member States will continue to mate efforts that should allow the Community as a whole to ezceed, by the end of the decade. the official development assistance target of 0.15 per cent of grosm national product. Our commitment in terms of allocating such assist~ce to the least developed countries demonstrated in the latest Lome Convention, to which 33 out of the 41 least developed c01l4tries have acceded. In this framework. the member States of the Community reaffirm their commitment to attain the accepted United Rations target of devoting 0.7 per cent of their gross national product to official development as.istance. The latest Lome Convention bas brought about a 26 per cent increase. in real terms. in financial aid and improvement in the operation of such ozisting instruments as STABEX, and sets out measurea to support structural adjustment, inclUding provisions to deal, in particular. with the social repercussioDS of adjustment programmes. (Mr, trDXler, Italy) The Community has also undertaken to co-operate with the least developed countries that are not signatories to the Lome Conventign. The Community will further strengthen its development effort3 with regard to these countries also. Many of the least developed countries depend on the earnings from exporting one or two basic commodities. The Twelve intend not only to essist these countries in stabili3iug their export earnings from ba3ic commodities, but also to help in developing diversification in production and processing. The Twelve encourage other countries to adopt co-operetion plans simller to our STABEX facilities. We have furth9r liberalized STABEX and h&ve extended it to the least developed countries that are not parties to the Lome Convention. The dependence of many leaot developed countries on exporting a few basic commodities ha. magnified the negative effects on them of adverse conditions in the commodity markets. We must recognize that, de6pite the mitigating effects that innovative instruments such aa STABEX have had on fluctuations iu export revenues, the impact of price movements on many least developed countries haa been noticeable. That is why in the future a more gen~ral review of compensatory financing rnechsDisms should be undertaken. Economic reforms in a number of developing countries are vulnerable to the long-term adverse trand in the real prices of raw materials. The Community and its member States have indicated, in the Preparatory Committee fer the Paris Conference, that they are willing to make wider use of various forms of multilateral co-operatio~ likely to further assist the weaker partners in the market; I have in mind here also agreements free of economic conditions, as well as wo~kia9 parties and study groups. The Community and its member Stat~s will alse play a full part in the international co-operation which we hope will take place through the early (Hr. %rozl,r, Italy) implementation of SMUlsure!. to be finueea out of the secone! "indow of the Coll'ftOn fund; through the improved functioning and the revitalisation of eziating commodity agreements, which must reflect and be cODsistent "ith market tronds, and through commodity eo-operation in other fields. The Buropean Community firmly believes that an open, multilateral trading system, resisting protectionist pressures, is an essential condition of growth and sustained development. The Community" which has long baeD aware of the special noeds of the least developed countries, has been in the forefront in affording access to It3 markets to most of the ezports of the least developed countri.s~ Th. European Community hes a generali••d system of preferencGs which has beOD continuously improved and in vhich several aapects of the original rules have been liberali.ed. The Community reiterates the need to make further efforts to help the least developed countries to benefit more fUlly from the generalise4 system of preferencee. Turning to the debt problem, the Paris Conference once again underlined how heavy a bu~deD ezternal indebtedness has become for many of the leaat developed countrie.. The member State. of the European Community have formulated proposals that are contributing to the search for solutions at the lnternational level. The ~lv. have & .pecial role to play in this field, because they are the creditors in the case of at. very large portioil of the 44!ibt of the least developed countrie.. In 1988 sub-Saharan Africa ow.d half of its bilateral official debt to countries members of the Community. ne belve recOg'Dhe that further improvement of the relief measures by creditor Governments in the Paria Club ia necos.ary. The Twelve have already made a considerable effort I '8 billion of official debt ha. beSil or is being cuc.lled by our Governments. The outcome of the Pari. Couference will facilitate further step. in this direction, and "ill give an (Mt. Traxler. ItalY) impetus to the coherent 5pplicatioD of existing United Natio~s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) resolutions on this type of official debt of the l~ast developed countries. We recall also that the Programme of Action calls upon multilateral institutions to consider mea.u~.s to alleviate the burden of the debt owed them by the least developed countries. As I have said, one of the main prerequisites for lasting development ID the development of human resources. I wish to draw attention to the vital role played by women in national development efforts, and the need to ensu~e that their contribution to development is fully recognized and mazimised. In this regard too, the P~ogramme of Action of the Paris Conference deserves the full support of the Twelve. We welcome the recognition in the Progrsmme of Action of the majo~ contrihution that non-governmental organisations ~an make to promoting in thQ l.aat developed countries development based on participation. The developing countries are increasingly r.cogui8iDg that thero is & vital connection between an open, democratic and accountable political er.tern, in which human rights are respected, and the effective operation of the .conomic syst••• Respect for the individual through observance of fundmmtnta1 human right. 1. the corner-stone of any policy of development of the human potential. In this connection'the recent Maastricht Confer.nc. OD Africa r.ached very interesting conclusions. In Maastricht the African countries strongly support.d the concept that development must be a process centred OD the human being and· that food security and universal aCC'BS to health ••rvic.s, education and employment must be the goals of that process. Th.re was also a broad cons.nsus that better goverDmeDt is Beeded in Africa. The Declaration adopted at the Dhaka Min!ctarial Meeting of the Le.8t Developed COUDtries and the Arush Conference, which brought tog5tber 5Ga8 500 participants from a w1de rIDge of African orgGDi.ations, are ~rtaDt instances of the pol1tieal will of the developing countries to adiu.~ their national policies and priorities. The Paris Conference revealed the ezi.tence of conseDSus OD these issues. The 'l'tM1ve are convinced thet there 18 now in the 4aveloping co_trie., inclu4iag tho 1ee.t develope4 one., a clearer and .tronger 4~.n4 for batter 90varu.ent~ gre.ter accountability, transparency and popular parti~ip8tion in public affaira. Thi. will help Covernments to target their .ocial prcgr..... better, in particular to combat poverty as well a. to reorient public spending and reduce waeteful ezpenditure. I .hould lite to malte SOIf.. COlllft8nts on the envlrolU'lent - a subject on which the Paris Conference adopted very compr6henaive &Dd balanced provi.ion.. ~ I &.id earlier, the lea.t developed countries encountered major difficulti•• iD pre.erving their natural resources throughout the JL9aO.. Desertlf1cation, deforelltation, 80U and vater degra6atioD have reached dramatic proportions. In or4er to rover•• that trend many of the least devoloped countries are payi~g greater attention to enviroDmental manegement. This represents aD extra burden for the already overloaded natioDal institution3 and 11mite~ domestic re.ourceD. The Community and ita member State. recogni•• that the leaat daveloped countries have Q special need for external a.sistance i~ tackling enviroDmental problems. The least developed countries are .specially vulnerable and Deed additional re.ource. for the environment. The 'DviroDmeDtal dimension Is Integrated into the development policy of the Community and of the ~lv., whos. cOlltral aim b to mate the enviroDment a priority factor within the devolopDCtnt effort. of the.e countrie.. The new Lome Convention provides for the ay.teaatic con.ideration of environmental concerns at all stag•• of d.velo~nt operation•• One last point that I should lite ~o comlft&nt upon i& that of the revi.ion of the criteria OD the basi. of which the list of the least developed countries wa. 4ravn up many y~ars ago. The Paris Conference clearly recogni.ed the n.e« to revle. these criteria, in particular in order to intr04ucs a dynamic element into their application. The Twelve are aware that, .s reque.ted by the Connitt.e for Develo~nt PlaDAiDg, its .ecretariat has already done some of the n.c•••ary prelI.inary work on the .conoMlc indicator. of the lea.t dev.loped countrie.. The ~lve rec~D4 that the Committee for Dev.lopment Planning present its report OD the revision of the.e criteria at the 1901 ••••10D of the Bconomic and Social Council in order to permit a thorough examination of the matter and appropriate action at the forty-sixth se••ion of the General Assembly. All countrie., inclUding the least developed, have no choice but to adapt their economic policie. to the changing circumstance. of the world economy. The Twelve will endeavour to su.tain the .tructural reforma taking place in the least dev.loped countrie.. Thos. countries should create conditions in vhich external aS8istanc. vill be utilized effectively, thereby generating more resources and facilitating the productive investment of domestic savings. The Twelve r.cogni.e that, for most of the leeat developed countries, private-sector finDDcing will remain limited for some time to come and that the dependence of those countries OD official development assistance will remain crucial. MOst of the l.ast developed countries vill need higher concessional flows of r••ources to cover external finBncing needs for years to come. For this reason the Twelv. reaffirm their commitment to reach the official development assi.tance target8 agreed upon in Paris. The Tvelve vill continue their efforts to exceed, as a whol., the target of 0.15 per cent of GNP by the end of the decade. Th. Buropean Community and its member States will continue to strengthen their .upport for the least developed c~untri.. and vill implement the decision. of the Pari. Conference. Mr. LlMBRLI (France) (interpretation from French): My country had the honour of h08ting the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, and it i. a. a reprssentative of the ho.t country that I am addressing the Assembly today. I fully agr.e with the views expressed by the Permanent Representativ. of Italy OD behalf of the European Community and its member States. Before the Conference met, one thing was clear - that the targ.ts SIt for the SubDtantlal Rev Programme of Action for the 1980s for the Least Dev.loped Countries, with a few, rare exceptions, had not h.en attained, and that the marginal!aation of these countries had Dot been checked. The Pari. Declaration rejects the notion that the worsening of their situation is inevitable. As a consensus document it commits the international community as a whole to an action programme based OD a strengthened partnership. Under the termm of that Programme, the least developed countries, which are basically reDponsible for their own development, shall establish sound national policies based on democracy, aimed at ecoDomic progress and accompanied by moasures to guarantee the protection of the poorest strata of their populations. Under those terms all their partners shall make ava~lable, in support of those policies, increased resources better adapted to the needs of the least d~veloped countries. Also, the international environment should be favourable - which means that exchange ratom should be relatively stable and interest rates made accessible to all by meaDS of effective dialogue between the major developed countries. AloDg the same lines, too sharp fluctuations in the price of oil must, in the view of my country, be discussed among the partners concerned aince they do not reflect the principle of competitiveness which is a condition for the sound functioning of the market economy. I do not wish to go into too many details about the commitments cont81ned in the Progrzmme of Action. I merely wish to underline the appeal made by the President of the French RepUblic at the Paris Conference and indeed at this session of the General Assembly for the natural and induced solidarity of all the peoples of the planet. Whether they want it or not, the North and the South are partners ia • comsoa history. Tho Gulf crisis has ShOWD their solidarity in the fac. of the invasioa of Kuwait by Iraq. That solidarity certainly appli.s to the countries directly affected. It also applies to all of those countries, and chief among them the le.st developed, which in applying their structural adjustment policies are be.ring the brunt of the crisis, and in particular the higher oil price.. We ..lc~ the faat that the action undertaken, particularly within the International Monetary ruc!, s.eks to givs substance to that solidarity. Tbi. difficult situation makes it essential to implement the co-operation commitments contained in the Paris Programme of Action in a ~i.clpllDed and ezpe41tious way and without any half measures. I am thinking of 6ebt - bilateral debt, of wh!eh my country hal undertaken to cancel r28.6 billion, or almost 'I billion, bu~ also multilateral debt where the Paris Programme of Action is following the right course. (Mt. L'merl•• rrADc,) I ea also thinking of co-operation in the field of commo4ities~ vhich is mo Dece••a~ to the least developed countrie., whose economies are largely based on the production of a few of tbese products. The combination of classic co-operation iDst~umeDt., particularly commodities agreements and balance-of-payments assistance with sound diversification policies is essential for the least developed Finally, I am thinking of increased official d.v.lo~,nt assistance, which for the first time has commanded a consensus among all partn.rs in the int.rnational community, without esception. That commitment is a guarantee of solidarity, which 18 a .ec••••ry corollary of future growth for the l.ast dev.loped countri.s. My count~, togeth.r with Italy, ha. openly undertaken to attain by tbe y.ar 2000 the goal of 0.20 per cent of its gross national product to be given to the least dev.loped countri.s followi.g the .sample of the Nordic countries. AD i.crease in int.rnatic.al co-operation is essential for the least developed couatrie. and is ti.d ia with sound national policies. Gone ia the era when certain ill-conceived policies were carried out largely because of the impasse in Ba.t~West relations. Democracy has become ODe of the catalysts of development. People - me. and women - ar. both the protago.ists and the b••eficiaries. Th. policy of growth must us. mark.t sigaals advisedly. It must be back'd up by appropriate population pelici.s. It must also i.volv. policies of health, education, employment and e.vironmental prot.ctio. as veIl as policies for the protection of the poorest strata of the population. Whatever sector I r.f.~ to, I s.e to what .stent national policiea and inter.atio.al co-op.ration ars linked. That is why I w.lcome the strength.ned partnership ••shrined at the Paris Conference to combat and subsequently to eliminate the special vulnerability of the least developod countries. We shall have to s.e at future rQund table. of thG United Bations o.velO~Dt Progr_ (UlDP) and the Advisory Groups of the IfOr14 But whether the cc.U.tMnts UDdertaten at the Paris Conference viII be t.pl...nte4. Hre MOIIVDDII ~BlUUJlade.h)I Tbe 85COI1" Uaited Bations Confereace on the Least Devoloped Countri.s, held in Pari. lOBt Septeaber, .arted the cu~iaation of a -ior effort on our part. la Pads we agreod on a set of wide-r8lMJiDCJ aDCl concrete ..asures under a De. progr.... of action ia order to revitali.e the socio-economic growth and development of the.e countries. ~ a180 adopted the Paris DeclaratioD, sole.aly committiag our.elvem to tmplemont th.......ur.. during the pres.nt 4e(,de. Adoption of the DeclaratioD and the Pr09r_ of Action demonstrated the eztraor4iuary unity of purpose of the interaational co.-unity. Together, th.se documents reaffirmed our cOMMi~ntto pro.cte 4evelopaent in the least developed couatrie. acro•• a broad spactra-, on the basis of a spirit of genuine partnership and solidarity. The Declaration 8D4 the Progr.... of Action &re at.e4 at trigger111l9 ~ctions that would revers. the continu.d deterioration of the ecoaoalc, 80cial and ecoloqical situation in the l.a~t developed countries aDd their increasing .argiDalisatloa in the world .con~. He r••olved collectively to put the. bact on the path of Dustained growth aD4 4av.lopment. Today" I have the di.tinct honour ad privUege to speat before this AIIs.lllbly on behalf of the group of the leallt d.velope4 countries. ne diBcuIIB10a of the probl••s of the least d.veloped countri.. and the outco~ of thG Paris Conference at the level of this AlIlI\1mbly once again attestD, without uy doubt, to the importance with which the international community continu.s to vie. our development challeng••• Mr. Preddent, I would be remiss if I c!id Dot pay a spacial tribute to you. In your inaugural statement in September you underscored ud articulated most ~loquelltly the a••d to revene the cJevelopaeat cri.b that our cOUlltlde. faee. We were cleeply touched by your keea &114 abldiag intere.t iD the .ocial aD4 ecoDOIIic davel0PMDt of the lea.t developed cowatd... We are beholdeD to you, !he Secretary-GeDeral of our OrgaaiaatioD provided the leader.hip for the pr.p~r.tioD. of the CODfereDce an4 cODtributed t.BeDsely to ita outco... we are CJl'ateful to hla :GI' hie UDwaver.iD9 COlilltitMDt to the caus. of the least developed countries. !he exporieace of the least developed countrie. 4urlDg the paat decade was i1l4.e4 trawaatlc. In 1981, the Subataatial lIlI. Progra.e of ActioD for the U80. Mfore it the goal of traDDfomiD9 the ecoDollies of thesca countrie. iD~ self-sustained 4evelopMDt. It sought to provide at leaat a .iD1ava staadard of living to their te8lliD9 .111ioD8. However, despite actioas by the least d.v.lo~4 countries aad the sustaiDed .fforts of "'1' of their developmeDt partDers. the .ocio-ecoDomic cODditio.s iD th••e cOUlltri.. •• a whole wor••Ded. The growth of 9ro.s de-eatic product and progr... iD all .ajor .ectors fell ..11 below tho target .et ia the Substaatial Re. ProgrUllMt of ACtiOD. At the .... t.ble, the !lIarglaalbatioa of thtt group of le.at developed countri.. iD the world ecoDo~ contiDued UIlabated. Their share iD world export. dwiDdled to a mere 0.3 per ceDt iD 1988, a. compared to 1.4 per ceDt iD 19GO. !he huaaa dimeDsioD of their end••ie crisis has alGo beeD !IO.t tragic. The raats of the very poorest of the least developed countries ha. •..11e4, their unemplo1N8at has reached DO. heights, and health aad educatioD have suffered tr...adou8 set-backs. Above all, the continued eriais and the en41.s. 8uffering have .apped the very hope of their people•• The factors contributing to this worsening situation are only too well known. ~~y ef their problems are deeply rooted in the vicious interaction of poverty, ral~idly growing populations and ecological dogradation. The deleterious consdguences of natural uisasters and other emergencies added a major dimension to their development impasse. These were compounded by a staqnating or declining f.low of development resources, mounting external indebtedness, persistent protectionist measures against the exports of least developed countries, a sharp decline in commodity prices and secular deterioration in their terms of trade. The serious situation created in the least developed countries by this complex set of factors is morally and ethically unacceptable. The maqnitude of the crisis restricting the economies of t~e least developed countries calls for extraordinary efforts to imp~ov6, significantly and irreversibly, the pace and guality of their development proce!s. We need to forge an action-oriented global alliance capable of attaining this objective. In Paris, we strove, together with our development part~ers, to identify the elements ou which such an alliance could be founded. The Programme of Action adopted in Paris sets forth a comprehensive packaqe of development policy and et~ate9Y that seeks to respond to this challenge. The Programme provides a most valued framework for action for the least developed countries at all levels - national, regional and global. It contains several important features. The prime objective of the Programme of Action is to arrest further deterioration in the socio-economic situation of least developed countries, to reactivate and accelerate growth and devalopment and, in the process, to set them on the path of sustained growth and development. The Progrernma goell beyond a linea,,- It~del of growth. It enunciates four basic principles governing development partne~ahip and elaborat&s a macro-economic policy framework. It is premised OD the need for development to be human-centred anel broadly based, enabling all actors in society to participate fUlly and fre8ly in the development prCCeSlSg It emphasises that men and women are the essential resources and beneficiaries of the development process. The Programme thus calls for measur•• for strengthening human capital through comprehensive action in three crucial areasl population policies, health services, and education and training. The Programme also focuses on the need to improve, expand and modernize the aconomic base of the least developed countries and on actions needed to infuse new dynamiSM and growth impulses in such key a~eas as ag~iculture, rural development, food security, industrial and service sectors, energy, physical and institutional infrastructure, and science and technology. In Paris the nexus between enviroDJilontal degradation, poverty and underdevelopment was also at ths centre of our discussion. It was agreed that actions are urgently needed to help the least developed countries in these interrelated but very important issues. We also agreed that specific measures would be needed to cope with the special problems of the land-locked and island least developed countries. As with all our collective endeavours, the succes~ of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries will depend critically on the implementation and follow-up measures at both the national and the international level. The Governments of the least developed countries recognize that they have the primary responsibility for the development of their countries and the successful implementation of the Programme of Action. We appreciate the need to define and implement appropriate policies at the national level ensuring full involvement of the populatiDns of the least developed countries in their development process. Let me assure the Assembly that, despite our most for~mldable structural handicaps and other numerous constraints, the least developed countries will strive to do their utmost to initiate such action in all the priority areas identified in the Paris Declaration and the Programme of Action. (Mr. Mohluddin, Bangladesh) We must recognize, howe~er, that, although national efforts 6re important, the international community cannot remain passive 8S the VUlnerability of the least developed countries is compounded and their problems become mo~e and more intractable. In a spirit of strengthened partnership, the Memb6r States of the United Nations pledged in Paris to reinforce international support for the least developed countries in a number of key areas. These commitments are particularly important. We sincerely hope that they will be fully and expeditiously redeemed. In the first place, th~ Pro9r~e of Action emphasizes that external financial support should be both sufficient in volume and efficient in terms of allocation. It has identified urgent measures to increase substantially the flow of development resources to the least developed countries. The Programme maps out for donors a specific set of aid targets. We are confident that our development partners will earnestly endeavour to attain theae targets. Wo are sure that they will f~lfil their pledges in this crucial a~ea and help in the attainment cf th~ important ob'ective of providing adequate development finaDcem to the least developed countries. A comprehensive set of actiona is also urgently needed to reduce decisively the burden of e:ternal Indebtsdneas of the least developed countrios. This problem was extensively discussed during the Paris Conference. We are confident that immediate action will be initiated by our development partners, multilateral financial institutions and other organizations, in keeping with the general direction outlined in the Programme of Action. Caneellation ofr or provision of equivalent relief for, the official development assistance debt of the least developed countries should receive top priority in the implementation proces.. We hope that the Paris Club willin!tiate measures to improve th& Toronto terms and in practice extend their covGrQg~ to all 1~a8t developed countries. Barly action OD the various additional optioas proposed in this context is particularly important. (Mr- Hohiuc!4in p BUgled"h) We appeal to all concerne~ to act quickly OD the.e and other important proposals. Urgent, concrete mea.ure. alao D.ed to be taten to deal with the debt. of the 1eo.t developed countries to the multilateral in.titutions. Some general recommendations OD this l~rtant .ubject are mad. in the Programme of Action. Th.y DOW n••d to be followed up with the adoption of .pecific _allur... Continuous work on the .volution of polici.. and stratogy and Dev agre.ment OD future specific actioD in this ar.. are aD imperative necessity. It is ••••ntial to provide greater a.surance of stable esport earnings by the l.a.t 4.v.lopad countries. The n.ed for further progress in this area was particularly Wlld.r.cor.4 in Paris. We hope that compreh.nl!!ive agreaaments "ill be reach.6 during the current Uruguay Round of multilat.ra1 trade negotiationll to enhance significantly the acce.. to market. of products of the least d.velop." countries. Ke hope also that new, concr.t. maaaur•• will be taken to improve the gen.ra11ze4 .ystem of preferences, commodity pric••tebilization and cOMpen.atory financing to contribut. effectively to the least developed countri••.• growth in the direction set forth in the Programme of Action, The Unit.d Hation. .ystem vill have a crucial role to play in the proce.. of followin9 up, IIlOnitoring end reviewilUJ the imp1.mentatioD of the Progr8illlle of Action throughout the 1990s. The Conf.rence declded to hold • medium-te~ review of the implementation of the Programme. Annual reviews will be conduct.d by the ~rad. and Development Board. We fUlly aupport the holdin9 of en end-of-4ecade review, which would al.o consider the nee4 for a further action programme for the 1ea.t developed countri.s. w. a1.0 stronCJly believ. thftt the strength.ning of and illlprovel'll8nt of the country review mechanisms should be a continuous proces.. The leadership of the Governments of the lea.t developed countrie., •• a central factor in the ~ationa1-1ev.l review proce••, must be strengthened. Ke hope that our develOpMent partners will provide ade~"ate assistance to enable the least developed countries fully to discharge their role. The role of the United Nations Development' Programme (UNDP) and its Special Measures Fund has been rightly identified as a key element in this regard. Recommendations to increase the resources of the Special Measures Fund and the United Nations Capital Development Fund should be implemente4 urgently. Early action should be initiated to strengthen the focal points regarding the least developed countries in United Nations o&ganizations and agencies and to render them identifiable. Such focal points, where they do not ezist, should be established immediately and should be enabled to participate actively in the implementation of the Programme of Action. An important recommendation of the Paris Conference is that the United Nations Conferenco on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) secretariat's Special Programme for the Least Developed Countries should be providtid with sufficient capacity and resources to enable it to implement effectively and in good time its mandate relating to the Programme of Action. The Secretary-General has been re~u.sted to make proposals to this end. We look forward in particular to these proposals, aa they are important for following up and monitoring the Programme, of which UNCTAD's Special Programme would be the global focal point. Increasing the resources of the Special Programme, financial and personnel, should be over and above its eziating level of resources. It ia our earnest hope that such a proposal would have the unanimous support of Member States. The Director-General for Development and International Economic Co-operation has an important role to play in putting into operation the commitments undertaken in the Programme of Action. Ne urge the Secretary-General to provide adequate facilities to enable his office to undertake this very important task effectively. The Paris Conference also invited our development partners, URC7AD and United Nation. agenciel to alsist the lealt aeveloped countries to undertake conlultationl among them.elv.s on matters of common interest to them In the context of the implementation of the Programme of Action. I might mention here that the least developed countries themselvea undertook a series of important initiatives during the entire preparatory process of the Conference. Besides numerous consultative meetings in Ne. York and Geneva, Ministers of the least developed countries first met regionally in Addis Ababa and then globally in Dhaka. The Dhaka declaration and the Dhota document contained the common position of the least developed countries on the issues before the Conference. A ministerial-level miaslon of the least developed countries visited a number of capitals of donor countries in June this ye~r to hold consultations with their counterparts. IlIIiI1ediately following the Conference, aeads of State or Government of least developed countries participating in the World Summit for Children met last month to consider the outCOlU of our endeavours in Paris. Their declaration was a strong statement in favour of full, effective an4 timoly implementation of all aspects of the PrcgrL~ of Action. Tbe efforts of the least dav_loped countri.. serve to indicate the seriousness with which we are pursui.g implementation of the Programme of Action, and need to be ade~uately lupporte4. aepresentatives of least developed countries should be enabled to participate in annual and mid-term review meetings, and resource. for such participation should be made available. The economic growth &Dd development of the least developed countr!o. involv•• a long and arduous journey.. but even the lODgest journey begin. with a firlJt etap. W. hope that the opt1Dllsm generated by the conse.BUS adoptioD of the il'rogr_ ,,111 not prove ahort-lived, as it was du!'1n9 the last 4ecedo. In illpl..nt!r1 the ..a8ur•• agr.e4 to in Parie we must proceed ~uickly, iD a epirit of true development partnership, which is the key to the SUCCISS of all our .fforts. Th. Paris Declaration underscored that refusal to accept the marginalisatioD of "the least developed countries i6 an ethical imperative. This shou16 inspire all our future endeavours. We should all be ready to shoulder this responsibility fUlly and with the much needed pragmatism and aense of urgency. (Mr. Mohiud4in. Bapgla4.sh) Before cODclu4i~9' I should like to express on behalf of the leaat 4.vslope4 countries our moat sincere appreciation to the Government and the people of France for hosting the Paris Conference and for their extraordinarily gen6rous hospitality, excellent arrangements and important contribution to the outcome of the Conference.. I should also like to thant the G~verDment of Japan for supporting the holding of the first Ministerial Meeting of the Least Developed Countries in Dhata last June. Other Governments and United Nations organisations, agenci.s and programmes, including in particular UNCTAD and the Office of ~e Dl~ector-G'Deral for Development and International Economic Co-operation, deserve particular thanks for their support and assistance to various initiatives of the least d.veloped countries. Finally, a special word of appreciation is due to UNCTAD for undertaking an elaborate process of preparetion for the Conference and contributing to its outcome in a most commendable manner. Mr. HATANO (Japan) I My delegation would lik'! to join in v.lcoming the unanimous adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action at the Second United Nationa Conference on Least Developed Countries, last September. Tb. Confer.nc. vas held amid growing international concern about the critical situation of the least developed countries, and in particular about their .conomic ~4 accial marginalization within the world community. Despite the Substantial Hew Programme of Action adopted in 1981, the serious efforts of the least developed countries themselves and the gen.rous support rendered by the international community, progress during the 1980s iD overcomiDg the problems of the least developed countries ham Dot been satisfactory. Some countries have even lost ground. Economic stagnation, coupled in many ca••s with a large increase in population and a resulting drop in per capita income, has le4 to an increase in the number of people suffering from poverty and hung.r. (Mr, RatapQ, JIPU) Indeed, overcoming the critical problems confronting the lea.t developed ccuntrle~ Is a goal the international community should sake the utmo.t effort to achieve during thi. decade. My delegation vas therefore gratified that once again we have mad~ clear our determination to attain this end on tho basis of the .pirit of consensus and partnership between developed and developing countries that emerged from the eighteenth special sesslon of the General Assembly last April and that culminated in th~ adoption of the important agree~nt on an ovcrallatrategy for the development of the least developad countries. Let me touch briefly on the three goals towards which we are committed to work during the 1990B in order to revitalize the ocoDcmic growth of the least developed countri6S1 first and foremost, domestic programmes for development; .econdly, a sound international economic situation; and, thirdly, increa.ed financial flow. to least developed countries. first, as the Programme of Action and the Declaration clearly state, the efforts of the least developed countries tbemaelve. arc of paramoUDt importance to the rovitalization of their ecoDomiea. In particular, least aeveloped countries .~ould give priority ia their national development plans to growth-oriented macro-economic polici.. aDd structural reforms; the development of human re.ources, includiDg application of effective popUlation policie.; protection of the environment; promotion of rural development; and development of a diveraified productive sector. My delegation recogni.e. that these are areas in which the ma'ority of th••• countries have alrea4y been making strenuous efforts, which often involve painfUl aacrific.s. We earneatly hope that thoy will continue th.s. efforts and that the international community will continue to reDder aSDi~tanc•• (Mr, Hatano, JAR&s) Secondly, the Conference confirmed the need for the international community to discharge its responsibility to support the efforts of the least developed countries to become self-reli~nt. It was emphasized that a sound international environment would contribute to their developme~t and growth. The responsibility of developed countries i~ this regard is crucial, and efforts to reduce fiacal and monetary dise~ul1ibrlummust be enhanced. At the same time, the open multilateral trading system is the essential framework within which to provide increased market access to all, including the least developed countries. It was significant that the Programme of Action confirmed the importance of the successful conclusion of the negotiations of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Uor its part, my Government has accorded special treatment to the products of developing countries, and especially those of the least developed countries, permitting duty-free and ceiling-free tariff treatment for all products of least-developed-country origin covered by the Japanese generalized-system-ofpreferences (GSP) scheme. In this connection, I may add that Japan is the largest contributor to the Common Fund, which can play an important role in securing stable earnings from commodity exports from least developed countries. The third goal towards which we are committed to work is increasing financial flows to least developed countries. My Government is particularly gratified that the new Programme of Action, in contrast to t~e Substantial New Programme of Action of the 1980., does not set unrealistic uniform targets for donor countries but, rather, adopts a menu approach, thereby providing a flexible and feasible framework which allows every country to pursue appropriate objectives as part of the concerted international effort substantially to increase the flow of aid to the least developed countries. (Mr. Bat.po, JUap) In this regard, Japan has been working hard to expand its official development assistance, giving special attention to least developed countries. In accordance with the Substantial New Programme of Action of the 19aOs, it worked towards the goal of doubling its official d6velopment assistance to least developed countries, which was attaine6 in 1986, and since then has continued to expand its assistance systematically under its fourth medium-term target. At this stage, my Government acknowledges that the goal of d~voting 0.15 per cent of groBs national product to official development assistance has gained wide acceptance in the interDational community. I can assure the Assembly that, bearing this seriously in mind, Japan intends to continue its efforts to expand aid flows to the least developed countries during the decade. (Mu Botano« Je»U) ~he debt burden under which many least developed countries labour "as the subject of intense discussion at the Conference. My delegation would like to affirm that Japan is committed to continuing its active effort to assist least developed countries by providing appropriate new money on concessional terms and by granting debt ralief, virtually cancelling its official development assistance loans to least developed countries. My country will continue to participate actively in any arrangement made within the framework of the Paris Club for the relief of other official debts of least developed countries. Progress in implementing the Programma of Action must be kept under constant review, and the United Nations has a critical role to play in this respect, particularly with regard to deciding what concrete programmes should be carried out. It is in this contezt that my Govermnent, together "ith the United Nations Capital Development Fund, will host a seminar specifically on the problems of tho least developed countries nezt May in Tokyo. I may add that this seminar partly originates from my recent conversation here in New York with my colleague Ambassadors of Africa. My delegation strongly hopes that, with the participation of donor countries, the least developed countries and relevant United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Unitad Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the seminar will make a concrote contribution to the work of following up the Declaration and the Programme of Action. Mr. PANPAY (Nepal) I My delegation is happy that agenda item 79 (c), on the problems of the least developed countries, is being taken up directly in the plenary Assembly. This underlines the importance and urgency attached by the international community to this question. The decade of the 1980. and in particular the year 1989 were marked by improved international relations offering new opportunities for peaceful co-operation throughout the world. The end of the cold-war period and the relaxation of tensions betwee~ the East and the West naturally rai~es the hope that the ongoing North-South dialogue vill find new meaning and momentum. For it is obvious that there cannot be real peace when threa fourths of humanity continues to live in poverty and deprivation. The worsening economic situation of the developing countries, particularly the least developed among them, thus becomes the major challenge facing the international community today. Because of the time-limit, I shall not preface my remarks with an overview of the international economic situation but shall deal directly uith the review and appraisal of the Substantial New Programme of Action for the 1ge08 for the Least Developed Countries. Th~ international community had long realized that it was imperative that proper actions be undertaken to alleviate the worsening situations in the least developed countries. However, significant action could only be taken durln~ ~' • thirty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly, when it adopted the Substantial New Programme of Action for the 19808 for ths Least Developed Countries. The United Nations resolution emphasized the need for the international community's urgent and special attention to and continued support for the Substantial New Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries. It further urged all donors to fulfil their commitments. The Substantial New Programme of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries, as adopted, had three basic premises. First, the national measures required to be taken up by the least developed countries themselves, in view of their prevailing situatiolls, were outlined. Secondly, the Substantial New Programme of Action for the 19808 dealt with the international support measures. (Mr. PUdoy. Nepal) Thirdly, it also laid stress on arrangements for implementation, follow-up and monitoring at the national, ~egional and global levels. On the face of it, the Substantial Nev Programme of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries seemed pretty sound. However, at the end of the decade of the implementation of the Substantial New Programme of Action, the least developed countries, rather than being well off, have fallen way down. Conditions in these countries are worse then in the 19708. As a9ain~t the gross-domestic-product growth target of 7.2 par cent per annum in the decade, the actual average rate came to 2.2 per cent in the least developed countries. MOroover, some least developed countries even witnessed negative growth rate. Towards agricultural production~ the actual rato ca~e to only 2 per cent as against a 4 per cent target per annum, and the manufacturinq output dwindled to only 2 per cent per annum against a 9 per cent target set in the Submtftntift1 New Programme of Action. The share of the least developed countries in world export shrank to a mere 0.3 per cent from 1.4 per cent in the 19608. In all, the picture is totally disppointinq. The review of the worsening state of affairs of the least developed countries, despite the efforts made through the Substantial New Programme of Action, revealad that nothing worked well. There were policy shortcomings and a population explosion leading to more poverty and environmental de9radatio~ which rendered the proposed national measures ineffective. This waa further compounded by natural ~isasters i~ many least developed countries. With regard to international eupport measures, so dearly required to prop up the economies of the lsast developed countries, there were more impediments than support in the docmde. D8p~eased commodity prices, extremely difficult access to markets and inadequata aid-flOWS adversely affected the good-intentioned and well-defined support M8asures from the international community• (Mr. Panday, Nepal) The international experts~ in their appraisal of the state of the least developed co~tries, point tu the riqidities in the oconomies of the least developed countries, fiscal imbalances, monetary instability and p~iciDq policies as obstacles that prevented the amcoth functioning of the intended national meacures. Further, they attributa the problems to th~ leGst developed countries' policies of giving an ellh8llced role to the State in Gevetlopment and payinCj less attention to individual initiative and enterprise. In addition, as many least developed countries had baa~d their ticonamic g~owth on domestic ~evenue and foreign exchange earnings, any adverse changes in the international economy were bound to make thorn highly vulnerable. The capital required for broad-based growth was available neither domestically nor from foreiqn private investment. The other input required - Damel~, the structural adjustments prcgrammas - was adopte4 by m&Dy least developed COUDtries but the result va5 Dot favourable. Proper attention was Dot paid to the specific developmental characteristics of individual lea~t developed countries and greater emphasis was placed on restoring economic and financial stability in the short r~, while the need for essential minimum investment in basic &r&&s as a lon9-t8~ measure was almodt neglected. Furthermore, the stap towards expending traditional export through devaluation measures by the least develope4 countries did not mat,rialise beeauB~ of the commodity glut in the world market. The least developed countries were hardest hit by the international economic environment of the 1980s as the prices of primary commodities declined in the world market, whereas the prices of goods generally imported by the least developed countries rose continuously. The tariff and non-tariff barriers to the exports of least developed countries and the exclusion of some of those countries from enjoying the full benefits of the generalized system of preferences and special measures in favour of least developed countries discouraged their efforts towards diversification. While the need for substantial resources grew in the least developed countries in the 19808 as they were taking up structural adjuBtment programmes, the volume of official development assistance did not keep pace with their requirements. In addition, the private flows, namely export credits end direct investment, virtually disappeared. Some of the major international institutions were not geared to back up the efforts of the least developed countries, as those institutions have yet to recognize the least-developed-country category. In addition, cumbersome procedures, protracted negotiations and difficulty in meeting local costs have been identified as the major problems impeding the timely flow of resources. External debt servicing became a major problem for most least developed countrios in the 1980s. Fully realiz!nq that the refusal to accept the marginalization of the least developed countries was an ethical imperative and corresponded to the long-tarm interests of the international community, the participants in the Second United Nations Conference cn the Least Developed Countries agreed on concrete measures under a new Programme of Action to revitalize the development of the least developed countriea. As in the previous Substantial Hew Programme of Action, the thrust of the Programme of Action, in conformity with the Paris Declaration, rests upon three premises: first, the effectiveness of national policies which should be ---------- (Hr, PondQ, Nepal) aimed ~t accelerating long-term qro~th and developmont is deemed to be of paramount importance; secondly, the external support, agreed to by the inter&ational community, entails a substantial increase in development assiataD~e, the bulk of which will be provided in the form of 9J:9ts; thirdly, the follow-up and monitoring of the effective !mpleme~tationof the Programme of Action for the 1990s will be carried out more effectively at the national, regional, and global levels. In charting the New Programma of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s, many of the shortcomings experienced in th~ past decade have bean removed. Emphasis is now being placed OD 10Dg-ter.m development while maintaining economic and financial stability in the short run. Proper attention to the specific developmental characteristics of individual least developed countries and emphasis on private initiative and enterprise are some of the significant elements of the Hew Programme of Action for the 1990s. The Programme of Action covers many important areas of activity and provides an integrated ~d complete packaqe for the leamt doveloped countriea. With regard to international support measureB, apart from commitments that a~e made by the international community, the nature and method of assistance is clearly defined in the Programme of Action. Furthermore, the follow-up and monitoring mechanisms have been made more effective with clear-cut responsibilities at all lev&ls. My country, Nepal, is at the threshold of a new beginning with the restoration of a multi-party democratic system guaranteeing full human rights and a much desired system of accountable government. The interim qovernment, while cODsolidating democracy under a stable political system, is also engaged in the development of the economic and social sectors in Nepal. Nepal is poised to face the new challenges offered by the international community in the fo~ of national action, as defined in the Paris Declaration, and it is fully detel~ined to ca~ry (Mr, PUdU, Hepal) out its respondbllitieB in a forthriqht .&DDer. However, as a least developed country Nepal haa very limited options for economic development. The lack of essential resources in the country, coupled with its land-locked state. further restrict. us 1n our development efforts• • epal supported the initiatives of the Substantial Hew Programme of Action for the 1980s. It has undertaken a structural adjustment programme despite various problems and limitation., and it intends to continue the programme in the 19908. Although we aqree to the n80d for adjustment, we stl'oDqly hold the view that the programme of adjustments for the 1990s should be based on the specific n••4s of the individual country. The alleviation of poverty ~ the least developed countries should be viewed as a primary concern and not as a residual measure. ~e responsibility of the international commUD,ity in creating a favourable international economic environment, relevant policy measures and institutional systems to support the programmes cannot be overemphasi8ed. As the least dovelop.d countries in general have limited aevelopllGnt opt\:":j~ll.. the 40nors should not have any restrictive policies on the flow of a.sistance to least developed countries in the name of demographic and environmental concerns. Ife have always held the view that the primary function of foreign ald 18 to buy enough time to mobilise and manage internally gecerated momentum for growth. It cannot be a eubstitute for our internal efforts. In the new conteat, there is also a need better to gear technical a.sistance to the task of institution building aimed towards eDbanced institutional perfo~ance. In our vigorous efforts aimed at survival and the modest development of our .conomi.... the importuce of the role of the developing cOWltdes in the regioD cannot be overstated. Bowever, in spite of the realization of th~ iIIlportance of regional co-operation for both the developlnq and the loast developed countrie., not much has beea achieved in the field of ecoDomic co-operation and activity. There i8 a cUre Deed to pur.ue this activity for the betterMnt DOt only of aD in4ivi4ual country ~,ut al.o the entire region. It in all the 1101'8 •••ential in the cont.zt of new aa4 larger .arketu created by the concept aDd near re.U.ty of econoaic integration iD Europe. Globally, the importaDt role played by UNCTAD for monitoring iaplemGlltatloD of the Subatamtial Hev Progranno of Action for the lQeOs for the Leaat Developed Countries aDd for the preparation of the Second United Rations Coaferelic. OD the Lea.t Developed Countries is to be commands4. The Conference a••igneCS a very important role to URCTAD in IIOnitoring ad revi1tw!ng the 1JIpl."Dtation of the Progranae of Action at the global level. In or4~r to lIIue the Dec~8.ary links botweeD the follow-up at the national and at the global level, we .t~oD91y recommend that the UNCTAD secretariat continue to participate in the URDP round-table proce•• aDd th~ World Bank consultative group proc.... we th8refore fully support that UHCTAD' s .pecial progr.... for the leaet developed co_tri.. be provided with sufficient capacity and resource. to enabl~ it to inpl."Dt effectively its .andate for this prOCJr... om a tiliMtly bads. Ife loot forward to receiving a concrete proposal frolll the Secretary-General in thiR regard. In conclusion, -r delegation ia confident that, with prudent ocouo-ic manage.nt nationally aDd .trong external support, we can achieve the goa18 ••t out iD the Progr_ of Action for the Least Daveloped Countrie. for the 1190... Ire are all convinced that there 1. no reason for a group of countries to reMaiD underdeveloped aDd to be labelled as least developed. Let ua IlU. our beat efforts. Together" CUI 40 it. Hr, SILQVIC (Yugoslavia): The dlffieult ecoDogic and soeial situation in the least developed countries ie one of the gravest problems that the international community is faced with today. It 18 thttrefoi'e un4eratandDble that the highest body of our Organisation gives to that probleM its special attention. This year, perhaps DIOre than ever before, it should 40 110, si:llc~ two IIOntha ago the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries adopted the Progranme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 19;08, a balanced dOCUlMtDt, I way say, of far-re~ching importance. In Paris we undertook a thorough ovarv!.w of the implementation of the Substantial New Programme of Action for the L6a8t Developed Couatrie15 in the 19805. The picture that came through ve. bleak: the situation In moat of the least developed countri'D at the end of the decade vas wrae than it vas at its beginning, Whereas in the developed world gaior improvements have been achieve" in standards of living, the per capita income of least developed countries as a CJroup actually decl!ne& during the decade. Let .. recall thet r.c~nt satl.ates put the annual per caplt& iDCO" ol theBe eouatrl•• at about '200, ODe seventieth of that of the developed market economie•• It is also estimated that the gap betweSD the least daveloped countries and the developed world is widening. I am convinced that we all reall.e that such a situatioD !IS untoneble and that suc:b teAlSenci.s CaDDot continue for very lOD9' Aa my Foreign Min1st~r aaid 1n Pari., a1.0 not only becauag the tragic circUMDtaDc.s of one tenth of humanity are a moral iSBua for ths remaining niDe tenths but a180 becauDe the soci~l and political upheayals likely to be gan&rate4 threaten the peace, stability and security of all of us. (Mr. Slloylc, Yugoslayio) My country welcomes the re.ulta of the Paris Conference and fully supports the documents adopte4. At the sue time, we understud why so_ participamts, particularly countries receiving assistance, may have mixed fe~11n9s about the outcome of the Conference. However, such an outcome, in the opinion of my delegation. was the realistic, balanced solution that was possible in the circumatancea. There could alvays be a better outcome, yet there is also much re.son for optimisM with respect to the implemontation of the provisions of the Progr..... of Action that vas adopted. First, the world of tod~YI rid of cold-war tensloD, 1deolog!cal constraints and reSUlting confrontation, has a bettor ch&D~e of dealing more effectively with all, eveD tho aoat pressiog, international problem.. Accordingly, development issues, and among them notably the eradication of povorty, should be ad4rcsasd more forcefully and accorded their rightful place aMOng the priorities of the international community. Also, at a t!... when the world is buryinCJ the hatchet, we have every r!ght to hope,' vith the uclent propbet wholle words have been en inspiration to many generations, that it vill turn swords into plowsbares and spears into pruning books and that at long laat ve shall stand to reap the benefits of peaco benefits. Secondly, the Programme of Action vaB adopted by CODsenaus, which makes it different froN the Substantial New Programme of Action adopted, with r~servatlon., iD 1981. If the imple_atation of the Substutlal .ev ProgrUlllMt of Action vas hampered by the lack of a consensus on itm major provisions, the Programme for the 1990s has no auoh impediment and OpeDS up much broader prospects for the least developed countries. Thirdly, we have every reason to believe tha~ all countries bave comprehended that they must, and are ready to, assume full responsibility for tbeir own develol'lHnt ad ..11-bttin9. The Declaration of the speelal ••••10D of the United Ration. devoted to international .conomic co-op.~atioD, held last May, the Pari. P~ogranme of Action aDd the Int.rnational Dev.lopment Strategy for the Fourth United ••tion. DevelOpNDt Decad. provide uple evide:lce of that un4erlltandlng ad re.olv.. Aa ay country •••• it" this pdLc!ple call. for the r.moval of institutional, organisational and political con.traints that imped. economic growth, for the full mobilisation of all availablo human and materiLl resource. and for the r••tructuring of our oconomi••• Thi. la.t point merits a few additional word.. Aa oft.D happens, things a~• •ader sald the 40D. in real lif.o a.fomlq the ez1ating Clr l!c!apt1ng to a ne• •oc!al aDd economic .yste. i. a fo~idable ta.t for each end e..ry .0cietYI it i. OV.D more 80 for the lea.t 4evelopa4 countri... Furth.l'IIOZ'e, with uu4tiu:develope4 economic infra.tructur••, a lack of adequate technological &ad hUMan re.ourc••, a high lovel of dependence OD ComMOdity ezportD, and 80 on, ~l.y are .everely r••tricted in thoir .ffort. to integrate within the world ecollol!iY. Sou of them are unable to reach .ven the minimal nec•••ary .tartiDg position that would enable th.. to embark upon the path of au.tained growth aDd to enter into international co-petition on a footin9 of ~uallty. The.. difficulties hampering the lea.t developed countri••, in th& opinioD of my cOUl!ltry, ..Ullt H takell fUlly illlto accowat as we IIOve il1to the fir.t year of the implementatioD of the Progr.... of Action. !he econQaic criteria for .ztendlng •••1.tance to countri.. iD n.e&, which .. ~oD.id.~ to be ju.tifl.d ill -eat ca•••, should be moderated ~&4 interpreted flezibly in the case of the leaet developed countri••• la ~onclu.ioD, I reiterats the readi••ss of ~ Gov.r~Dt to a••i.t tho l.aat developed countries la every possible way. Yugoslavia, a d9Wlo1'lng COUiltrl" itself, hes modest resources, nevertheless it vill continue to extend assistance in the best tradition of solidarity among developing countries to those that need theae resources even more. We also believe that intensification of economic co-operation among developing countries offers abundant p08sibilitie. for economic exchanges beneficIal to the least developed countries. Finally, let me express the hope o~ my delegation that we shall all invest our beat efforts in implementing consistently the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countriea for the 1990s in the intorest of these countries, as vell &s that of the entire international community. Mr. JIN Xopgjian (China) (interpretation from Chinese). This year marks the final year for the implementation of the Substantial New Programme of Action for the 19aOs for th& Least Developed Countries. The Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which vas held iD Paris last September, achieved positive results. The Conference reviewed the implementation ef tha Substantial New Progrsmme of Action and adopted the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 19908 and the Paris Declaration. The adoption of the Programme of Action is of great significance in [.invigorating the ecoDomies of th& least developed countries•• * MrQ Mavrommatls (Cyprum), Vice-President, took the Chair. The 1980s witnes~ed a most unbalanced pattern ef world economic development. On the one hand, science and technology advanced by leaps and bounds, and the developed economies maintained their long-standing, sustained growth. On the other hand, the developing countries suffered serious setbacks in their development process. This resulted in an even wider wealth gap between North and South, the the least developed countries facing an ever-worsening economic and social plight. For those countries the past decade was one ef retrogression. The Substantial New Programme of Action adopted at the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in 1981 was aimed at helping those countries develop their economies and providing minimum living standards and job opportunities for their peoples. In spite of the efforte of the least developed countries to develop their national economies over the past 10 years, their economic and social conditions, instead of improving, have worsened further. This has been caused by their highly fragile economic baae and the frequent natural disasters. In particular, they are confronted with an adverse international economic environment, with falling prices for primary products, worsening terms of trade, ~rowin9 debt burdens, mounting protectionism and dwindling official development amsistaoce. Yet another reason is the failure to implement the Substantial New Programme of Action in real earnest. The targets set out in the Programme are far from being Inet. Even worse ~= the fact that in the past decade the number of least developed countries increased from 31 to 41, with ODe developing country per year reduced to the status of a least developed country. This is a great misfortune for the international community. The economic development of the least developed countries must come about through the!!' own efforts. However, as the world economy is interdependent, the success or otherwise of the development efforts of the least developed countries depends to a large extent at present on the external economic climate and the support of the international community. For this reason, the ~u.ation of how to 11ft these countries out of poverty an~ backwardness in the 1990s has become a pressing issue for the world community. The adoption of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s and of the Paris Declaration is a reflection of the political vill of the international community and its recognition of the measures it must take to help the least developed countries to davelop their economies. The Substantial Rev Programme of Action wa~ not implemented satisfactorily; ve hope that the international community will analyae that experience, draw the necessary les80ns and properly implement the Proqramme of Action for the 1990s, vith a view to contributing to the economic development and social proqres~ of the least developed countries. We fully support the provisions of the Programme of Action to the effect that the Secretary-General of the United Hations, in close co-operation with the Director-General for Developme~t and International Economic Co-operation, the Secre~ary-G~Deralof the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the E••cutivo Secretaries of the United Rations regional commissions and the lead agencies for the aid groups, should ensure at th~ secretariat level the full mobilization and co-ordin&tioD of all organs, organisations and bodies of the Uaited Rations system for the pur-Dose of implementation and follow-up of the Programme of Action; and that UNCTAD's Special Programme for the Least Developed Countries should be provided with sufficient capacity and resources to enable it to implement effectively its mandate for this Programme OD a timely basis. As is indicated in the Paris Declaration, "We believe that the deterioration in the economic, social and ecological situation of MOst of the least developed countries during the 1980s is not irreversible." (A/CQH'.147/Hisc,9, Pe 1) If the least developed countries, the international community and the developed countrie., in particular, can make a concerted effort and strengthen their co-operation to create appropriate internal conditions in the leamt d3veloped countries and provide a favourable external ecoDomic environment, the difficult situation of the least developed countries vill be improved. China is a developing country with a large populatioD and, lite other developing countries, it is confronted with the difficult task of developing ita econo~ and raising its people's living standards. Although ChiDa is a low-income developing country with limited economic capacity, it has, in order to fulfil its international obligations, done what it can to provide economi~ and technical assistance to the third world countries, and especially to the least developed countries. Although our assistance is on a small scale, it reflects the desire of the Chinese Government and people for sincere co-operation and common development vith the least developed countries. In future .. vith the development and improvement of our national strength in the economic and other fields, we vill try our best to expand the scope and range of economic co-operation with the least developed countdea ud help them lift themselves out of poverty. Mr. GIBBIMEPUlB (Ethiopia): My delegation fully endorses the statements by the representative of Bolivia, who spoke on behalf of the Group of 77, and by the representative of Bangladesh, the co-ordinator of the group of least developed countries. A programme of 6ctioD in support of the least developed countries durinq the 1990. has become an imperative necessity. This necessity, however, emerg~s not from the need for continuity but from the failure to attain the objectives set forth in the Programme for the preceding decade. When the Substantial New Programme of Action for the 19808 was adopted in 19S1, a similar rationale and international pledge to help the least developed countries underlay its formulation. The Substantial New Programme of Action exercise, as we. all rocall, vae intended to promote the structural changes necessary to enable the least developed countries to overcome their extreme economic difficulties, to provide tullr adequate and internationally acceptable living standards for the poor, to identify and support major investment opportunities in those countries and to help mitigate the adverse effects of disasters, As regards development finance, a solemn pledge was made by the international community to achieve the target of 0,15 per cent of donor gross national product, in the form of official development assistance, to meet the resource needs of the least developed countries. While we acknowledge that a small number of donors fulfilled this pledge, even exceedinq the aid target in some cases, the aid given by momt countries fell far short of expectations, Overall, therefore, the achievements of the Substantial Now Programme of Action for the decade failed to make any discernible impa~t on the social and economic lives of our peoples, On the contrary, despite the enormous efforts by the least developed countries, not only did the number of least developed countries increase during those 10 years, pArticUlarly in Africa, but those already on the list grew poorer and more vulnerable than they had been a decade 8g0, This has been confirmed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which has indicated that the share of least developed countries' e:ports in world trade @~clined from 1,4 per cent in the mid-1960s to 0,3 per cent in 1988, Likewise - a sign of their marqinalization - the least developed countries' import share declined from 1,6 per cent to 0.6 per cent over the same period, These figures may show only a partial picture of the malaisel the essence of it is, however, that today over 420 million people in 41 countries are ODce again earnestly pleading for something better in their daily lives, Tbei~ hopes 11e in (Mr. Gebremedhiue Ethiqpia) the successful achievement of the objectives of the Programme of Action for the The lIajority of the least developed countries find their econol:llc and s~I"'\ , conditions worsening. It ~,s in recognition of this fact that, in the PrograrF,', ' .. Action for the 19908, the prime objective outlined is the need to arrest the deterioration iD these countries before it gees any further by reactivating and accelerating their economic growth and development end, in the process, putting tbOJl OD the path of sustained qro~ and development. Thi. objective is indeed velcome, but the challenge must be f~c$d squarely both by the leaat developed countries and by !he internatio!1l!l :~t.~Wlity, "hoss ...1at&ace aDd support are the most vital ingredients for the ~ucceGS of this collaborative undertaking_ We recognize that the prima~y responsibility for the development of each least developed country falls on the country concerned; none the less, given the evolution and orqani:ation of the increasingly interdependent international economic system, no less is the responsibility of the developed countries in creating a favourable international environment in which the national efforts of the least developed countries could bear fruit. I have in mind in p~rticular the need for our development partner3 to improve the quality and quantity of aid and fulfil their share of responsibility in s.uch important areas as the need for increasing resource flows in which official developmsnt assist~ce is the princip~l source of external support for the least developed countries, relief from external debt and debt servicing, the creation of a stable and equitable international trading sy~tem responsive to the leant devGloped countries, end assistance for thG divorsification of commodity production and the strengthening of compensatory financing systems for sudden and unfo~ese8able shortfalls in earning8, In view of thti ecological problems faced by my country, we cannot emphasize enough that Qnviroamental rehabilitation and manageme~t is another aree where donors could contribute a groat deal to help the least developed countries cope with disasters and pursue eav!ronmentelly sound and sustainable development. Ethiopia, as a least developed country, is determln&d to see the suee.sful implementation of the Programme of Action for the 19908. For itB part, it has embark~d on a number of economic reform measures, among which the eDhancement of the ~ole of the private sector has become an indispendable component of the country's mixed economy. Under the new policy all forms of business - public and private enterprises - are being encouraged and provided with the opportunities to operate OD the basis of competitiveness and profitability. A new inveetment code has also been promulgated, aimed at ramoving restrictions on area. of operation for both domestic and external concerns. Indeed 6 for E~lopia theee me~.uree ropre.ent a fundamental shift of policy, the underlying motive of which is the stimulation of economic growth acd national productivity. Sido by side, as is very well known, the Ethiopian Government has also undertaken several initiatives to resolve the internal conflicts through peaceful means with a vie. to d~verting scarce resources towards development. In spite of these positive and constructive measures, the international environment has not proved to be supportive. The price of our principal export, coffee, has for more than a year and a half now continued to suffer a serious decline, depriving the country and its farming population of huge earnings. Moreover, before we have recovered from such heavy losses we are now being confronted with the steep increase in the price of oil resulting from the crisis in the Gulf. Like other countries in a similar position because of these negative situations, we are also concerned that development in general, and the pace of economic reform and restructuring measures in particular, are being put to severe strain. In this regard, my delegation 'oins the many that at this ses.ion of the General Assembly have underlined the need for international solidarity and concerted action in these areas in support of the least developed countries. Wo believe that the time has now come to move from rhetoric to action. This last decade of the ceDtu~y must witness the translation of the commitments which the international community has undertaken in favour of the least developed countries into conurete and meaningful actions to narrow the frontiers of poverty. The yauninq gap between the haves and the have-Dots needs to be narrowed. As the Paria Declaration put it, refusal to accept the marginallzatioD of the least dev.lopad countries i~ an ethical imperative to which the international community must reco~it itself. The principle of shared responsibility established in the ~roqramma of Action now requires the transform~tional needs and the que.tion of economic growth and development of the least developed countries to be placed at (Hr, Qebrfmf4bln, Itbigpia) the forefront of the major challenges before the international cODlmunity. As countries locked in the vicious circle of poverty and stagnation, the severe problems and enorJmous needs of the least developed countries re~uire more than sympathetic words and must be viewed in the light of their lonq-te~ implications. In other words, putting into effect what was agreed upon in Par!~ must become an inescapable reaponsibility in ~eepin9 with the noble objectives the Programme of Action is intended to achieve. Further, the shared-respon5ibility-an4-strengthene4-partnership approach also demands full recognition of the specific cilcumstances, particular problems and needs of each least developed country. Reform measures being sot as conditions for assistance must raflect the raalities in each and every least developed country and also be able to look beyond short-ter.m gains in budget and fiscal policies. Rere I must empha5ise that a good deal of political will and dialogue must remain the basis of the .zero!.e. Given concerted effort., my delegation ia confident that the Programme of Action for the 1990s vill not, like its predecessor, prove to be a forgotten document by the end of the century. Mr. HYAlYI (United Republic of TaDBaniah Once again States Members of the United Nations have an opportuity to focus attention on the plight of the least developed countries of the world. The conclusions of the recent United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in the summer in Paris~ further demonstrated how vulnerable these countries are in the continuing malaise afflicting the international environment. The increase in their number from 30 to 41 between 1981 and 1990 te~tifi.R to the worsening of the plight of the least developed coa~tdell. Not unexpectedly, the African continent ha. been hardest hit. It Baw the number of itll least aeveloped countri•• rise by 1 frolll 21 to 28 in Nothing in recent years has demonstrated the VUlnerability of the least developed countries more dramatically than the Western response to th$ changes in Eastern Europe and the Gulf crisis. The overwhelming support for the changes in Eastern Europe and the mUlti-billion ~ollar emergency assistance organized for the countries of the Gulf region moat adversely effected by the Iraq-Kuwait crisia are in sharp contrast to the international response to the plight of the developing countries generally and the least developed countries in particulp the energy bill, already intolerable for all least developed countries, has had a crippling effect on the economies oftheee countries. Yet apart from actnowledging the severe crisis faced by these countries little has been done to alleviate it. The least developed countries cannot succeed in breaking the vicious circle of poverty if those responsible for the management of the world economy continue to ignor& the need for structural changes in the present economic system. It cannot be stressed often enough that in this increasingly interdependent world decisions which affect the majority of humanity cannot remain the preserve of the few powerful countries and the multilateral institutions which they control. In the long run it is not even in the best interests of the economically powerful natioDS to continue to preserve a system that is manifestly unfair. As many prominent people have warned, there is now a real danger that as the East-West tensions disappear and as the economic problems of the third world intengify and deepen the world could find itself embroiled 'in a conflict along the North-South divide. (Hr. lDui , URit." "public of tulu!a) The two Paris Conferencea identifie4 the ereGS where ~cDcert.d international action i. required to alleviate the plight of the lsa.t developed count-d....· The area of trade liberalisation ia criticel. In this rGspect, the developed countries must be w1l1in9 to accord a fair sh&r& of trade to the least developed cOUDtri.~ and other developing countries in the wodd llarkets. The developed cOUDtrieB 3lust allow manufactured goods from the least dev.lo~4 countries and other doveloping countries to competo in their marketa. Similarly# the fall in the prices of primary commodities from the least developed countries and other developing countries must be halted, and full acc.sa of their products to the markets of the industrialized countries, free from trade barrier. of any kind, should be ensured. In this connection, it ia nacessary that the on90il19 Uruguay Roud of Multilateral Trade Neqotiations not be allowed tG fail at the concluding 8e.slon of the negotiatioDs nezt month. In present conditions the leaat developed countries and other devr..loping countries are at the ..rcy of the whim. and vagade. of ~e international market place. Unable to control the price. of thelr products, they find themselv.s compelled to acc~pt tho.e dictated by the conluner markets in ~Jl. iDdu8t~lallled countries. Any further delay ia concluding the Uruguay Round will therefore only succeed in aggravatiug their plight. We welcome the efforts made .0 far to help the least developed countrie.. But we must stress that they are inadequate to addres. the ho.t of problems that these countries are faced with. ID most caees the incr~a&e in a••iatance hae beea only nominal, not in real terms, owiDCJ to inflation ADd unpredictable curr8ncy 6xch8Dge rates. Aa vs have already observed, the 011 .hocka at 41fferent periods, inclUding the current one brought about by the Gclf cri.is, bavo had deva.tat1D9 effect. on weak economies, particUlarly tho.e of the lOB.t 4e..lo,.4 countrie.. AD i...d!ate .olution to the Gulf crisis will Dot oBly provide aD opportunity for a lastiag peace ODe experl.sead 4arlD; the 1010a that le4 early ID ~ lIGO. to tba eruption of the e.latlag debt crial.. The ~.ct of thls crla18 la f~lt both In developed eountrl•• &ad ID developla; one., aDd In particular in the l.ut 4a~lope4 countrlee. NaDy leut 4evelo1Ml4 countd._ haw elAba'l'ke« OD a IU!JllMtI' of rGcova~ pr09r_., InclucUlI!9 stnactui'al acliuatMllt progr...., la aD .ffort to rev!". _aurea in • IlUllb6r of crltic.l .1'.... Aa ao _y l.ut &lvelope4 eOUlltrlea ellvlaagea re_u1t. if the intelrn.tloDal ca-ulty doe_ DOt tue 1»014 aupportive depen4 OD a fem Pl'!llary eOlWlCKUtlaa, gual'aDte~lD9 atable pde•• for tMlr Pl'ltIary product. lcabllolutely ••••nti.l. A halt SQ_t be brought to tbe aet fl~. of r._ouree_ fro. the le.at developed countriaa to the IDd••trl.ll••4 couat'l'le.. Tbe par.let.at reluctaaca af the ID4~atrlali.e4couatrl.. to prov14e for or f.cillt~t. the trUlllf.r of appropriate acl.nce a4 techDology to the le.at 4evelo,.4 eOUDtd•• In or4er to .Dable th.. to lllcre••• th.lr pr04uctivitF n.t be o".rc~. tIh11e additiollal pbyalcal capital 1_ ••e••tlal to pra.ote lllcre••ed pr04uetlYlty, urgeat _upportive actloll in the are. of ellvlroDMental protection i. .1_0 aD ~rt..t caul4er.tlon. which ba. to be tue. Into .ccount by the Interaatloaal c~ty• ..vlro....t.lly _ouad tecJmology "Ul Dot only protect the .nvir-o_at fr_ further 4tlg1'a4atloIU it i. Abo oa8 of tM -.o.t lIsportut produatlos f.ctor. ID the fight to el~laate poverty. It i_ 110. accepted that the Pr09rof Action for the Le._t Develo~ Couatrl•• a«Opted Is 1'81 f.ile4 to attala It. objectlv... "c.pt la • few i.ol.te« c...., the ca..ltaeata cODt.lne4 in It b.ve aot beea ~1...ate4 b.r the short of tJw tarpt.,. they _re able to cover olllya f.v progr:.-o.. liot aurpd.iDgl:r,. .. ! have alr.acSy ob.one4,. the IlUllber of l...t «-"..loped couatde.,. i.at.act of c1ecreasingp haa iller....d ·.tea4lly - frOll 30 ia 1981 to 41 at pl"••eat. AI\cl tU boat of probl-. faciag thethat CDDDOt r.all.Ucal1y be .01ve4 tlaro. a pi.c....l approaCh baa alao iacr.a.ed. AD iatavrat.d approach with aD appropriate ••ttillg of prloritloa ie ther.for. DeCo••arr to cover all ••ctor. of tba .co~. fte bope of the le••t developed co_tri.. foll:' reU.f frOll ~.lr probl... 48pe84a 9r.atl~ oa the .toady aDd t~ly provl.ioD of .uffici.at additional r••ourc••• ~ ctr.....t OD the ... Progr... of Actioa at the S.cod Veit.d ••tiOD' Collf.r.aco OD the Leaet De,;,~lope4 COUJltri•• wag reach.d 0. the fim baala of the Geaeral Aa• .ably,. OD Iatel'aatioaal leo~e Co-operatioa,. in particular the ••vitaU..atioD of the IcoDOlll•• of the DtDveloplDCJ CCUIltrie.. Th1. IMclaratioa ha. aow bHa reiaforced by the adoptioa by tbe b.Clilbly'll M loc COMitt•• of (:he tfhol. of tM lat.ratioaal DeveloPHat Stratecw for the Fourth V!Jait.c1 .atioa. DevttlopMDt Decade.. To facUitAte the l'ea1batioa of the obi.eti"s ia the ... Plrogr_ of Actioa for the r.••t Develop&cJ Couatri••,. it 1. lapol"taDt that the ca.titMnt. coataiaed 1. the.. two coa.oasus doC~Dt. ehoulcJ be fully t.pl....t.d. It i. IIJ' c1elegatloft'. hope that,. i••&UtlOIl to the attai..at of the t.rget. of cJevotili9 0.15 per c.at ad 0 ~ 2 "1' coat of the gro.. a.tio..l procluct of the ia4uetrlalia04 couatrJ.. to official deve1o,...t •••i.taac. to the l.a.t 4...10,.4 coutrio.,. other opa11y lllportut .a.ur•• wU1 bo Wl4ertatel1 by ~. la4ustria1i••a couatrl... !be.e iaclude caDcell1ag all official developmeat ...lataace dabt8 of the l•••t dsvelope4 couatr!.. aDd,. .0 fal' ae po.eible,. th.ir DOa-cODc•••ioaal debt a. veil. Measur•• at.e4 at alleviating the «-bt-••rvlc. obligatioa. of .the 1••at d.veloped countri.. to .ultilateral fiDaDclal iDatltutloD. also need to be undertaken all 11 natter of urgencJ'. In th!a couect!oD" it should be noted that the leallt developed COUDtri•• • oUiltan411lg' obligations to the International MOn.ta~ Fund and the Wor14 Bank in thair total debt burden have become more onerous, aDd the effects of the Dev soft-term support facilities in favour of low-income countriee, structural adjustment facility and enhanced structural adjustment facility have Dot been very significant. All thelia measure~ are spelled out in the new Pli:'ogrU1R8 of Ae~ioD adopted in Pads. It is important that all parties cODcerned include those measures in their own programmes for implementation. My dolegation i. aware of the fact that the least developed countries thelllselvo= are pr~rily responsible for their own development. %h.se countries are eager to break their vicious cycle of poverty in order to achieve sustained economic growth ao4 devalopNent for improving the living standards of their people. It i8 unreali.tle, however.. to e~ct th••• countries to continue carrying out painful policy reform. which are no~ coveli:'ed by adequate resources. 'Ihe support of the internatioDal co.-unity for the 5fforts of the lea.~ developed countries will onllur. their political all well as economic IItability and thus Ultimately help to promote world peace and security. The challeng.1I ahead are fonldBble,· but Dot insuE'lllOuntable. With proper co-ordination through this body, involving all the partiell concerned, it is poeaible to overcome th. prevaillDq eDdemic development crisis in the least developod countries and to bring about an iMprovement in their .ocio-economic situation, elloving for the el!ri1ination of poverty aud the li:'aisin9 of the living standards of the people of those countrle••* * The Pre.ident returned to the Chair• Mr, HcLEM (Canada): Last September I had the honour to lead Canada's delegation to the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Paris. For me this was an honour and an opportunity to continue my interest in and concern for the developing world. I started ~ professional lifo living and working for five years in Nigeria and have retained a lasting affection for the African continent. The Conference in Paris was therefore an occasion for me to renew friendships with leaders from Africa and around the world. It vas also an opportunity to share in efforts to convey the urgency of the situation in the least developed countries, so many of them African, as the representative of Tanzania has jU3t reminded us. The Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries was an important meetinq. First, it was an opportunity for leaders and Governments around the world to reaffirm their ccn~itment to the process of development and to the eradication of poverty in the least developed countries. DGspite the crisis in the Gulf region which at times seemed to overshadow the Conference, Governments recognized that official development assistance plays an essential role for the least developed countries and that its amount should be substantially increased. Secondly, Gove~nmenta from all parts of the globe agreed by consensus to a programme of action. This Programme sets out the bro&d policy directions covering important subjects, such as macro-economic policy, structural adjustment, enterprise and market-based reforms, and environmental degradation. Governments agreod also on specific measures needed in health, education, agriculture and nutrition. Thirdly, after much discussion~ consensus was reached on measures required to be taken by and for the debt-distressed countries among the least developed countries in order to tackle this onerous burdsn and so contribute to the restoration of economic health. Suggestions were m&de on specific measures. The.e are being discussed in the relevant bodies, including the Paris Club. For ezemple, Canada has worked and "Ul continue to work with other GoverlUlllnta towards reachil1Cj agreement 0 \ additional measures of debt relief for those eligible for the Toronto Terms. Finally, and this Is perhaps the single most important result, participants in the Conference affirmed the importance of democratic freedoms and institutions in the development process. Throughout the document, it is recogniaed that it ia only with democratic institutions and freedomB, only with effective and accountable Government administration, and only with a fair 'udiciary that individuals and communities will be able to seize opportunities and develop their potential. In preparation for the Second United Nations Development Conferencl on the Least Developed Countries, the United Nations Development Programme (UHDP) prepared a booklet entitled "Human development in the least developed countries". This booklet prese~ted very stark statistics concerning the least developed countries. It conveyed the magnitude of the task before us. Several statistics illustrate what must he done. StrikiDg and devastatinCJ are the figur~8 on gross national product ~ CAPita. In 1987, for example, the average »,r CAPita gross national product of the least developed countries waa leas than 3 per cent of that of the Induatrlali••d countries. In 1907, the gross national product »gr capita averaged '300, whereas the same figure for the industrialized countries wall '10,7&0. Whatever we may say about development being a cencept broader than simple economics, the fact remains that, without continuous and significant ecoDomic growth, poverty will Dot be eradicated in the least developed countries. Without growth, for example, Goveruments do not have sufficient revenues to deliver basic human rights to food security, to health and to education• The next statistic I wish briefly to discuss relates female literacy to population growth. A fascinating chart produced by UNDP shova that there is a clear lint between these two facto~8, especially when literacy rates exceed 50 per cent. For example 8 as female literacy rates approach 80 per cent, population growth drops to around 2 per cent; whereas in countries with female literacy rates of only 20 par cent, population growth levels reach 3 per cent. We cannot ignore the fact that women have special needs and problems. Thesereguire urgent attention, and efforts devoted to these problems will also have significant benefits for others; think of their children, their families. Human rtisource development must be central to the development process. Aa the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh stated here a few momsnts ago, " ••• men and women are the essential resources and beneficiaries of the development process." (sypn,. p. 31) Women play a vital role, for example, in the all-important agricultural sector. Yesterday the former Foreign Minister of Ghana, Mrs. Gloria Nikoi, spoke here at the United Nations at the Fifth Symposium for Advocates for African Food Security, which highlighted women's initictives. She urged that the invisible work of women be recognized and that they be full partners in programme planning processee. She stressed the urgent D~ed for small loans to be made available for ~ural women, who are the major food producers. The UNDP booklet on Human Development in the Least Developed Countries, to which I referred earlier, sets forth the policy options which face these countries. While similar in many re8pects, the differences among the least developed countries are quite large~ For example, Malawi and Botswana spend more than double the least developed countries average OD health as a percentage of gross national product. Somalia, M5uritania GDd Yemen stand out for their relatively high expenditures on education. Finally, let me note, as a sad commentary, that during the past 30 years military expenditures, expressed as a percentage of gross national product, doubled amoDg all least developed countries. Amonq developing countries as a whole, military expenditures rel~tive to the gross national product also increased. But for this larger group it rose by 25 per cent instead of the 100 per cent by which it rose for the least developed countries. In industrialized countries, on the other hand, military expenditures declined as a percentage of gross national product. In the midst of tragic human need, the rapid growth in military expenditures of the least developed countries are clearly unjustified. Security must be found in non-military means so that precious funds can be released for people programmes. I have highlighted these statistics because they express and underline one of the prime lessons that I drew from the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, that is, that whatever the amount of resources available, even if they are few, we can make choiceu. These choices affect the lives of our people for better or for worse. These policy choices are the fundamental building blocks for a better future. They are choices upon which freedom from poverty and disease can be built. It is surely incumbent on us all to choose wisely. The resources available must be deployed in an effective manner. (Mr. "eLOine CGIladA) Canada will continue to place the highest priority in.its development assistance programme OD the aeeds of the poorest people, and in particular those in the least deyeloped countries. We w1l1 continue to target 0.15 per cent of gross national product for these countries in support ofth~ir effective efforts. We . ~ '. will provide help to countries undertaking necessa~ econ~mlc refotms. We will help build schools, clinics and roads. We will help when natural or other disasters threaten the survival of your peoples. lwd 'ife will work with your Governments, the international community and iaterested individuals to implement the Programme of Action for the comi~g decade. Tbe meeting rose at 1.15 p.m.