A/51/PV.52 General Assembly

This morning the General Assembly will first turn its attention to the question of documentation for the election of members of the International Law Commission. As announced at our previous meeting, I should like to consult the Assembly on a matter regarding the election of members of the International Law Commission to be held on Monday, 11 November. On that day, the Assembly will proceed to the election of 34 members of the Commission whose term of office is to commence on 1 January 1997. It should be recalled that, in accordance with the statute of the International Law Commission, the Secretary-General communicated to the Governments of Member States, in document A/51/177, the list of candidates submitted within the required time for the submission of nominations — that is, by 1 June 1996. The statements of the qualifications of the candidates are contained in document A/51/178. Subsequent to that date, the Secretary-General received additional information concerning candidates as well as new candidatures. The names of these new candidates and additional information are to be found in documents A/51/177/Add.1-6 and A/51/178/Add.1. Under these circumstances, it is necessary for the General Assembly to take a decision as to whether these new candidatures should be accepted in spite of the submission of their names subsequent to the deadline and whether they should be incorporated into a consolidated list of candidates. It has been the practice of the Assembly to incorporate such late submissions into a consolidated list. If I hear no objection, I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to request the Secretary-General to issue such a consolidated list of candidates.

The consolidated list of candidates will be issued as document A/51/653. Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s Report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (A/51/48) Report of the Secretary-General (A/51/228 and Add.1)

Allow me first of all to thank Ambassador Hisashi Owada, Permanent Representative of Japan and Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, for the successful conduct of the review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). We also thank the other members of the Bureau — namely the representatives of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Gabon and Guyana — and, indeed, all the delegations whose active participation helped to enliven the debate on African development and thus made an invaluable contribution to the review process. The social, economic and political circumstances and conditions in which African countries find themselves today, the loaded agenda for international cooperation for development, and the ongoing efforts to define a people- centred and environmentally acceptable road to economic growth and development, among other factors, lend a high degree of complexity to a process such as the one that has just been completed. The outcome of such a process, therefore, will necessarily be a mixed bag that attempts to respond to the expectations of all. It is with these considerations in mind that Uganda welcomes and endorses the outcome of the mid-term review of UN-NADAF. The conclusion of the mid-term review, in a nutshell, is that UN-NADAF remains largely unimplemented and that the socio-economic conditions that prompted the launching of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development in 1986 and the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s have persisted. Nevertheless, there has been some progress towards economic recovery, gross national The New Agenda expires in the year 2001. The most optimistic assessment and projection would have to conclude that it is not possible to deliver on all the commitments undertaken by Africa and the international community in UN-NADAF. The approach of the mid- term review was to identify the key critical areas and to make concrete recommendations on what tangible actions can be undertaken in the five remaining years. We believe this is a practical approach. However, contingent upon the final evaluation in the year 2002, we might have to seriously chart the course beyond this decade. In doing this, we will have to take due cognizance of the programmes of action of the major international conferences and summits held so far. These global conferences have increased awareness of the fundamental relationships between peace, development, environmental sustainability, social equity and justice as well as between participation, good governance and democracy. Most African countries have accepted these basic paradigms that must inform sustainable development. At the global level, the international community must match this renewed awareness with action consistent with the commitments entered into at the conferences. This is not only a moral imperative, but good common sense in a world that is increasingly without boundaries and in which our destinies are inextricably interlinked. We applaud the commitment undertaken at the mid- term review to effect urgent measures to accelerate the implementation of UN-NADAF. In order to translate this commitment into programmes, it is necessary to reinvigorate the follow-up arrangements for the implementation of the New Agenda. At the national level, it is necessary that Governments work hand in hand with the United Nations system and the donor community to integrate these undertakings into the country cooperation frameworks. At the regional level, the Economic Commission for Africa must ensure that the undertakings in the areas of subregional and regional cooperation and integration are promoted through essential transport, communication and trade projects, among others. At the

What is happening in Africa? In 1960 the future belonged to it. The energy and pride of the new generation ready to take matters in hand seemed to guarantee an economic and social development that would be worthy of its ancient and numerous peoples. In 1990, social upheaval, AIDS, debt, lack of investment, poverty, unemployment and the decline of the social fabric and of democracy seemed too widespread to be mere side-effects of a development process that was slow to materialize. The end of apartheid in South Africa seemed to offer a new impetus, together with other events in Africa. I remember how moved I was when that great country resumed its seat in the General Assembly in June 1994 and, speaking on behalf of the Western European and other States, I had the great privilege of welcoming it here. As my colleague from Canada, Mr. Fowler, pointed out at yesterday afternoon’s meeting, in 1996 the recovery of Africa is very much on the agenda. African leaders are increasingly embracing democratic practices; they are aware of the requirements of economic pragmatism to bring their countries out of the tunnel. The time for idealistic optimism is over in Africa; now is the time for optimism driven by will. The time of major programmes and major financing has passed. In Africa now, the time has come for targeted programmes and effective and responsible economic and fiscal policies. However, the Principality of Andorra, a small State with limited resources, has a feeling of solidarity with Africa. We are very close, just across the Mediterranean. Above all, we are convinced that the development of the world depends on the development of Africa. Shame on humanity if the twenty-first century sees the collapse of Africa. Andorra contributes what it can to the development of the continent. Andorran doctors and nurses are working there in cooperation programmes. Andorran teachers are training young Africans; for example, our Ambassador in Paris, Madame Mateu, has often spoken to me of the years The report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s calls for strengthening education systems by improving basic skills for further learning and expanding educational opportunities for all, particularly girls and women. We might reflect on the fact that in the developing countries, where 84 per cent of the world’s population between 15 and 24 years of age lives, more than 100 million new jobs need to be created in the next two decades to absorb the growing numbers of active young people. These young people need to be given the necessary means to contribute to the development of their countries. First of all, they need to be trained for the jobs and professions required to relaunch their countries’ economies, which calls for a clear analysis and development strategies at both the State level and also — very important — the local community level. The schools and universities must, then, through their teaching, propagate the primacy of the universal human rights of men and women, as provided in Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the spirit of democracy. At the Social Summit in Copenhagen, the Principality of Andorra advocated one of the commitments, on dialogue between generations. It considers that a true partnership must be forged between the young and older people in order to ensure that the African heritage is passed on intact and at the same time to foster the ideas that can guide Africa to success in the twenty-first century.

I welcome the opportunity to address the Assembly on the important item entitled “Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s”. The development of Africa has, for the last decade been a preoccupation in the work of this Assembly, from the special session in 1986 which adopted the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development to the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) today. While such efforts have been expanded to address Africa’s development problems, the circumstances that led to the Although Africa faces enormous problems, it has the potential for growth and development. That is why it has embarked on an ambitious reform process aimed at harnessing that potential and in the full recognition that its development is, in the final analysis, its own responsibility. In that regard the continent has seized the challenge and African countries have committed themselves to implement policies and programmes aimed at creating an environment conducive to growth and development. This has enabled Africa to halt the deteriorating trend and in many cases to register modest growth. This is but the beginning, which can only be sustained if there is a supportive international environment in terms of increased financial resources and other mechanisms. Increased resources are critical if the process of reform and restructuring is to be sustained. We need this particularly because progress in Africa is beneficial not only to the African people. Given the interdependence of the world’s economies, the whole of mankind stands to benefit from such progress. This has been duly recognized in the New Agenda. Needless to say, the report of the Ad Hoc Committee for the mid-term review of UN-NADAF which is before us also attests to this point. We believe that for Africa’s development efforts to be meaningful, there is a need for the international community to come together in partnership with Africa to address, in a comprehensive manner, the problems facing the continent and to find lasting solutions. There is also an urgent need to review the determination and commitment to implement UN-NADAF so as to enable Africa to achieve social and economic development goals. In that regard, we welcome the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. We hope that the Initiative will provide an additional impetus for the operationalization of UN-NADAF. One of the steps that can facilitate the realization of the goals and objectives of UN-NADAF is to address the debt burden of most African countries. Africa’s external indebtedness increased from $300 billion in 1991 to $322 billion in 1995, an 8 per cent increase over four years. With such an unsustainable level of external indebtedness, it is obvious that any efforts undertaken to generate capital needed for development will not succeed. Therefore, in addition to the significant steps taken by the creditors to As we enter the sixth year of UN-NADAF implementation, the gap between Africa and the developed countries continues to widen. This is manifested in increasing levels of poverty, declining terms of trade, declining levels of official development assistance, lack of progress in the transfer of technology, and, above all, in the downgrading of the issue of development from its priority place on the international agenda. In this context, it is our view that for Africa’s development efforts to bear fruit, there is an urgent need to create a conducive international environment that would include a substantial increase in official development assistance. Commodity trade remains the major source of earnings in all African countries. In this regard, the impact of the implementation of the Uruguay Round — considered a landmark in world trade — on countries in Africa is still ambiguous, particularly in the areas of market access, agriculture and the erosion of preferential treatment for Africa’s commodity exports. As we move to implement the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules relating to commodities, there remains a pressing need, at least in the transitional stage, to safeguard the preferential treatment that Africa enjoyed under the Lomé Convention. This would enable Africa to adjust to economic diversification, which it must do if it is to build its competitiveness in world markets. The forthcoming ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization, scheduled for December 1996 in Singapore, will be another opportunity to monitor and review the Uruguay Round’s impact on countries in Africa. The Singapore meeting should not, therefore, be used to address new issues. While some of these issues may be legitimate, we believe that there are other competent bodies within the United Nations system that can address them more comprehensively than the rule- setting mechanism of the WTO. We therefore hope that the Singapore meeting will be allowed to devote full attention to the review of the implementation process of the Uruguay Round agreements. This is all the more necessary when we consider that Africa’s efforts to restructure and reform governmental laws and procedures in order to attract more foreign direct investment have not borne fruit. Indeed, the argument that By and large, Africa lacks the resources needed to undertake all the necessary restructuring and build an infrastructure that can attract and support sustained flows of foreign direct investment. Even in the rare cases where such infrastructure has been instituted, foreign direct investment has not been forthcoming, at least not at a rate and levels that could have a positive impact and enable Africa to make an economic turnaround. This is due partly to the hesitancy of investors to venture into new and untested markets, notwithstanding the statistical fact that the level of return on investments in Africa is one of the highest. But this hesitancy could be a result of deep-seated prejudices engendered by the propaganda that Africa is a continent in which instability and conflict are endemic. In some cases, conflicts have plagued individual African countries. But these are very few. We therefore hope that it will be possible for Africa’s development partners to assist in supporting UN-NADAF, both in the mobilization of the resources needed to set up the investment-sustaining infrastructure and in the sensitization process, and to cast away the negative images that stand in the way of increased flows of foreign direct investment. In conclusion, last September the General Assembly, through its Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole and under the able chairmanship of Ambassador Owada, concluded the mid-term review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. The outcome of this review reveals that many of the critical social and economic problems that led to the adoption of UN-NADAF in 1991 still exist. In some countries, the problems have worsened. The estimated resource mobilization levels in UN-NADAF are still far from being attained, and key development goals have yet to be met. In this regard, the mid-term review of the New Agenda reaffirms and underscores the mutuality of commitments and the need for Africa and the international community to take urgent and concrete action, as recommended in the review. The New Agenda is a framework for global partnership that needs our collective political will to work. We believe that with greater political will and determination, the recommendations contained in the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole will be implemented. The report of the Committee that is before us is testimony to the hard work, dedication and spirit of compromise of all the parties concerned — the African countries and the international community. Inevitably, the outcome in such circumstances is less than all may have wished. Nonetheless, the review does provide a solid basis for the accelerated implementation of the New Agenda and for strengthening the spirit of partnership and shared responsibility that has imbued it from the start. The task before us, however, is far from easy. As the review Committee itself has underlined, many of the critical social and economic problems that led to the adoption of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development in 1986 and of the New Agenda in 1991 still exist and, in some countries, have even worsened. To cite but one example of the challenges that lie ahead, it is reported that unless decisive action is taken to address the issue of food security, an estimated 700 million to 800 million people worldwide will remain chronically food-deprived by the year 2010. In sub- Saharan Africa alone, the number of people so affected is expected to rise to 300 million, or over half the total population of that region. The obstacles to food security are said to include inadequate agricultural production, high levels of population growth, limited resources and high rates of poverty and unemployment — all of which are expected to increase in sub-Saharan Africa — and budgetary constraints that adversely affect the development of physical infrastructure. As we have done on previous occasions, my delegation urges a strong response from the international community that is commensurate with Africa’s efforts to secure full food security. The timely opportunity of the World Food Summit, to be held in Rome later this month, to pledge full commitment to eliminating hunger from the My own country, Guyana, has long been pledged to supporting Africa’s efforts of economic recovery and development. This solidarity with the African people is born of the belief not only that they deserve our cooperation but also that their circumstances affect all of us in the developing world. We therefore stand on the side of African States in their current economic difficulties because we understand, and to a great extent share, some of the difficulties they now confront. The assessment of UN-NADAF, which was completed last September, afforded all countries, developed and developing, the opportunity to look in a balanced manner at ways in which their interests can be harmoniously reconciled for the benefit of both. It enabled us to reflect on the policies not only of Governments but also of the international institutions which give them advice. Donors and recipients together examined the adequacy and effectiveness of official development assistance. Equally, we attempted to measure the contribution that non- governmental organizations make in the development process, and sought to encourage them to take further initiatives of support. As we counselled then, we submit once again that it is advisable that we listen to Africa’s own views on the implementation of the New Agenda. We believe the African people are the best judges of the situation and are therefore most able to say what else needs to be done. On the basis of this approach and a frank, constructive analysis of the records, we have striven to recognize the positive achievements, to demonstrate the courage to admit our failures and to devise new strategies for accomplishing our goals. Having identified these obstacles, which continue to frustrate progress, and wherever possible having made firm recommendations for overcoming them, we must now swiftly implement the actions necessary to give effect to those recommendations. The deposit of the fiftieth instrument of ratification of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, almost immediately in the wake of the review is a welcome development. Full support by the international community is essential in order to operationalize its provisions. I am pleased to announce May I say in closing that UN-NADAF is linked to the broader Agenda for Development which we are in the process of negotiating. The lessons drawn from the review will benefit not only Africa but the entire international community. We must now turn our full attention to the expeditious implementation of the New Agenda. With renewed effort, we believe that the African predicament can be significantly alleviated, if not solved, by the end of the next decade.

We are gathered here once again to discuss the economic situation in Africa, but one must wonder what there is to be said or done. This being a debate on the development of Africa, the delegation of Senegal considers that everything, or practically everything, has already been said. The analysis has been made, the goals have been set and the means to achieve them have been identified. More than ever before, the time for professions of faith is definitely behind us; the time has come for action. Only a few weeks ago, the mid-term review of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) allowed us to measure the remarkable progress achieved by African countries at the political, economic and social levels to create and strengthen the conditions necessary for sustained economic growth and sustainable development in the continent. This progress is all the more significant as it has taken place at an accelerated pace over a relatively short period of time and despite an international economic environment that is unfavourable in many respects. While Africa has done everything possible to meet its commitments since the establishment of UN-NADAF, the facts show that the international community has yet to shoulder its part of the responsibilities under UN-NADAF. Whereas a minimum of $32 billion was required to implement the programme, official development assistance, paradoxically, has fallen to all- time lows. Despite the policies of liberalization and fiscal reforms, the flow of private capital towards Africa is still too weak. In this regard, the report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Likewise, in a document on the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa issued in March this year (E/ECA/CM.22/5), the Secretary-General emphasized that Africa is the only region in the world where poverty is expected to increase during this decade — the very decade dedicated to the elimination of poverty. Now is not the time for promises but for action. The failure five years ago of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development (UNPAAERD) should serve as a lesson and warning. Our recent past shows that whenever the international community has shown its will to do something, it has met the challenges of situations more demanding in terms of financial resources than UN-NADAF. It is the profound conviction of my delegation and, no doubt, of all other African delegations that our continent does not want to be enclosed within the vicious circle of assistance and debt. On the contrary, what Africa expects from its partners is the opening of real opportunities so that it can take its place in the world trade and economic system. The definitive settlement of the debt crisis, assistance in the diversification of commodities in Africa and the lifting of customs barriers and other protectionist measures which hinder access of our products to external markets are measures which could help us in our development efforts. Africa is a continent with enormous potential. Its recovery and economic growth would be a factor in stimulating the world economy. It is only with a true spirit of solidarity, complementarity and partnership that the goals of UN-NADAF can be achieved. This is how my delegation views and supports the draft resolution before us. In conclusion, my delegation wishes to congratulate His Excellency Ambassador Owada of Japan for his personal efforts and those of his Government and for the extraordinary work accomplished in the mid-term review UN-NADAF. We also wish to thank and congratulate the other leaders of the Ad Hoc Committee.

While the mid-term review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) might have given hope for an improved socio-economic situation, it has, among others things, raised concern about Africa’s development What is needed now, therefore, is not only an analysis of the well-known socio-economic problems that confront Africa, but also a process for implementing the recommendations made during the mid-term review, so as to complement Africa’s efforts in forging ahead with its own development. It is in this context that my delegation welcomes the outcome of the mid-term review, including the Secretary- General’s report, contained in document A/51/228/Add.1, on estimates of projected resource requirements. We also express our thanks and appreciation to the officers of the Ad Hoc Committee for their efforts in steering the deliberations to a fruitful conclusion. On general resource mobilization, the mid-term review identified the factors that impede Africa’s achievement of development objectives. Among other facts, the Secretary-General’s report reiterates, and rightly so, that exports from Africa cannot penetrate projected markets due to the obstacles that have been created. Furthermore, the agricultural policies of the industrialized countries tend to depress the world market prices of food products. Indeed, the need for increased mobilization of resources for the successful implementation of UN-NADAF cannot be overemphasized. How can Africa mobilize domestic financial resources when public savings on the whole have fallen below the 1990 level, when most of the countries are experiencing a serious decline in their terms of trade, and when their need to borrow far outweighs their capacity to pay? These are just a few of the questions we hope the mid-term review has enabled us to pose. We believe it is crucial, therefore, inter alia, to address obstacles to Africa’s trade performance in a holistic manner, including ensuring increased preferential access to developed country markets for African commodities. Africa’s efforts in the area of commodity diversification need to be supported, as do the physical and institutional It has been said time and again that political instability in Africa — which does not include the whole of Africa — is among the factors that are to blame for Africa’s underdevelopment. We agree with that premise, for we fully recognize the link between peace and development. However, indications are that foreign direct investment has been selective, concentrating on those industries with the highest rate of return despite prevailing political instability. It would be misleading to paint an overall gloomy picture of the economic situation of Africa. Some countries, including Namibia, have managed to attract some degree of foreign direct investment since 1991. On the whole, however, the trend has been negative, especially for the least developed countries. In a word, the few success stories in Africa have been overshadowed by the overall economic decline, and if this trend continues the performance of countries with modest economic growth may even drop below the current growth rate. Africa’s debt is said to be lowest in volume of all developing countries; but on the contrary, our inability to pay is the greatest. We need therefore to re-examine the shortcomings of the measures undertaken so far to address Africa’s debt, for the issue is not how much we owe, but our ability to pay and what the alternatives are. We need lasting development-oriented solutions to Africa’s debt problems. We urge the international community to implement its commitment to allocate 0.7 per cent of gross national product to official development assistance. Furthermore, we believe implementation of the 20/20 initiative, first embraced by Africa during the International Conference on Assistance for African Children, held in 1992, complements our partnership in the implementation of UN-NADAF. We therefore welcome the outcome of the Oslo meeting on 20/20 and call on the donor community to assist countries implementing the 20/20 initiative. The United Nations is centrally located to give the outcome of the mid-term review the widest possible publicity among the heads of the agencies and institutions of the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, and among the donor community. This would contribute, we believe, to maximizing resource mobilization. Let me conclude by reiterating that, while it is now in the interest of the African people for Africa to develop, in the long term, the world will be at risk if Africa continues to be marginalized.

I would like to congratulate Ambassador Owada of Japan and the other officers on their efforts in completing the work of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. The outcome of that review is now before us. While it made a realistic assessment of the current situation, it was not able to progress as far as we would have liked in terms of international cooperation to support Africa’s efforts. Further measures will be required in the areas of financial flows, trade access and technology transfers if the national efforts being made in Africa are to achieve the desired results. The deteriorating economic situation of the African continent has for a considerable period engaged the attention of the world. Indeed, it has been prominent on the agenda of the United Nations since the early 1990s. India’s ties with the nations of the African continent are deep and mutually enriching. For us, this valuable relationship dates back to the years of our independence movement. It was on African soil that the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, started his non-violent, passive resistance movement against racial discrimination and exploitation, as a precursor to our national struggle. India struggled side by side with African nations against colonialism. At the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi in March 1947, even before India had attained political freedom, our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, declared that India’s freedom would remain incomplete until the whole of Africa was free. India’s support of subsequent efforts of African countries to achieve economic development is rooted in our long-standing friendship with the people of Africa, and in our commitment to South-South cooperation and to the cause of the economic and social development of African countries. This support has manifested itself in tangible terms. Aside from supporting Africa’s aspirations and endeavours in multilateral forums, we have shared our experiences, resources and capabilities through a high- quality technical and economic cooperation programme. It was at India’s initiative that the Action for Resisting Invasion, Colonialism and Apartheid (AFRICA) Fund was established by the Non-Aligned Movement to provide project aid and other technical assistance to the front-line States in various critical areas. By 1992, the AFRICA Fund had disbursed up to $500 million in such assistance. Our active cooperation with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is yet another expression of our desire to be a partner in development efforts in Africa. Beyond our close bilateral relations with all African countries, we have maintained close links with African regional organizations, including the Organization of African Unity, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the SADC and the Economic Community of West African States. In February 1996, the India International Centre in New Delhi organized a three-day conference entitled “Understanding Contemporary Africa: India and South- South Cooperation”, which attracted participation from the majority of African countries and regional organizations. India also participated in the partners meeting of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, in April 1996. India has sought to participate in economic endeavours in Africa through, inter alia, the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC). We have interacted with many countries in Africa through technical assistance in the form of execution of projects, extension of Africa is the principal beneficiary of these programmes, and in 1995/96 roughly 6 per cent of the technical assistance rendered by India under the ITEC programme went to countries of the African continent. We have cooperated with our brothers and sisters in Africa for decades, since our own independence. Our programmes of cooperation with African countries have a long history, rooted in the anti-colonial struggles of the African people and their quest for economic growth and development. There is little doubt that Africa will require considerable support from the international community in order to achieve its basic development goals. Economic reforms and structural adjustment programmes must be dovetailed with international support for measures aimed at encouraging agricultural and rural development, food security, investment promotion and integrating population trends with development. African economies will also need catalytic support from external variables, in terms of additional resource flows, better terms of trade for commodities, diversification of production and trade and enhanced foreign direct investment. Debt reduction and rescheduling measures are also an inalienable part of this strategy. The measures so far agreed to in the mid-term review will need to be considerably enhanced. In conclusion, I should like to reiterate the fact that consensus on the urgency of programmes for the economic development of Africa already exists. We are

May I join those who have spoken before me to congratulate the President once again on his unanimous election to preside over this year’s session. Already his diplomatic skills have confirmed our conviction that he will be able to guide our deliberations to a successful conclusion. We extend our felicitations to the other members of the Bureau. We fully associate ourselves with the statement of the Group of 77 and China made yesterday by my colleague, the representative of Costa Rica. We welcome the reports of the Secretary-General on the “Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s” contained in document A/51/228 and its addendum. We agree that the economic and social crisis facing the African continent since the early 1980s has continued unabated up to today. Despite modest achievements attained in some parts of the continent, the general trend and overall outlook remain bleak. Indeed, the structural constraints to growth have continued, and the social situation, as shown by the declining trends in all the major social indicators, especially the increase in poverty, has continued to give rise to concern. The recently held mid-term review of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) clearly revealed that there is a long way to go towards the realization of the New Agenda. The report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Review gives insights into the areas which both the African countries and the international community need It is estimated in the New Agenda that a minimum of $30 billion in official development assistance was required in 1992 to achieve an average annual growth rate of real gross national product of at least 6 per cent in African countries over the course of the 1990s. And after that year, official development assistance would need to grow at an average rate of 4 per cent per annum. The mid-term review has revealed that official development assistance stood at $26.4 billion in 1995. External indebtedness rose from $300 billion in 1991 to $322 billion in 1995. We note with serious concern that the African share of world trade has declined during the period under review to 2.2 per cent. This is despite the preferential access to major world markets which African products have. In addition, the impact on the African countries of the outcome of the Uruguay Round agreement on multilateral trade is not fully clear. It is recognized, though, that the least developed countries and the non- food-importing developing countries — in particular those in Africa — may experience transitional costs arising from the loss of preferences in the European Community. The diversification of African economies remains an important element in the New Agenda. Most African economies rely on a few primary commodities for much of their export earnings. These are adversely affected by fluctuations in the demand and prices of the primary commodities. Most African Governments have embraced their share of responsibility in the New Agenda. It is noted that in the two major areas of macroeconomic reform and good governance, considerable progress has been attained by a number of countries. The liberalization of domestic prices and external trade, coupled with improvements in finance management through improved methods of accounting have, among other things, resulted in a drop in the number of countries that experienced negative growth from 19 in 1992 to four in 1995. The Secretary-General’s report points out, though, that human resources in many African countries remain inadequately developed, as is evident from the limited access of the population to education at all levels and to health care and other social services. High levels of unemployment and underemployment, particularly among the youth and women, are the other indicators. In my country, Malawi, a critical range of policy initiatives have been embarked upon to ensure compliance with the major pillars of the Agenda. Important among these are good governance and adherence to structural reforms as agreed with the Bretton Woods institutions. As regards good governance, Malawi’s first democratically elected Government took power in 1994 on the premise of empowerment of the people, justice for all and respect for human rights. In the realm of structural reforms to the economy, which have resulted in some recovery in economic activity, with real gross domestic product growth averaging some 10 per cent in 1995 and 1996, the Government has also been steadfast. The reforms have included the liberalization of crop production and marketing. Happily, to a large extent, the major beneficiaries have been small farmers. Further, inflation has decelerated sharply, from 98 per cent in 1995 to less than 30 per cent by the end of 1996. Indeed, cumulative inflation in the first months of 1996 suggests that a further drop is more than likely to be achieved in 1997. This development is very important because inflation affects hardest those with low incomes. Therefore, the sharp decline in inflation not only helped to establish a more stable environment for economic activity, but also contributed to the Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty. Malawi has seen significant progress toward improving the living conditions of the ordinary citizen, as evidenced by the many policy initiatives adopted in the past two years, including the reform of the agricultural system which has improved life in the rural areas. In addition, these efforts have benefited from assistance from international It is accepted, however, that the economic situation remains fragile in Malawi. Continued fiscal discipline and a deepening of structural reforms are necessary to consolidate the gains achieved thus far and to make further progress. Increased international support will therefore continue to be needed for us to continue on this trend. As my Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the Assembly in his statement of 9 October 1996, in his remarks on UN-NADAF, I wish, once again, to underscore this view. We wish to reiterate the view that for the success of UN-NADAF, all of us need to rededicate ourselves and our commitment to the programme. While African countries are doing all they can, donor countries too need to support those efforts meaningfully with increased resources. Finally, we wish to thank the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee, Ambassador Owada of Japan, whose typically Japanese application to practical ideas is beginning to filter through to development projects in Africa. We consider his work to have been one of the great contributions made this year to the mid-term review of the New Agenda.

My delegation is pleased to participate in the general debate on agenda item 44 entitled “Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s”. We associate ourselves with the statement made yesterday by the representative of Cameroon in his capacity as representative of the current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on behalf of the African Group. My delegation also fully supports the statement made on this agenda item by the representative of Costa Rica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, which was born out of a desire to assist Africa in overcoming its difficulties of economic underdevelopment, is founded on the principle of cooperation and shared responsibility between Africa and the international community. The Agenda provides for specific goals and targets to be implemented within the programme period from 1991 to the year 2001. UN-NADAF should therefore be seen as a framework of consensus and partnership between Africa and the international community aimed at stimulating initiatives towards Africa’s socio-economic development. Towards this end the New Agenda, which built on the frustrations of the earlier United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development (1986-1990), set out in definitive terms a global compact of intent between Africa and the United Nations system on the one hand and between Africa and the international community on the other. In particular, the developed countries and the donor community were to support and assist Africa’s efforts in implementing the Agenda with a view to accelerating the economic growth of African countries. In our view, and as is clearly evident, the envisaged objectives of the Agenda are yet to be achieved minimally — even five years after adopting the New Agenda in 1991 — owing to lack of political will by the international community. I must hasten to add here that the international community goes beyond Western Europe and the donor community to include other regions of the world, the Bretton Woods institutions and non-governmental organizations. The experience of the mid- term review was a painful reminder that this fact was not fully recognized or accepted by all concerned. Mindful of the fact that Africa’s socio-economic development is, in the first instance, a primary responsibility of Africans themselves, many African countries — including my own country — Nigeria, have continued since the mid-1980s to pursue and implement economic reform measures in the context of structural Africa on its own has put a lot of store on the importance and continuing validity of economic integration within the framework of South-South cooperation. In this context, and as envisioned in the Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community which entered into force in May 1994, African countries remain committed to the idea of subregional and regional economic cooperation as the defining pillars of economic emancipation and growth of the African continent. Consequently, this has led to the formation of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC) and, in my own subregion, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). We believe that the creation of these entities will promote our regional and subregional integration and lead to the transformation of the African economies. In March 1995, in a further effort to meet the challenges of development in the continent, the African Ministers of Foreign Affairs adopted the Cairo Agenda for Action, which recognized the elements of democracy, good governance, peace and stability, security and social justice as necessary ingredients for socio-economic growth and sustainable development. It is true that Africa’s economy is essentially monocultural and agrarian, and for this reason many countries depend on primary commodities for their export earnings and the survival of their teeming populations. Confronted with the fluctuation of commodity prices in the world market, and with an external debt burden currently estimated at well over US $322 billion, the servicing of which consumes over 30 per cent of the continent’s export earnings, Africa’s capacity to undertake meaningful development is seriously undermined. By the same token, the continent is confronted with the challenges of infrastructural and institutional capacity- building, human resources development and the promotion These are issues of demand and supply economics that can only be sustained by an interplay of domestic capacity and external input. In this connection, and in order to enable African countries to achieve their development goals, there is an urgent need for the international community, in particular the developed countries, to respond concretely, in the spirit of cooperation and a New Partnership for Development, to Africa’s mobilization for development. Our development partners should see their way clear to support and be seen to be involved in the quest to diversify African economies through the establishment of a diversification fund and the mobilization of new and additional resources to assist in fulfilling the intent of the New Agenda. Although African countries in general, in the wake of the evolving trend towards globalization of the world economy, have introduced innovative and encouraging measures in order to promote investment opportunities, we note with disappointment the decline in the inflow of resources to the continent, not only of official development assistance but also of foreign direct investment. During the mid-term review of the New Agenda, a significant impression was conveyed and registered, namely that there was a lack of awareness of the programme. Besides, a negative attitude on the part of the international community has continued to persist to the effect that Africa has an unfavourable economic and investment potential. The point must be made here that such an attitude is not only dysfunctional and inaccurate but clearly negates the principle of cooperation, shared responsibility and partnership in development. In this connection, there is a need for the international community to recognize Africa’s enormous investment potential and highly profitable and favourable returns on investments. It is a continent which is replete with natural and human resources but needs the assistance and support of the international community in order to maximize the advantages in its march towards economic growth and sustained development. We encourage the international media to be constructive in their reporting and to move away from subjective and tendentious reporting, which delights in highlighting only the negative aspects of Africa’s investment profile and environment while playing down the positive aspects. Here the Department of Public Information of the United Nations Secretariat has a leading role to play and we encourage it to play that role. African countries recognize the need to promote economic cooperation with the developing countries in other regions in the context of South-South cooperation. We see the initiative of South-South cooperation as essential in the growing interdependence of economies. Africa recognizes the tremendous development effort that has been made by other developing regions, especially in Asia. We believe that shared experience between Asia and Africa can also enhance Africa’s endeavour in the realization of the perspectives of socio-economic development. In this regard, we welcome the establishment of the Africa-Asia Forum and urge it to act as a useful component in constructive dialogue for development and in implementation of UN-NADAF. The Nigerian delegation participated in the mid-term review of the implementation of UN-NADAF which took place here in New York from 16 to 20 September 1996, and we know that UN-NADAF had a poor record of implementation. This ought not to be. UN-NADAF was a voluntary global compact of intent and commitment on the part of Africa, the United Nations system and the international community to help Africa to escape from its socio-economic difficulties. It is only right that we should all deliver on our various commitments. Africa is by no means suggesting that the international community owes it a living. Primary responsibility for Africa’s development remains African. Africa must, therefore, not be prevented nor disabled from assuming that responsibility in the interest of its people. Africa is of course grateful to those countries that, in spite of their domestic difficulties and the need to pander or answer to the sensitivities of their parliaments or electorates, have managed to provide some assistance in the implementation of UN-NADAF. But Africa is not a charity case in which the donor-recipient syndrome can be allowed to perpetuate itself. UN-NADAF has five years to go. It is appropriate at this fifty-first session of the General Assembly, in the wake of the mid-term review of UN-NADAF, that there is a political message of renewal

In this post-cold-war era of economic globalization and interdependence, the issue of development has gained increasing prominence. A new environment has emerged in which the challenge of development can best be met by a global partnership between developed and developing countries. The Korean delegation therefore believes that the current mid-term review of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), one of the cornerstones of this new partnership, is both timely and important. We welcome the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole for the mid-term review of the implementation of UN-NADAF as highly comprehensive and constructive, and believe that it can serve as an excellent basis for our deliberations on this issue. In this respect, the Korean delegation wishes to commend the work of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole, conducted under the able leadership of Ambassador Hisashi Owada of Japan. The Korean delegation fully endorses the various recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee contained in document A/51/48. We would like to emphasize, however, certain points to which the Korean Government attaches special importance. First of all, we believe that what is needed now for the cause of development in Africa is the translation of commitments into action. Since the adoption of UN-NADAF in 1991, we have witnessed a growing awareness and recognition of Africa’s particular development needs, as evidenced by a series of encouraging recent events. The programmes of action of each of the major United Nations conferences in the 1990s have given new priority to the development of the African continent. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development-Development Assistance Committee report of May this year, entitled “Shaping the Twenty-First Century”, set out quantitative targets within prescribed time-frames, and the June 1996 economic communiqué of the Lyon Summit of the Group of Seven major industrialized countries called for a new partnership between developed and developing countries. African countries, for their part, have made substantial improvements in their overall economic performance. The Many African countries have also engaged in institutional reform aimed at democratization and economic liberalization. In the light of these positive developments on the part of both developed and developing countries, we believe that the time is ripe for the international community to do all it possibly can to promote the development of the African continent. My delegation hopes that the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee for the mid-term review of UN-NADAF, formulated on the basis of the specific needs of African countries, will be put into action without delay and will enjoy the full support of the international community. Secondly, we would like to emphasize that the United Nations system should play a greater role in achieving the goals of the New Agenda. All United Nations organizations and specialized agencies should incorporate the goals of UN-NADAF into the formulation and implementation of their programmes and projects, and better fund and coordinate their programmes that complement the goals of the New Agenda. In this respect the Korean delegation welcomes and fully supports the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, launched in March 1996, which should aim to provide practical proposals that reinforce the New Agenda. The initiative is all the more meaningful because of the active participation of the Bretton Woods institutions. We believe that the Special Initiative provides new momentum towards achieving the goals of UN-NADAF and should be an important practical step towards a more efficient implementation of the various programmes of action for Africa. Thirdly, my delegation wishes to underline the importance of South-South cooperation, which is clearly indispensable to the successful implementation of the New Agenda. It is our country’s sincere belief that South- South cooperation can provide a vital head start and lasting succour on the road to development. South-South cooperation, however, must be pursued not only bilaterally, but also in a multilateral context. The role of international organizations such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Fourthly, international cooperation should focus on priority needs, targeting the most pressing needs of the African people, and taking into account the fact that development resources are limited. In this regard, the Korean delegation believes that several issues deserve particular attention, namely public health, ensuring sanitary drinking water, agricultural development, the expansion of education for children and job training for city dwellers. The Republic of Korea has provided and will continue to provide various forms of assistance to African countries and to other developing countries. The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has extended technological assistance and sought to share with developing countries the experience accumulated in the course of our own economic development. African countries were recently made the priority recipients of KOICA’s technological and human resources assistance programmes. In addition to that, the Korea-Economic Commission for Africa Cooperation Fund, established last year, has been increased by 50 per cent in 1996. We have also decided to replenish the Korea Consultant Trust Fund in the World Bank, which also aims at sharing Korea’s experience and know-how with other developing countries. Korea stands ready, commensurate with its economic capabilities, to make even greater contributions to the development of African countries. Finally, the Korean delegation believes that Africa’s wealth of human and natural resources endow it with enormous potential, and that it is the urgent duty of the international community to help the people of Africa translate that potential into reality as soon as they possibly can. We hope that our deliberations under this agenda item will help to identify the best feasible method and means of achieving the goals of UN-NADAF and reinforcing the commitment of the international community to the cause of African development. Miss Durrant (Jamaica): I have the honour to speak on behalf of the delegation of Jamaica on agenda item 44, entitled “Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s.” My delegation wishes to associate itself with the statement We welcome the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), and wish to thank its Chairman, His Excellency Hisashi Owada, Permanent Representative of Japan, and the members of the Bureau for their leadership roles in guiding the work of the Ad Hoc Committee. The mid-term review allowed for a critical examination of the progress made in the implementation of the New Agenda. It also reaffirmed and underscored the mutuality of commitments and responsibilities and the need for the countries of Africa and the members of the international community to take action. The review also examined critical development issues affecting the implementation of the Agenda and recommended measures to accelerate its implementation in order to foster sustained economic growth and sustained development in Africa. Africa and its resources, notably its human resources, are of enormous potential; and the mid-term review afforded the opportunity for renewed commitment to the social and economic agenda of the continent. Most African countries have, for their part, consistently taken appropriate actions to promote development, including instituting political and economic reforms. Actions taken by African countries have been aimed at achieving real and sustainable economic growth through, inter alia, the improvement of public finance and management methods, and the enhancement of efficiency and transparency in tax systems. We note that in almost all countries, reform measures have been taken and continue to be pursued in order to liberalize domestic prices and external trade. We must recognize the efforts of some 35 countries to make monetary adjustments and of some 21 to improve public finance management. Regional and subregional economic cooperation and integration are other positive actions, with initiatives currently under way in northern, eastern and southern Africa. Other areas of focus include the stepping up of democratization; investment promotion; population and development; agriculture and food security, and South- South cooperation. As a developing country, Jamaica, like its African counterparts, recognizes the value of these initiatives and Jamaica has over the years expressed its solidarity with the African people, a solidarity that is born of a history of cordial and friendly relations with countries on the African continent. We took a strong stand in the fight against apartheid and rejoiced with Africa when that system saw its demise. We recall that in the 1950s, even while still a colony, Jamaica followed the lead of India and instituted a trade boycott against South Africa. As a country that has suffered under the heavy burden of external debt and the ensuing social and economic hardships resulting from structural adjustment, Jamaica is fully aware of the difficulties currently being confronted by our sister nations on the African continent. Africa’s external debt is now widely acknowledged to be unsustainable, and we must support the search for durable solutions. We note, for example, that African debt has risen from $289 billion in 1991 to over $314 billion by 1995. It is clear that something must be done. In order to achieve the major objectives of the New Agenda and the target growth rate of 6 per cent, the international community must accelerate its support to African countries in order to sustain the momentum leading to recovery and sustainable development in areas such as the further alleviation of the burden of external debt, the attraction of foreign private investment, increased official development assistance, trade facilitation and market access, and development assistance for capacity-building. UN-NADAF calls for a full partnership between Africa and the international community. There is indeed a strong case for increasing the volume and concessionality of development assistance to Africa. There is a need to further enhance and improve the quality of international support to Africa’s efforts in the 1990s. Measures that should be considered include rechannelling aid to Africa’s key development priorities; allocating resources to conflict prevention and reconstruction in post-conflict countries; and switching to non-debt-creating assistance. Africa’s efforts to address conflict prevention and resolution and post-conflict reconstruction should be incorporated into a more comprehensive and coordinated approach with the support of the relevant actors, including The success of the New Agenda lies in effective follow-up and monitoring at the global, regional and national levels. The United Nations system has a critical role to play in ensuring that this becomes a reality. The Agenda needs to be continuously promoted by the relevant United Nations institutions in the context of clear mandates and policy directions. Concrete ways must be found to advance the cause of African development and to ensure that implementation becomes a reality. While there has been progress in human, institutional and private sector development, success is contingent upon both the continued political will of African countries and the commitment of the international community. We are aware of the challenges as the African continent faces another five years of the New Agenda. One major challenge will be to marshal the massive sums needed to effectively implement the New Agenda. If Africa is to regain economic viability in the run-up to the new millennium, full and tangible support will be needed. International efforts will have to be channelled to focus on the well-articulated priorities of the African countries. Their own efforts at preventing and resolving conflicts will need to be further supplemented. The Government of Jamaica remains fully committed to supporting the efforts being undertaken to implement the New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s in the hope that this will contribute to the long- term development of our sister countries on the African continent.

I should like to inform the Assembly that the representative of Cuba has requested to participate in the debate on this item. Bearing in mind that the list of speakers was closed yesterday at 5 p.m., I should like to propose, if there is no objection, that this delegation be included on the list of speakers. It was so decided.

On behalf of the delegation of Egypt, I should like to thank the Secretary-General for his report on the mid-term Though the report truly reflects what has been achieved by the African States and the international community with regard to the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, it does not give a clear picture of the economic and social realities on the continent. I should like to thank Ambassador Owada, the Permanent Representative of Japan, for his work as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole for the mid-term review, which met last September. During the mid-term review of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), we agreed that the situation remained critical and we must step up our efforts for the development of the continent. We must work together at the national and international levels. We believe that responsibility for economic and social development lies primarily with the African States themselves. Africa will develop thanks to its peoples. Success will depend also on support for and the sustainability of those efforts. With a view to supporting the work done by African Governments in recent years, we draw attention to the difficult circumstances accompanying the implementation of UN-NADAF. Over the last few years and, indeed, right up to today there have been problems of refugees and conflict. There has also been an unfavourable economic climate in respect of the terms of trade and the foreign debt burden, and a drop in official development assistance. Despite that, African countries have taken major measures at the national level as a basis for consolidating democracy. They have also undertaken economic recovery and structural adjustment programmes. In the past 10 years, some encouraging figures have emerged, along with a more favourable climate for domestic and foreign investment. Moreover, the Abuja Declaration is now taking effect. In 1995 African Heads of State or Government adopted the Cairo Agenda for Action on revitalizing economic and social recovery in Africa. Africa has thus assumed an enormous responsibility for dealing with questions of security and stability within the continent, because those issues are so closely related to development. They have also established the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. In estimating the required resources, the Secretary- General has said that despite the efforts made by African States to improve their use of official development assistance, and despite efforts made by developed countries to help developing countries, since the early 1990s there has been a significant drop in official development assistance, to $20 billion, rather than the recommended $30 billion with an increase of 4 per cent yearly. Four years after the adoption of the New Agenda for the Development of Africa, targets for mobilizing resources for development have been only partially met, despite efforts by the countries themselves to implement economic and social reform measures. While some progress has been made in Africa in the last five years, this was due primarily to efforts made at the national level in African countries. Assistance by the international community has been below what is needed to support development in Africa, and has not been consonant with the goals set by the General Assembly, by consensus. Despite all this, during the mid-term review last September the African community took a very positive approach. They did not attempt to blame anybody; rather they tried to look to the future, seeking ways and means of encouraging cooperation between Africa and the international community. We believe that the African countries themselves are primarily responsible for their own development. They will have to use their own resources, but the unfavourable economic environment surrounding Africa, budgetary constraints and the reluctance of developed countries to help Africa are all obstacles to the financing and development of Africa. Most African States will be unable to implement the economic reforms which are essential to development unless more financial resources are made available both internally and externally. We have to avoid failure like that encountered earlier in respect of the United Nations It is essential that the international community make a collective endeavour to support the sincere efforts being made by African States. If we really wish to sustain the development of Africa we must move from words to action so that Africa can emerge from the vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment and develop at this most important crossroads on the path to the new millennium.

The delegation of Zambia would like to share its perspective on this important agenda item: the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). We are grateful to the Secretariat for the reports of the Secretary-General on this item. Our appreciation also goes to Ambassador Owada of Japan, who successfully presided over the mid-term review of UN-NADAF. We would like from the outset to reaffirm our support for the goals and objectives set in UN-NADAF and, indeed, the outcome of the mid-term review. We should collectively pursue them with a spirit of partnership, because they remain valid and vital to the sustainable development of Africa. Africa is still the region most in need of development assistance. This is likely to be the case for many years to come, given the high incidence of poverty in the region. In the first five years of UN-NADAF, Africa has experienced marginalization. Africa’s share of world trade, for example, has declined steadily, from 5 per cent in 1990 to 2.3 per cent in 1995. The results of the Uruguay Round are not expected to be positive for our continent, and my delegation hopes that terms of compensation will be specified for net losers in the Uruguay Round, as agreed at Marrakesh. Also regarding resource flows, net official development assistance declined from $25 billion in 1992 to $21.5 billion in 1995. External debt, estimated at $270 billion in 1990, reached $322 billion in 1995. Unless major debt reductions are achieved by the close of UN-NADAF, external debt will continue to undermine Africa’s development. African countries have accomplished a great deal in the last five years in terms of economic policy adjustments in order to realize the goals set in UN-NADAF. Despite the many efforts that most African countries have been making to ensure economic recovery and sustained, accelerated The report of the Secretary-General rightly notes the major steps African countries have taken to promote the region’s development during the past five years. At the regional level, the most notable development has been the signing on 3 June 1991 of the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community. This development is of great significance, because, among other things, it will assist in the harmonization of economic policies within the region. Continent-wide, this economic cooperation and integration is expected to lead to expanded trade among the African countries. We have hope in the success of the African Economic Community, because it is being built on strong foundations established at subregional levels. In southern Africa, for example, we transformed our Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), into an organization devoted to promoting deeper economic integration and renamed it the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The harmonization of economic policies and the greater understanding being established at the subregional level can only facilitate the realization of our aspirations for a strong and effective African Economic Community. SADC is not the only example. We also created the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which replaced the Preferential Trade Area (PTA). Other subregions in Africa have similar arrangements. As we move ahead with the implementation of UN-NADAF, the challenge of African policy-making will be to harmonize these arrangements and pave the way for a consolidated African Economic Community by the year 2020. At the national level, Zambia has been pursuing an active economic recovery programme. The centrepiece of our policies has been the liberalization of the economy, shifting it away from a situation in which the State is the major player and towards one that is driven by the private sector. In this context, we have put in place monetary and fiscal policies conducive to both local and foreign investment. We are also privatizing certain aspects of public organizations. In order to improve our revenue collection system, an autonomous revenue collection body was created and has been operating efficiently. I should like to end my statement with a few comments specific to implementation. First, we are concerned that there is a lack of clarity on how the United Nations is going to pursue the implementation of UN-NADAF and the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative for Africa. We recognize, of course, that the two are complementary. In our view, however, it is neither correct nor helpful to consider UN-NADAF as a mere advocacy statement on the development problems and challenges our region is facing, and the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative as an operational and more active agenda, and hence more deserving of donor support. In our view, complementarity is needed at both the advocacy and operational levels, as the two elements are characteristic of both programmes. The way forward, we believe, is synchronization. We would like to encourage the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries (OSCAL) to continue to work in a coordinated manner, in consultation with all stakeholders, on determining how to better achieve this, taking into consideration in particular the results of the mid-term review. Beyond this, we call for a strengthened OSCAL. The Economic Commission for Africa should not be kept marginal to such a process. A strong coordination link within the United Nations system is of vital importance to the full and effective implementation of UN-NADAF. Finally, we appeal to the donor community and to the international financial institutions to continue their support for UN-NADAF as well as for the United Nations System- wide Special Initiative for Africa.

It is an honour and a pleasure for us to address the Assembly once again in order to share our views on a very important subject. At the outset, the delegation of Viet Nam wishes to associate itself with the statements made by the representative of Costa Rica on behalf of the Group of 77 I take this opportunity also to congratulate the Secretary-General on his detailed report (A/51/228 and Add.1) containing relevant recommendations. We are grateful also for the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (A/51/48). The in-depth analysis of a number of essential aspects of development in Africa relating to the implementation of the New Agenda, and the suggestions contained in the reports could provide good matter for reflection and reference in our discussion here today as we consider the mid-term review of the implementation of the Agenda. By resolution 46/151, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, and called on the international community to make a substantial contribution to the economic recovery and development of the African continent. The Agenda reflects the commitment of African countries and of the international community to cooperation towards the promotion of the sustainable development of the continent. The essential goals of the New Agenda are accelerated change, integration, diversification and the growth of the African economies, with a view to strengthening them as part of the global economy to make them less vulnerable to external shocks and more dynamic, with a view to making the development process more endogenous and to increase the autonomy of African countries. Likewise, the interdependent global economy continues to be dominated by uncertainty, imbalances and recession. Negative economic growth rates, persistent imbalances in the fields of trade and finance, an increase in situational and structural unemployment, and the absence of coordination in exchange rates and trade policies are problems related to the system of the developed world which have a negative impact on developing countries, including our brother countries in Africa. We must note that the economic and social situation of Africa today remains critical. The continent runs the risk of being marginalized in the global economy. Long- standing difficulties have worsened the situation of unemployment, poverty and other social problems, including rapid population growth, ecological deterioration, malnutrition and illiteracy; these have become sources of instability and political conflict in the continent. No challenge could be more crucial for the international community today than the survival and the sustainable development of Africa. We share the view expressed by several delegations that the development of Africa undeniably depends first and foremost on the efforts and the struggle waged by the African peoples themselves. Indeed, in these past five years, many African countries have made enormous efforts and have had a certain measure of success in the areas of economic reform, modernization and agricultural and human resource development. As the Secretary-General’s report rightly states, the number of countries showing negative growth was only 4 in 1995 compared to 19 in 1993. The number of countries reaching the goal of 6 per cent annual growth in gross domestic product went from 3 in 1992 to 12 in 1995. These first achievements, while modest, have shown that Africa is finally on the right track. It is nevertheless regrettable that historical factors and the constraints imposed by the external economic environment, including a reduction in official development assistance, the heavy debt burden, deteriorating terms of trade, and increased barriers impeding access to developed country markets have prevented any fundamental improvement in the economic situation. The international community must therefore adopt concrete measures so that Africa may work towards revitalization. Developed countries should first and foremost honour their commitments under the New Agenda and other relevant international agreements related to the development of Africa in order to reach sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by the continent. As our Minister for Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Nguyen Manh Cam, stressed in his address to the The question of the foreign debt burden is closely related to sustainable growth, development and poverty eradication. Low commodity prices and a crushing external debt are among the factors which account for the continent’s mediocre results at the economic level. Any serious attempt to deal with the question of sustainable growth and development and with the reduction of poverty must go hand in hand with measures to resolve once and for all, and to cancel, the external debt of African countries. The international community must formulate new radical bilateral and multilateral initiatives to resolve the debt problem of African countries. In conclusion, my delegation wishes to underscore that as we advance towards the next millennium the international community must undertake concerted efforts to assist Africa in taking the necessary giant steps to join in the development process set forth in United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. We hope that the mid-term review that we are discussing today will allow us to fulfil the commitments made by the international community to meet the development needs of this large part of humankind. Viet Nam continues to follow closely the economic and political developments which have taken place in brother African countries over the past few years and hopes that, based on their own efforts and on the support and assistance of the international community, Africa will achieve a more dynamic and sustainable pace of development.

My delegation wishes to commend the Secretary-General for the reports prepared for consideration by the General Assembly under the present agenda item, “Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s”. Together with the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Slovenia fully endorses the statement made yesterday by the Permanent Representative of Ireland, on behalf of the European Union and associated States. Today we wish to add several points that are, we believe, relevant to the current discussion. It is generally agreed today that global development cannot be complete without an improvement in the situation in and the development of Africa. The priority character of efforts towards the development of Africa was recognized in a variety of ways at the recent series of global conferences and is addressed specifically in the documents related to the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda. It is generally agreed that, in addition to the efforts made by the countries in the region, there is a need to promote full partnership for development. Aid is important, but for sustainable development trade and investments are the most important forms of cooperation. There are some promising signs, and they should not be overlooked. In the report of the Secretary-General dated 6 August 1996 on the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda (A/51/228), we read that there has been some improvement in the overall economic performance in Africa. The number of countries recording negative growth rates has dropped, and the number of countries that achieved the targeted 6 per cent annual growth rate in their gross domestic product increased from 3 in 1992 to 12 in 1995. This development must not be overlooked. Furthermore, as stated in a recent United Nations study on foreign direct investment and repeated in many subsequent documents, the return on investment made in Africa is substantially higher than in other developing regions, and even in most developed countries. This indicates the potential for increased investment flows as economic reforms proceed and the investment climate improves. However, the potential that exists requires effective international cooperation. The principles of full partnership and shared responsibility call for the international community to provide adequate and assured support for the implementation of the New Agenda. The level, scope and modalities of cooperation should be improved. This would include channelling assistance to Africa’s development priorities and switching to non-debt-creating assistance. In addition to economic, and in particular macroeconomic, measures, it is important to devote the appropriate attention to social and political issues. The inherent linkages between economic and social aspects of development are generally recognized and have been given special importance in the documents of the World Summit on Social Development. The commitment to work for the eradication of poverty is a clear expression of this. However, the implementation of this commitment in the context of the complex economic and social realities of African countries is a particularly difficult task requiring sustained effort. As shown recently in an evaluation of the implementation of the World Bank’s operational directive for the reduction of poverty — press reports on that evaluation were published less than a week ago — it appears that the social aspects of adjustment and poverty reduction are not always adequately represented in country assistance strategies. This would suggest that additional efforts will be necessary to develop sufficiently comprehensive strategies of cooperation for development in Africa. Such strategies should include as central elements debt relief and support for direct investments. However, poverty reduction and the social aspects of development also will have to be included and should be given a higher priority than has been the case thus far. In the case of Africa, additional consideration must be given to the problem of refugees. Africa has the largest concentration of refugees. Not only does this represent a huge burden for an impoverished continent, but it is also a reminder that political and security issues have to be included in the development equation for Africa. The problem should be approached from two On the other hand, however, it would be inappropriate to perceive Africa’s political problems and military conflicts as unrelated to the underlying problems of development. The successful implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s would also represent a major contribution to political stability and to the prevention of conflicts in the region and of the resulting humanitarian problems. It is not an exaggeration, therefore, to say that the successful implementation of the Agenda would represent an important contribution not only to the African region but also to the redefinition of the United Nations and its transformation into an effective instrument of social and political change.

The peoples of the world look to the United Nations to play a very important role in the area of development throughout the world. But development objectives have at times become dreams — dreams that do not come true. In their stead, there is death and destruction, caused by man himself. War has become the major obstacle to development in all sectors. Many now believe that there can be no development without peace and without joint and serious efforts to implement development programmes and plans. Kuwait welcomes the adoption by the General Assembly in December 1991 of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). This is the title of agenda item 44, which we are considering today. The New Agenda is a concrete manifestation of what is being done to achieve true development, which the international community hopes will occur. My delegation wishes to express its great appreciation to the Secretary-General for his outstanding work for the implementation of UN-NADAF. We should like also to thank him for his comprehensive report on the item, which is before us in document A/51/228. We support the various conclusions of the Secretary- General’s report, especially the point that we must try to ensure the success of UN-NADAF by giving proper attention to investment flows from the international community to support the efforts of the African countries themselves. These countries will be invited to create all the Kuwait would like also to express its appreciation for the work of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, and especially for the work of the Chairman of that body, Ambassador Owada of Japan. In this context, the African countries must be aware of the importance of sustainable development in their countries. They must shake off the horrors of war and military conflict, with their accompanying devastation of human and material resources. Such conflict also discourages potential investors. Human and material support are the keystone of — indeed, the key to — sustainable development throughout in the world. Kuwait attaches great importance to development projects and plans in Africa. We are proud that our interest in development in Africa, and our assistance for development, did not begin only in the 1990s, but extends much further back than that. We appreciate the growing interest of the international community in development in various parts of the world, including Africa. Kuwait has provided financial assistance for development plans in Africa at the official level and at a people-oriented level. Kuwait firmly believes that it is very important for Africa to achieve a certain stability and prosperity. I should like to give details of loans provided by the Kuwaiti development fund. We have provided 142 low- interest loans, amounting to about $1.5 billion, to 33 countries in Africa. In addition, we have 42 technical assistance projects, involving 25 African countries, with an overall value of approximately $25 million. The countries that receive such Kuwaiti assistance have also benefited from the initiative of the Amir of our country to write off all interest due to Kuwait. His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah announced the initiative on 27 September 1990 in the General Assembly. The reasoning behind the initiative is that we feel a certain solidarity with some countries, including African ones, and understand the material difficulties that have resulted from the accumulation of loans, which impede their development efforts. On a human level, non- governmental organizations in Kuwait have played an important role, which is greatly appreciated by the people of Africa. I should like to refer to some of these initiatives. The African Muslim Agency has been providing grants and assistance to many African countries Today, I should like to emphasize that all of Kuwait’s development assistance is based on thorough study and monitoring by the competent bodies in my country, which are anxious to ensure that such assistance is best used to respond to the real needs of the citizens of African countries. We are establishing scientific and teaching funds and economic projects, all of which will be very productive and beneficial. Kuwait offers this assistance in a spirit of friendship and on the basis of our close links with the countries of Africa. Regarding cooperation, I might mention that Kuwait co-chairs the African-Arab group with Burkina Faso. We do this to ensure that we have dialogue with African countries on issues of mutual concern and interest — for example, development in all of its aspects. In addition, Kuwait chairs the committee of the Organization of the Islamic Conference that is involved in combating desertification in countries in the Sahel. This committee meets regularly, and the next meeting will be in Kuwait in a few days. All of this shows that Kuwait is anxious to help its brother African countries overcome the obstacles they face in their efforts to develop. In conclusion, I should like to highlight the importance for African countries of realizing that without peace and stability there can be no development. Creating and managing development requires the political will of all the countries of Africa, to ensure a certain degree of integration. There are projects and plans designed to ensure development in Africa, but they require stability. They can then lead to the prosperity that we all hope for in the world of the future. We thank God, and we request his assistance.

Permit me at the outset to extend our warm appreciation to Ambassador Hisashi Owada of Japan, as Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly for the Mid-term Without a vision, any development effort is likely to fail. Through the mid-term review of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF), Africa and her development partners have emerged with a refocused vision and with the resolve to make the second half of the Agenda the bridge to a successful new millennium. The Ad Hoc Committee examined whence the African region came, where its development effort stands, and what the way forward is. In the process they came to the conclusion that yes, some progress has been made, but clearly not enough. Indeed, in some respects it could even be said that Africa has moved backwards. Let us, in this regard, consider the following findings of the mid-term review. First, many of the critical social and economic problems that led to the adoption of UN-NADAF in 1991 still exist, and in some countries the problems have even worsened. Secondly, it had been estimated that in order to achieve a real annual growth rate in gross national product of at least 6 per cent over the course of the 1990s, African countries needed a minimum of $30 billion in official development assistance in 1992, an amount which then needed to grow at 4 per cent per annum. This amount, however, stood at only $26.4 billion in 1995. Thirdly, Africa’s external debt increased from $300 billion in 1991 to $322 billion in 1995. It is against this background that a proper assessment can be made of the implementation of the Agenda. On one level the review was a resounding success in that Africa and her partners reached a consensus, often after prolonged and intensive debate, on the slow progress that had been achieved and on the enormous tasks that still lie ahead. On another level, however, it was clearly recognized that the implementation had left much to be desired. I say “occasional” because from time to time there have also been glimmers of hopeful signs of continuing commitment to assisting Africa. One such glimmer is the enthusiasm with which the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa has been received. While we do not consider the Special Initiative a substitute for UN-NADAF, it should complement it in a very important way. As is known, the Special Initiative’s target for expenditures is $25 billion per annum, while that of UN-NADAF is $30 billion. It is clear, therefore, that the shortfall must be met somehow. The problems of Africa present a challenge to the entire international community to manifest its abiding commitment to a collective destiny in which the deprivation of each and every member of the human race is the concern of all of us. We live in a world of contradictions. At the political level we each insist most strenuously on our separateness and on the inviolability of our sovereignty. Yet on the economic plane we are inexorably moving towards the erasure of distinguishing boundaries; we are constructing a single economic space in which goods and services will move without let or hindrance. The new phenomenon of globalization requires that we open our borders to the goods and services of others and in so doing give testimony to our oneness. Is it not time that we gave tangible meaning to the interdependence inherent in globalization by reviving the spirit that animated the founding fathers (unfortunately mothers were excluded at that time) of the United Nations? The outcome of the mid-term review presents a challenge to the international community to mobilize the financial resources required to bring about Africa’s Hence, it is inevitable that official development assistance should continue to play a major role in the recovery process of these countries. Indeed, that was the unanimous conclusion of the Tokyo Conference on Development Strategy that was hosted by the Government of Japan in March 1995. Furthermore, it is unrealistic to expect private investment to be made in the social sectors of health and education. For their part, African people and their leaders need to continue to apply themselves to the immense task of bettering their prospects of recovery through ongoing programmes of political and economic reform, releasing the energies — both physical and intellectual — of the citizenry through the protection and promotion of civil liberties and fundamental human rights, and through the empowerment of women and youth, who are the underutilized agents of economic endeavour. Africa’s resilience and ability to pick itself up from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix are a matter of historical record. I have no doubt that African leaders and African people will rise to the present challenge and will take into their own hands their fate in the next century. It is a positive omen and a source of promise that there is much confluence of thought and strategy between the Organization of African Unity’s Cairo declaration on African development and the outcome of the mid-term review of UN-NADAF. On the basis of the wealth of experience available within the United Nations system and the continuing commitment of Africa’s development partners to the region’s socio-economic advancement, coupled with heartening new evidence of our continent’s increasing respect for and dedication to the core values of sound governance, there is yet hope for Africa. As the review indicates, quite a few countries have achieved the growth rate of 6 per cent or above which was set by UN-NADAF. We look at their achievements with more hope than envy, and we draw inspiration from their The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has prepared estimates of projected resource requirements, set out in document A/51/228/Add.1. I consider it appropriate to conclude with a direct quotation from the ECA’s addendum to the Secretary-General’s report: “While it is the primary responsibility of African States to bear the bulk of their development burden by tapping as a matter of priority their own financial resources, the rigid international economic environment, the domestic economic hardship and the lukewarm disposition of some creditors to adopt radical measures have constituted obstacles to the mobilization of financial resources and to the development of Africa. Most African countries will be unable to implement the economic reforms required for development without further domestic and foreign financial resources. Nor can Africans and the international community afford to see yet another international initiative for Africa’s socio-economic recovery and development fail.” (A/51/228/Add.1, para. 53)

The Government of Panama has faithfully supported United Nations actions for the development of Africa. Today’s discussion of the mid-term review of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the l990s (UN-NADAF), gives my delegation an opportunity once again to put on record our voice and our will, joining with those of others wishing to help channel international assistance towards actions better directed to placing Africa on the path to sustainable development and to the true well-being of the peoples of that continent. With this in mind, my delegation endorses the statement made on this question by the delegation of Costa Rica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. In the case of Africa, no Panamanian can fail to have a vision and an interested opinion. This interest is based on the extraordinary contribution made to Panamanian culture by African men and women and their descendants who For Panamanians, since the sixteenth century, Africans from east or west came from a geography which, although unknown, was never considered far away or alien, as it was for other peoples in other latitudes and regions. The African members of the Panamanian people have overcome the test of integration and for a long time have been a deep and lasting part of our national reality. Panamanians do not lose sight of the fact that we are part of a world in which the unity of the human species depends on the constant exercise of solidarity. Panama confirms its solidarity with Africa because we recognize that Africa is exceptional. It has been acknowledged by the United Nations, by the specialized agencies and by the entire international community as a whole as exceptional in terms of urgencies and opportunities, which calls for an exceptional mobilization of political will, and of human, technological and financial resources in order to speed up implementation of the New Agenda for the remainder of the decade and beyond, in later years, in line with the draft resolution recommended in section IV of document A/51/48. To act towards the development of Africa has become urgent; this is tantamount to saying that what is today being programmed and done has been needed since yesterday. In April of this year, something which happened here at the United Nations was in tune with the urgent need to work towards priority objectives for the development of Africa, and to do so in a more effective, more rapid and efficient way. I am referring to the establishment of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. The Initiative provides a global approach to Africa’s urgent needs and brings together all of the agencies and mechanisms of the system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, in financing the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. In August of this year, it was my personal honour to participate in Tokyo, Japan, at a high-level seminar on the development of Africa, generously organized by the Now, two months later, today’s debate gives me the opportunity to reiterate that the delegation of Panama is among the delegations interested in Africa and its future for reasons very similar to those contained in the well- known statement by President Nelson Mandela: because we