A/RES/31/157 GA

66 General Assembly-Thirty-first Session Welcoming the progress achieved so far on the es- tablishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Noting that, relative to their combined gross national products, the contributions pledged by the developing countries are substantially large, 1. Expresses its appreciation to all Governments that have made pledges of contributions to the Inter- national Fund for Agricultural Development, especially to the Governments of the developing countries; 2. Expresses also its appreciation to the Secretary- General and to the Executive Director of the World Food Council for their efforts towards the establishment of the Fund. 101 st plenary meeting 16 December 1976 31/156. Action programme in favour of develop- ing island countries The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 3338 (XXIX) of 17 De- cember 1974 in which it invited the executive heads of the organizations concerned within the United Nations system to intensify their efforts with respect to develop- ing island countries, within their fields of competence, Recalling further its resolution 3362 (S-VII) of 16 September 1975 on development and international economic co-operation in which it, inter alia, called for special measures to be undertaken by developed coun- tries and developing countries in a position to do so to assist in the structural transformation of the economy of the least developed, land-locked and island develop- ing countries, Recalling also resolution 98 (IV) of 31 May 1976 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Devel- opment54 in which a series of special measures and specific action, respectively, in favour of the least de- veloped countries and in favour of the land-locked and island developing countries were recommended as sup- plementary action to the general measures applicable to all developing countries in the spirit of the Declara- tion and the Programme of Action on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order, 55 Recognizing the particular impediments hampering the economic development of many developing island countries, especially their difficulties in respect of trans- port and communications, the smallness of their econ- omies and markets, their low resource endowment and their heavy dependence on a few commodities for for- eign exchange earnings, 1. Invites the executive heads of the organizations concerned within the United Nations system, in par- ticular the United Nations Development Programme, in the continuation of their efforts with respect to develop- ing island countries to incorporate in their regional and interregional programmes the relevant recommendations contained in resolution 98 (IV) of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; 54 See Proceedings of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Fourth Session, vol. I, Report and Annexes (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.76.11.D.10), part one, sect. A. 55Resolutions3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-Vr). 2. Urges all Governments, in particular those of the developed countries, to lend their support, in the cont~xt of their assistance programmes, for the implementat!on of the specific action envisaged in favour of ?eveloptng island countries within the framework of their develop- ment plans and priorities; 3. Calls upon the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its thirty-second session, through the Economic and Social Council, a progress report on the implementation of specific action in favour of developing island countries. 106th plenary meeting 21 December 197 6 31/157. Specific action in favour of land-locked developing countries The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 2971 (XXVII) of 14 De- cember 1972 and resolution 63 (Ill) of 19 May 1972 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Devel- opment,~6 Recalling also its resolutions 3169 (XXVIII) of 17 December 1973 and 3311 (XXIX) of 14 De- cember 197 4 on special measures related to the par- ticular needs of the land-locked developing countries, Bearing in mind various other resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and its related organs and by specialized agencies emphasizing special and urgent measures in favour of land-locked developing countries, A ware of the need to implement immediately the res- olutions adopted by the United Nations, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, par- ticularly its resolution 98 (IV) of 31 May 1976,57 and other related organs of the United Nations calling for specific action in favour of land-locked developing countries, Noting with concern that the problems of the land- locked developing countries have not found adequate solutions and that concrete and effective operational measures have not yet been taken in their favour, Noting further that the difficulties faced by the land- locked developing countries, especially their remoteness from the sea, impede their active and full participation in the world economic life and hamper their develop- ment, 1. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Con- ference on Trade and Development, the land-locked countries and the specialized agencies, to find ways and means of improving the economic situation of the land- locked developing countries through the urgent imple- mentation of resolutions 63 (Ill) and 98 (IV) of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; 2. Calls upon Member States and the entire inter- national community to give special attention to the trade requirements of the land-locked developing countries, including the possible provision of preferential treat- ment of their goods; r,6 See Proceedings vf the United Nations Confere11ce mi Trade and Development, Third Session, vol. I, Report a11d Annexes (United Nations publication. Sales No. E.73.II.D.4), annex I.A. 57 Ibid., Fourth Session, vol. J, Report and Annexes (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.76.11.D.10), part one, sect. A. V. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Second Committee 67 3. Invites the appropriate organs of the United Nations system, as well as the regional development banks, to pay special attention to the particular prob- lems of the land-locked developing countries in their assistance to national, subregional and regional infra- structural projects related to transit; 4. Urges the developed countries and all others in a position to do so to provide technical and/ or financial assistance in the form of grants or in the form of con- cessional loans on appropriate terms to the land-locked developing countries for the construction, improvement and maintenance of their transit roads; 5. Calls upon the Governments of developed and developing countries to invite and urge shipowners, members of liner conferences and insurance companies, as far as is feasible, to establish freight rates and pre- miums for the land-locked developing countries, which will encourage and assist the expansion of trade of these countries, and to develop promotional rates for non- traditional exports of these countries, which will facili- tate the opening up of new markets and the development of new trade flows; 6. Invites all Member States and the competent international organizations to assist the land-locked de- veloping countries in facilitating the exercise of their right of free access to and from the sea. I 06th plenary meeting 21 December 1976 31/158. Debt problems of developing countries The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974 and 3362 (S-VII) of 16 Sep- tember 1975, Further recalling resolution 94 (IV) of 31 May 1976 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and De- velopment, 158 Noting with grave concern that heavy debt-service payments, current account deficits stemming from mal- adjustments in the world economy, inadequate balance- of-payments support and long-term development assist- ance, coupled with tight conditions and the high cost of loans in international capital markets and difficulties of access to markets in developed countries for exports of developing countries, as well as declining real prices of primary commodities exported by developing coun- tries, have, among other things, combined to impose a serious and critical strain on the import capacity and reserves of developing countries, thus jeopardizing their development process, A ware that the deterioration in the terms of trade of developing countries and the high-cost short-term bor- rowing to which they have had to resort recently have seriously aggravated their debt burden, Convinced that the situation facing the developing countries can be mitigated by decisive and urgent relief measures in respect of both their official and commercial debts and that these measures are essential to restore the momentum of growth lost during the economic crisis and to achieve the targets of the International Develop- ment Strategy for the Second United Nations Devel- opment Decade, 159 158 Ibid. 59 Resolution 2626 (XXV). Acknowledging that, in the present circumstances, there are sufficient common elements in the debt-servic- ing difficulties faced by various developing countries to warrant the adoption of general measures relating to their existing debt, Recognizing the especially difficult circumstances and debt burden of the most seriously affected, least de- veloped, land-locked and island developing countries, 1. Considers that it is integral to the establishment of the new international economic order to give a new orientation to procedures of reorganization of debt owed to developed countries away from the past experi- ence of a primarily commercial framework towards a developmental approach; 2. Affirms the urgency of reaching a general and effective solution to the debt problems of developing countries; 3. Agrees that future debt negotiations should be considered within the context of internationally agreed development targets, national development objectives and international financial co-operation, and debt re- organization of interested developing countries carried out in accordance with the objectives, procedures and institutions evolved for that purpose; 4. Stresses that all these measures should be con- sidered and implemented in a manner not prejudicial to the credit-worthiness of any developing country; 5. Urges the International Conference on Economic Co-operation to reach an early agreement on the ques- tion of immediate and generalized debt relief of the official debts of the developing countries, in particular of the most seriously affected, least developed, land- locked and island developing countries, and on the re- organization of the entire system of debt renegotiations to give it a developmental rather than a commercial orientation; 6. Requests the Trade and Development Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Devel- opment, at its ministerial session to be held in 1977, to review the results of negotiations on this question in other forums and to reach agreement on concrete measures to provide an immediate solution to the debt problems of developing countries, and requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to report thereon to the Gen- eral Assembly at its thirty-second session. 106th plenary meeting 21 December 1976 31/159. Report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development on its fourth session60 The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 1995 (XIX) of 30 De- cember 1964, as amended,61 2626 (XXV) of 24 Oc- tober 1970, 3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974, 3281 (XXIX) of 12 December 1974 and 3362 (S-VII) of 16 September 1975, Mindful that in its resolution 3362 (S-VII) it stated that an important aim of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development at its fourth session was to 110 See also sect. X.B.3 below. decision 31/419. 61 Resolutions 2904 ( XXVII) .ind 31 /2 A and B.

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