AGENDA FOR DEVELOPMENT MUST STRESS UNITED NATIONS ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT, SECOND COMMITTEE TOLD
Press Release
GA/EF/2743
AGENDA FOR DEVELOPMENT MUST STRESS UNITED NATIONS ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT, SECOND COMMITTEE TOLD
19961101 Implicit in the elaboration of an agenda for development was the recognition that the United Nations had a valuable role to play in promoting international cooperation for development, the representative for Jamaica told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this afternoon, as it concluded consideration of the agenda for development and of renewal of the development dialogue through partnership.The inability or political inertia of the international community vis-à-vis the agenda could have devastating effects for developing countries, he added.
The representative for Iran emphasized the need for an action-oriented agenda that would consider the peculiarities of each State, he said. The relationship between development and peace was stressed by the representatives for Sudan and Iraq, who said imbalances in international relations undermined global security and peace.
The representative for Algeria said the slow progress of the negotiations on the agenda in the General Assembly's ad hoc open-ended working group dealing with the matter had distorted its meaning and purpose. The consensus on international economic cooperation should be translated into concrete action resulting in open trade, external debt relief, flow of foreign direct investment, financial flows and protection of the environment, he added.
The representative for Mongolia also expressed similar concerns about the pace of the negotiations and hoped that efforts would be made to build on what had already been achieved.
Work on the agenda should be completed as quickly as possible, said the representative for Peru. The urgency of doing so should not however affect its content.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 5 November, to begin consideration of population and development issues.
Committee Work Programme
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to continue consideration of the agenda for development and of renewal of the dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership. (For background information, see Press Release GA/EF/2742 issued today.)
DAVID PRENDERGAST (Jamaica) said his country attached great importance to the early adoption of the agenda for development. The elaboration of the agenda was an opportunity to establish a framework for international cooperation for development in the 1990s and beyond. Implicit in the elaboration of such an agenda was the recognition that the United Nations had a valuable role to play in promoting international cooperation for development.
The inability or political inertia of the international community vis-à-vis the agenda could have devastating effects for developing countries, he said. It had to be seen as a process of consensus building on important areas of policy which could stimulate development. In the ensuing negotiations, that must be taken into consideration.
D. GHANKHUYAG (Mongolia) said the agenda for development should devote particular attention to the critical situation of least developed, land- locked, and small island developing countries, as well as economies in transition. It should determine specific actions and ways to create an environment conducive to increased financial and technical assistance, access to financial flows, encouragement to foreign direct investment and also favorable to a durable solution to the external debt problem. The agenda should also set the means to implement the main decisions reached at the recent United Nations conferences and summits.
Mongolia, which was undergoing overall structural transition, attached great importance to the agenda for development as a major guideline for international cooperation for development, he said. His delegation was concerned about the slow progress in the negotiations on the agenda and hoped efforts would be made to build on what had already been achieved. Language agreed upon should not be changed.
KHALED S. H. AL-HITTI (Iraq) said the establishment of peace and security worldwide required that the threat of war be ended and disarmament resources be converted into development resources. Globalization and liberalization were difficulties that developing countries would have to deal with. Globalization meant the marginalization of certain countries. In order
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to end the impoverishment of developing countries there should be a dialogue on development, he said, stressing the need to narrow the gap between the North and the South.
Moreover, developing countries must protect themselves against developed countries by strengthening South-South cooperation, he said. Measures must also be taken against economic sanctions which ran against the principles of the World Trade Organization. Such sanctions hampered the development not only of targeted countries, but also of their neighbors. Development required political will of the various partners to redress imbalances in the areas of technology and debt. Such imbalances in international relations undermined international security and peace. Hence, there was need for cooperation between the North and South.
ZINEDDINE BIROUK (Algeria) said the slow progress of the negotiations in the agenda in the Assembly's working group had distorted its meaning and purpose. Consensus on international economic cooperation should be translated into concrete action resulting in open trade, external debt relief, flow of foreign direct investment, financial flows and protection of the environment. Specifically, the United Nations role should be stressed. He underlined the urgency of setting up an appropriate mechanism to determine the predictability of financial flows for operational activities. Reforms of United Nations organs should not be prejudicial to the activities of the Organization.
ITALO ACHA (Peru) said work on the agenda should be completed as quickly as possible. The urgency of doing so should not however affect its content. It was important to produce an agenda with a precise focus. The agenda should not simply include recommendations of major United Nations conferences and relevant resolutions but define the role of the United Nations in development. It was more important that the agenda took account of interests of Member States. The follow-up processes of the agenda were essential and should be reflected in its text.
MOHSEN ESPERI (Iran) said one of the significant achievements of deliberations on the agenda for development was the gradual fostering of the understanding that there was an inalienable linkage and interaction between peace and development. Demonstrating lack of adequate political will in the advancement of a constructive and effective dialogue was indicative of a myopic approach towards the current trends of globalization and interdependence.
A logical attempt for advancement of an Agenda for Peace should in principle be preceded by provision of "enabling developmental preparations", he said. A realistic approach towards "sustainable peace" required a committed perspective by developed States towards the development of developing ones. Such a forward looking outlook was not only more realistic, but also more promising in the sense that it targeted "stability and
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security". National arrangements for development were important, but obstacles to market access, trade, export of primary commodities and raw materials as well as manufactured goods that developing countries faced were of international character. In that regard, the renewal of dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through global partnership created a timely opportunity to discuss development and peace.
The agenda for development should be action-oriented, he said. It should contain practical recommendations, pay adequate attention to full and effective partnership of developing countries in decision-making processes on macroeconomic issues at the international level and establish North-South global participation on the basis of sustained economic and sustainable development. Moreover, it should consider the particularities of each State.
HAMID ELTINAY (Sudan) said his country awaited the adoption of the agenda for development. He hoped that all parties would participate in strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership. Developed countries should realize that the problem of debt was paralysing developing countries.
It was important to enable the flow of investment to developing countries, he said, adding that, the United Nations had a pivotal role to play in development. He called on developed countries to follow humane policies which did not deprive developing countries of their right to develop as that was a requirement for peace.
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