SPEAKERS IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADDRESS IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION, AIDS AND GROWING 'DIGITAL DIVIDE' ON AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS

Press Release
GA/9816

SPEAKERS IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADDRESS IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION, AIDS AND GROWING 'DIGITAL DIVIDE' ON AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS

Assembly Takes up Implementation Of UN New Agenda for Development of Africa in 1990s

African countries faced a "frightening spectre of total marginalization, even physical annihilation, in the aftermath of globalization and the HIV/AIDS pandemic", Nigeria's representative, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, told the General Assembly this morning. The Assembly was meeting to consider implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, including measures and recommendations agreed upon at its mid-term review.

The nature and pace that globalization had assumed was a source of Africa's progressively decreasing ability to attract foreign direct investment and official development assistance (ODA), he continued. Dwindling access to world markets and Africa's position on the wrong side of the "digital divide" further aggravated the continent's dismal situation. Its export revenues had declined steadily, from 3.2 per cent of the world's total in 1985 to 1.5 per cent in 1998.

The end of the cold war had not produced a peace dividend simply because many African countries had lost their strategic appeal, India's representative said. Structural impediments could have been overcome had the international community been responsive to the needs of Africa. Foreign technical assistance absorbed over 24 per cent of ODA, as more than 100,000 foreign experts in Africa cost about $4 billion per annum. Capital flight remained pervasive and was estimated at about the size of Africa's external debt stock at the end of the 1990s. That situation was complicated by the unwillingness of the foreign governments, in whose banks lay the preponderant portion of those amounts, to return that capital to the rightful owners: the people of Africa.

The representative of Burkina Faso said new strategies for sustainable development should be based on macroeconomic stability, an enabling environment guaranteeing investments and trade, and investments in human development sectors and basic infrastructure. The main objective of African politics today was the eradication of poverty. In that struggle, it was important to use approaches which integrated questions of population, environment and agricultural development. If African countries adopted adequate measures such as good governance, it was vital that donor countries mobilize their resources to aid in development without imposing conditionalities.

Norway's representative said the international trend of reduced disbursements of development assistance must be reversed. However, neither bilateral assistance nor multilateral arrangements could assume the responsibility at the national level. African countries themselves must show leadership to generate economic growth. Accountable democratic governments and the rule of law were vital elements in any development process.

He said increasing African capacity with regard to peacekeeping operations and conflict prevention would contribute to the stability of the continent. The role of the international community should primarily be to strengthen and support the efforts and initiatives taken by the African countries themselves.

The representatives of Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Algeria, France (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Libya, Republic of Korea, Philippines, Ethiopia, Ghana, Cameroon, Bangladesh and Egypt also spoke.

The Assembly will meet again this afternoon at 3 p.m. to take up consideration of cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Community of Central African States and global implications of the year-2000 (Y2K) date conversion problem of computers.

Assembly Work Programme

When the General Assembly met this morning, it had before it a report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, a report of the Secretary-General and a draft resolution on the global implications of the year 2000 (Y2K) date conversion problem of computers, and a draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Community of Central African States.

The progress report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (document A/55/350/Add.1) states that, so far, the expectations in terms of external resource mobilization have not materialized, and that the inflows have largely been offset by outflows. For example, official development assistance (ODA) to Africa has been falling (by about 24 per cent in real terms) since the 1990s and about 70 per cent of the ODA flows to sub-Saharan Africa were offset by terms-of- trade losses in the period 1970-1997. The paradox, according to the report, is that ODA and other external resource inflows are falling precisely when the need is the greatest, and the improvement in the quality of governance and economic management is such that the productivity of one dollar of ODA is increasing.

The report provides a picture of the recent trends in resource flows as well as the ongoing debate on a more effective strategy to address Africa's financing crisis, and sets out proposals for an effective resource mobilization strategy. The report consists of information on development needs and domestic resource bases, domestic resource mobilization and trends in external resource flows. In the section on trends in external resource flows, the report covers official flows, private flows, export earnings, debt overhang and debt strategy. Also covered is the domestic agenda and regional approaches towards improved domestic and external resource mobilization.

The report concludes that there is a significant window of opportunity for both Africans and their development partners to make a difference. But they need resources, without which the current momentum can easily fizzle out. The only question is whether the international community can muster the political will to do something fundamentally differently for development in the new millennium. In the last few years, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands have shown that the aid target of 0.7 per cent of donor gross national product (GNP) can be met or exceeded. If others can match that positive example, resource flows for African development will take on a new dynamic.

Also before the Assembly was the report of the Secretary-General on the evaluation of the outcome of the steps taken within the United Nations system and with Member States to resolve the year 2000 (Y2K) problem (document A/55/387). This report provides information pursuant to General Assembly resolution 54/114 in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to evaluate the outcome of the steps taken within the United Nations system and with Member States to resolve the Y2K problem. The report summarizes the submission of the United Nations organizations, funds, programmes and specialized agencies on their activities relating to Y2K conversion preparations and the results.

The draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Community of Central African States (document A/55/L.6/Rev.1) is sponsored by Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Pakistan.

By the text, the Assembly would recognize that the purposes and objectives of the Economic Community of Central African States were in conformity with the principles and ideals enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. It would urge all Member States and the international community to contribute to the efforts of the Economic Community of Central African States to achieve economic integration and development, promote democracy and human rights and consolidate peace and security in Central Africa.

Also by the text, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General: to take the appropriate steps to establish cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Community of Central African States; to continue supporting the States members of the Economic Community; and to extend that support to all the fields to be covered in the framework of cooperation between the United Nations system and the Economic Community.

The draft resolution on the global implications of the year-2000 (Y2K) date conversion problem of computers (document A/55/L.28) is sponsored by Lesotho. By its terms, the Assembly would express its satisfaction with the efforts of all Member States to solve the Y2K problem before the rollover date of 31 December 1999, including by working to ensure that the private sector was fully engaged in addressing the problem.

Also by the text, the Assembly would commend the unprecedented international cooperation that contributed to the successful outcome, and also commend the public-private partnerships that were forged. The Assembly would urge the international community to draw lessons from the experience in dealing with complex global technical problems.

HIDEAKI KOBAYASHI (Japan) said that in sub-Saharan Africa, per capita income was lower than it had been in 1970 in real terms. Of the 44 least developed countries, 33 were in Africa. Furthermore, almost half of the world's refugees and internally displaced persons were in Africa. Africa was also a region where conflicts were increasing and where there were more than 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS.

That reality had to be faced, he said. He stressed the importance for African countries to summon the political will to promote good governance by ensuring human rights and the rule of law, and by strengthening transparent and accountable public administration, and the capacity to maintain it. Good governance in African societies was central to addressing priority issues adequately.

He said that, in the increasingly globalized world, trade and foreign direct investment presented enormous opportunities for Africa. Aid was no substitute for trade, and the multilateral trading system must, therefore, be responsive to the development aspirations of Africa. Furthermore, information and communication technology offered African countries an unprecedented chance to hasten their development. It was essential that bilateral aid donors, as well as international organizations, be encouraged to devise ways and means of giving the people of Africa greater access to information and communication technology.

He said that regional and subregional organizations had a comparative advantage over global organizations in terms of their better understanding of those issues and their context, as well as a greater capacity to fine-tune measures and mechanisms. On the occasion of the "Group of Eight" Okinawa summit, Japan had launched the "Okinawa Infectious Diseases Initiative" under which Japan would target a total of $3 billion to be allocated, over the next five years, to enhance assistance for measures to combat HIV/AIDS and other infectious and parasitic diseases.

MARIA LUIZA RIBEIRO VIOTTI (Brazil) emphasized the need to establish follow- up mechanisms and frameworks to ensure the consistency of ongoing initiatives for the promotion of peace and sustainable development in Africa. She regretted that progress on the New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s had been limited. Foreign direct investment in Africa remained minimal while ODA continued to decline. Economic insecurity and inadequate financial support continued to aggravate the situation. Structural adjustment, which had led to the recovery of some macroeconomic indicators, had not been sufficient to set African countries on the road to sustainable development.

The international community played a crucial role in addressing the challenges faced by African countries in their development process, as well as in translating commitments into concrete actions. The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative should be strengthened and broadened. She stressed the importance of South-South cooperation. The dialogue between subregional integration processes was another example of cooperation. Enhancing external trade with other partners had been one of the main objectives of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), and she attached great importance to furthering a dialogue between the Market and the integration processes in Africa.

A peaceful, stable and prosperous Africa was crucial to world stability, she said. It was true that, in recent years, some unfortunate events had led to the fear that Africa was bound to fail as a continent of peace and prosperity, but Africa need not be defined as a continent immersed in conflict; it was widely recognized that, in many parts of Africa, peace and economic growth were taking root.

DUMISANI S. KUMALO (South Africa) said that, once the final review of the New Agenda had been held in 2002, the international community would be faced with an even greater challenge than at the agenda's beginning. The international community risked the prospect of a tragic confirmation that Africa's economic and financial situation had worsened in the decade that the Agenda had been in place.

Africans were in the process of defining broad priorities for their continent, and had chosen to call that process the African Renaissance, he said. The African Renaissance meant the establishment of democratic political systems, while making sure that those systems took into account African specifics. The Renaissance should also focus on achieving sustainable development, and changing Africa's place in the global economy. It should ensure the full emancipation of women in Africa, confront infectious diseases and protect the environment to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources.

The final review of the Agenda would have to address a number of challenges, he said. The first would be to make a thorough evaluation of all the initiatives. Those would not only be through the United Nations system but also other bilateral, multilateral and regional initiatives related to Africa. Consideration would have to be given to ways in which the Africa-specific elements of the major United Nations conferences could be brought together with other initiatives for and by Africa. It must be recognized that there could be no sustainable development without peace and security. The immediate reminder of that was the senseless war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That was why the Brahimi report on United Nations peace operations was of utmost importance to Africa.

One of the areas that would have to be reviewed when the Agenda was next discussed was the contribution of regional solutions to the problems that Africa was facing. In the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the fruits of regional integration and cooperation had been seen. Besides the economic advantages, projects implemented by the SADC countries had deepened democracy and good neighbourliness, while making development in the region more sustainable. Africa was going through a difficult but very promising period. Africans were ready to do as much as they could, but hoped that those countries that had more to give, especially Africa's Northern partners, would find it in their hearts and their budgets to assist.

MICHEL KAFANDO (Burkina Faso) said that economic survival in the majority of African countries was based on the trade of primary products. The price of primary products had decreased remarkably since 1998, inspired by the efforts of many countries to improve conditions for private investments and foreign direct investment. Furthermore, the dramatic drop in ODA and external debts remained a real concern to all African countries. The pandemic of HIV/AIDS and the increase in conflicts were not only causing human suffering, but had a negative effect on the social and economic development of Africa. He appealed to the international community to play a more active role in the eradication of poverty in Africa.

New strategies for sustainable development ought to be based upon macroeconomic stability, an enabling environment guaranteeing investments and trade, and investments in human development sectors such as health, education, good governance and basic infrastructure. The main objective of African politics today was the eradication of poverty. In this struggle, it was important to use approaches which integrated questions of population, environment and agricultural development.

He pointed out that, if African countries adopted adequate measures such as good governance in order to get out of this impasse, it was vital that donor countries mobilize their resources to aid in development without imposing conditionalities. In an interdependent world, helping Africa was synonymous with helping the world. It was only through helping the poor out of underdevelopment that the rich could secure their own survival.

ABDELKADER MESDOUA (Algeria) noted that this was the third debate on Africa within the span of 10 days, which showed the particular importance attached to the issue. Moreover, the final review on the implementation on the Agenda, which would take place in 2002, embodied the concern of the international community. The Agenda, initiated under the auspices of the Organization during the 1990s, was designed to help development in Africa. During the mid-term review, despite some progress, the same conditions remained in place. In addition, it was largely recognized that, despite objective limits on resources, a good number of African countries had honoured their responsibilities.

The interim report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Agenda, was comprised of measures and recommendations since 1996, which included initiatives by the African countries and the United Nations system. The need for the mobilization of financial resources was a fundamental dimension of African development. The report contained terms of reference that could guide the review process, whose aim was the drawing up of a balance sheet. Africans should be part of the review process, but an independent review would remain incomplete unless a consistent report was developed. Another framework would need to be set up to replace the Agenda.

Discussions of what should take the place of the Agenda needed to be set up, he said. The African priorities were the first concern. A second principle should be the expansion of support. Assistance to build African capacity through the coordination of programmes of cooperation was also needed. There must be improved attention to the main areas of work of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and harmonization of many multilateral initiatives for Africa. Further, specific goals and time limits for successor arrangements must be set up.

The Millennium Summit had recognized the special needs of Africa, and special measures must be taken to take up the challenges. In closing, the choice for the rest of world was the development of a true world plan for Africa, as the Marshall Plan had been created for Europe. The United Nations must play the central role for a world partnership for African development.

YVES DOUTRIAUX (France) spoke on behalf of the European Union and associated States. He said the Union attached particular importance to the success of the Agenda for the Development of Africa. The African continent, particularly sub- Saharan Africa, which comprised 33 of the 48 countries officially designated as least developed countries, was the priority region for Union cooperation. That was one of the key policy tenets of the Union.

He said the report of the Secretary-General highlighted the varying results of the Agenda, especially the return to economic growth. At the same time, it showed the enormous challenges still to be met, with 51 per cent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa living in absolute poverty, insufficient agricultural and food production, lack of progress in diversifying economies, insufficient integration into the world economy and the still highly precarious social indicators. The Union favoured establishing an integrated United Nations approach to Africa, where 20 of the 38 poorest countries in the world were still embroiled in or just emerging from conflict. In that regard, the Union supported the United Nations endeavours in the sphere of conflict prevention and resolution. He also stressed the importance of the developing countries creating an environment favourable to development by encouraging the rule of law, human rights, good governance, and the setting up of reliable and effective systems of taxation.

The European Union acknowledged the vital role of funds and programmes, and of the World Bank and the regional development banks in reducing poverty, he continued. The Union called for concessional funds to be targeted to the poorest countries, which had only limited access to the financial markets. Furthermore, ODA must complement the mobilization of national resources and play a role in channeling private funds and direct investment funding toward the developing countries. Regarding the debt issue, the European Union called on creditor countries to contribute to the funding of the enlarged HIPC Debt Initiative. Access by the African countries to the developed countries' markets was an important aspect of their economic development, he pointed out. In conclusion, he stressed the fundamental importance of a global and integrated approach to the development of Africa, which took account of political and economic aspects, and of the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable human development.

VIJAY KUMAR MALHOTRA (India) said that the picture outlined in the addendum was bleak: inflows had been largely offset; ODA to Africa had been falling by 24 per cent; and, most importantly, the perceived integration of African countries in the globalized marketplace appeared to be becoming a curse. The report made the crucial point that ODA and other external resources were falling precisely when the need was greatest and when African countries had undertaken valiant economic reforms in the private sectors, as well as the intensification of democracy and civil society. Sustainable reduction in poverty could only be ensured through promoting sustained and broad-based income growth.

Structural impediments could have been overcome had the international community been responsive to the needs of Africa, he said. The end of the cold war had not produced a peace dividend simply because many African countries and, indeed, other developing countries had lost their strategic appeal. Another problem was that foreign technical assistance absorbed over 24 per cent of ODA as more than 100,000 foreign experts in Africa cost about $4 billion per annum and represented a major leakage of aid resources. Furthermore, rising levels of protectionism, frequent and unjustified use of anti-dumping duties and countervailing measures, and non-tariff barriers to African exports must be effectively removed.

Another important issue was that of the return of capital squirreled away from those countries, he said. Capital flight remained pervasive and was estimated at about the size of Africa's external debt stock at the end of the 1990s -- around $350 billion. The situation was complicated by the unwillingness of the foreign governments, in whose banks lay the preponderant portion of those massive amounts, to make efforts to return this capital to those whom it rightly belonged -- the people of Africa.

More than 60 per cent of nearly 1,500 training slots every year, in the best institutions of India, were reserved for nominees from African countries, he said. India had also implemented and initiated technical assistance and infrastructure building projects in Africa, including hospitals, rural health centres, demonstration farms to promote agricultural sufficiency, solar energy lighting systems, plants for poultry vaccines, entrepreneur development centres and mechanical training workshops. Indian industry was also involved in a major way in the development of African transport infrastructure.

ISA AYAD BABAA (Libya) said he hoped that the United Nations would promote its cooperation with the OAU, the African Development Bank, and other specialized regional organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Secretary- General's report included both good and bad news. On the one hand, it indicated that some progress had been made in implementing recommendations, particularly economic reform and the development of the private sector. However, the picture was still gloomy due to the debt crisis, poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS, the decrease in ODA and growth rates, and the sharp reduction of the prices of basic commodities exported by the continent.

Africa was still a theatre for armed conflict, civil wars and environmental disasters, he said. The establishment of peace and stability had not been achieved and United Nations had to continue to give the highest priority to Africa. He expressed satisfaction at the international community's efforts to shed light on the urgent economic problems of Africa in the United Nations programme, particularly the Security Council special session on AIDS and security in Africa. United Nations strategy in Africa should focus on a number of factors, he continued. Those included: the reduction of poverty; a solution to the debt problem; immediate measures to prevent the spread of AIDS; finding a solution to desertification and drought problems; providing support in the field of managing natural resources; and improving Africa's share in the process of globalization.

If the international community truly aimed at developing Africa, the great Powers should cease their exploitation of its resources and their interference in its affairs, he said. Furthermore, the international community should require the former colonialist States to compensate for all the destruction Africa had been subjected to under the colonialist system. Unless the Organization improved the economic, humanitarian and social situation of its people, it would represent a failure on the part of the international community.

SUN JOUN-YUNG (Republic of Korea) said there was a pressing need to end the armed conflicts that prevented Africa from political, economic and social development. Conflicts brought a destruction of life and property and forced substantial diversions of scarce resources to the defence or military sector. The United Nations capacity for conflict prevention, peaceful resolution of disputes, peacekeeping, post-conflict peace-building and reconstruction needed strengthening.

New avenues also needed to be explored for mobilizing additional resources and promoting African exports, he said. It had been discouraging to note a huge gap between the level of financial resources needed for development and the capital inflows available to meet those needs. Actions for bridging the widening gap needed to be taken both by donors and recipients. The recipient countries must make their best effort to enhance country ownership and absorptive capacity by promoting good governance and administrative reforms, while the donor country provided increasing financial resources to deserving countries in a predictable and timely manner.

To facilitate access to the international markets of the products from Africa, just redressing trade barriers was not sufficient, he said. Better arrangements were required to enhance financial and technical assistance to address supply-side constraints by improving the quality of goods, upgrading infrastructure and promoting marketing and packing skills.

The Republic of Korea had made utmost efforts in sharing its development experience with Africa, he said. In the area of market access, his country had removed tariffs on 80 commodities of major export interest to least developed countries, effective this year.

MIGUEL R. BAUTISTA (Philippines) said confidence-building measures would help develop a climate conducive to economic growth and social development in Africa. The Secretary-General had recognized progress made in terms of democratization in the region and the encouraging performance of many African economies. "Indeed, nothing helps to establish peace better than democracy and emerging prosperity," he said.

While a more tranquil environment might be conducive to growth, for many countries, the resources for poverty alleviation projects were simply not available, due to many factors including insufficient capital inflows, an unmanageable debt burden and lack of consumer-led consumption. He hoped that the enhanced HIPC Debt Initiative would take into account capacity to pay, but was concerned that the Initiative would divert resources from ODA, rather than complement it. He strongly urged countries to meet the target of 0.7 per cent of GNP. Aid should be made more predictable and should take into account a country's state of underdevelopment. He noted with interest the Secretary-General's proposal that aid commitments be institutionalized as mandatory obligations.

The organizations of the United Nations working in Africa took a holistic approach, he said. Coordination must, therefore, be enhanced among the United Nations system's organizations working in Africa. There was also a need to harmonize non-United Nations initiatives through the creation of linkages and the sharing of information. His country had espoused an active policy of a strong relations with its brothers in the developing world under the umbrella of South- South cooperation, both in the economic and technical fields.

ABDULMEJID HUSSEIN (Ethiopia) said that, on the debt front, it was not just that the debt relief being provided was coming too late and too slow, but that the magnitude of assistance was simply too small. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the external transfer had been undermined by the nature of the international delivery system. Aid management and coordination between donors and multilateral financial institutions without the active involvement of beneficiary countries had undermined aid effectiveness in Africa.

Africa's share in international trade had also been declining, he said. The sector had been beset by three interrelated problems: the increasing loss of the market share, the perennial volatility and fall in terms of trade, and unguarded trade liberalization which had more than doubled the growth of imports to exports. All those factors led to the worsening of trade balance and depletion of resources for investment.

He called on Africa's development partners to provide substantial, unconditional and united aid to Africa commensurate with its development need. The provision of increased, predictable and effective development aid was pivotal for growth and poverty reduction. In addition, substantial reform was required to improve the aid delivery mechanism for greater effectiveness. The principle of ownership, participation, partnership and decentralization needed to be further developed to ensure that they were anchored in the recipients' socio-political process.

For Africa to effectively embark on the path of sustainable development, he said, it was necessary for the international community to take fast, deep and broad debt relief initiatives, including outright debt cancellation. Ethiopia totally concurred with the recommendation of the Secretary-General that Africa's development partners, besides providing ODA and debt relief, needed to provide a package of incentives to encourage their firms to locate in Africa. Such incentives could also entail allowing exporters from Africa unconditional access to the Organisation for Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) markets and free duties. This strategy would have the highest pay-off in terms of transfer of real resources to African producers.

AUSTIN PETER ETANOMARE OSIO (Nigeria) spoke on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, expressed concern that the development challenges that African countries faced had been carried over to the twenty-first century, in which they now confronted a "frightening spectre of total marginalization, even physical annihilation in the aftermath of globalization and the HIV/AIDS pandemic". The nature and pace that globalization had assumed was a source of Africa's progressively decreasing ability to attract foreign direct investment and ODA. Dwindling access to world markets and Africa's position on the wrong side of the "digital divide" further aggravated the continent's dismal situation. Its export revenues had declined steadily, from 3.2 per cent of the world's total in 1985 to 1.5 per cent in 1998.

Further, the emerging e-commerce and e-business market environments of the Internet were virtually out of reach of most African countries, he said. The Group of 77 and China felt that African countries needed the support and assistance of the international community to overcome the challenge of the information and communication age. He was pleased by the gesture of Japan at the Okinawa Group of eight Summit in establishing a fund to help developing countries meet the challenges of information technology. On the matter of foreign debt, the Group believed debt overhang probably constituted the greatest impediment to development for many African countries, since debt-servicing obligations consumed more than 33 per cent of annual revenues. Debt cancellation for the world's poorest and indebted countries remained the most viable option.

The New Agenda represented a veritable and viable blueprint for achieving the rapid socio-economic development of the continent. He called for a quick and effective resolution of the debt problem and said increased market access and better pricing for African commodities would go a long way in contributing to Africa's efforts and dream of economic revival and renaissance in the twenty-first century. At the same time, African countries must pay due attention to the development of their human-resource base, by providing appropriate education, health care and infrastructure, as well as by ensuring the full participation of all in nation-building.

NANA EFFAH-APENTENG (Ghana) said since the mid-1980s, many African countries had made important strides in reforming their economies, improving macro-economic management, liberalizing markets and trade and making the private sector the engine of growth. Despite the outbreak of conflicts and the occurrence of natural disasters, Africa had made gains in the 1990s with rising incomes and exports and, in some cases, decreases in severe poverty had been seen. Political reforms had led to participatory governance and expanded the horizons of civil liberties, he added.

There were several initiatives on Africa, with other events focussing on the continent planned for the coming year. However, Africa could not wait until 2002 for the outstanding issues critical to its development to be addressed. He appreciated efforts of bilateral and multilateral partners in the context of Africa's development, but regretted that the contributions of some partners were yet to match their potential or expressed commitment. He asked for real commitment to write off Africa's debt and reach agreement on market access for products of critical interest to African countries. Trade issues over agriculture, textiles and leather outside the framework of the comprehensive round of trade negotiations must be urgently resolved.

He underscored the need to focus on the pervasive capital flight from Africa. Africa must, in cooperation with the relevant international bodies, design policy frameworks to ensure stability that encouraged retention of foreign currency on the continent. Other forms of net transfer of resources abroad, however, also harmed the African economy. Measures should be taken to reverse the net resource transfer abroad that sometimes came as a result of the implementation of aid programmes. Ultimately, no one could change the fate of Africa except Africans themselves. "We still need to pursue with urgency the outstanding work in the process of economic and political reforms. Our commitment to zero- tolerance for unconstitutional changes in government and for civil conflict must be demonstrated through a pro-active support for and encouragement of good governance", he said.

MARTIN BELINGA EBOUTOU (Cameroon) said that the Agenda represented a contract of solidarity between the international community and defined the commitment between all parties. This was a good time to ask what had happened with that commitment. He was pleased with the efforts of the international community to provide the African continent with additional financial resources to combat poverty. Cameroon recognized the important role played by governments, the United Nations and other partners in promoting and intensifying democracy and in strengthening civil society.

The vast majority of African countries had undertaken far-reaching economic reforms as had been agreed upon. However, even though there were some encouraging results, positive results had not been universal. The report stressed that the objectives set out in the New Agenda had not been achieved. In fact, ODA granted to Africa had continued to decline since 1990, and direct private investment had been diverted from Africa despite incentives and programmes to increase investments. He said that the burden of external debt had continuously risen despite a number of initiatives, including the HIPC Initiative.

It was important to avoid overlapping in the implementation of the New Agenda, he said. Implementation had suffered from insufficient political will, coordination and coherence. This had led to a dispersion of efforts, inadequate mobilization of resources and an inefficient use of existing resources. Corrective measures were needed if the New Agenda was to be a success. He pointed out that an independent evaluation of the progress of implementation would require that the terms of reference for the independent experts be set out clearly in advance. He quoted Pope John Paul II who had spoken on behalf of Africa and said that it was a continent where many human beings, men, women and children, had been left along the side of the road, sick, wounded, impotent and abandoned. The continent had extreme needs and good Samaritans must come to their assistance. He reminded the Assembly that commitments had been made at the Millennium Summit Africa would remember, he said.

ARNE B. HONNINGSTAD (Norway) said one of the most urgent challenges facing African States was poverty reduction. It was crucial in terms of economic development, political stability and regional and global security. Economic development was fundamental to poverty reduction. The international trend of reduced disbursements of development assistance must therefore be reversed. African countries themselves must show the leadership needed to generate economic growth. Accountable democratic governments and the rule of law were vital elements in any development process.

He said increasing African capacity with regard to peacekeeping operations and conflict prevention would contribute to the stability of the continent. The role of the international community should primarily be to strengthen and support the efforts and initiatives taken by the African countries themselves. In many African countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the AIDS pandemic was ravaging whole communities. Without renewed effort, that pandemic might erode all the progress made since political independence.

His country's development cooperation programmes with African partners had increasingly addressed questions of governance, democracy building and human rights, factors that were crucial to prevent conflicts. He endorsed the report's recommendation that African countries should pay attention to ensuring accountability, transparency and the rule of law in their efforts to improve governance and to increase the involvement of civil society. It was an obligation for the world community, in particular the donor countries, to support Africa in its struggle to achieve sustainable development in all sectors, and to bring Africa into the mainstream of the world economy.

MUSTAFA CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said that at long last the international community was openly discussing, at different global forums, the issue of African development. Many measures were being suggested, and many commitments, although far from being adequate, had also been made. But sadly, the international community's actions were not keeping pace with its words; indeed, they were lagging behind. In the last decade, there had been a tremendous increase in international trade and the accumulation of global wealth. Although this had been mostly concentrated in the industrialized world, some developing countries had been able to achieve notable success; many others had also shared a spin-off benefit. But Africa had been left out.

In Africa, he continued, there were a number of complicated factors that were holding back progress that could otherwise be achieved. Poverty was pervasive, making it extremely difficult to mobilize domestic resources. The HIV/AIDS epidemic was particularly acute, robbing Africa of the vitality of the younger generation, and the health care system was overwhelmed and could not deal with the many public health threats such as malaria and tuberculosis.

The major global conferences of the 1990s had presented ideas on how to fight underdevelopment and poverty, he said. Most countries had chalked out their own national programmes of action to put the agreed principles to work. It was ironic that when the national machinery was poised to deliver much more output for any unit of investment, international support and assistance was drying up. It was also unfortunate that the international community was not coming up with bold initiatives to unify its forces with Africa to join its fight in attacking the root causes of underdevelopment.

AHMED ABOULGHEIT (Egypt) said that African countries had done a lot to improve their situation in the 1990s. Those efforts had led to some progress. The reform and development of any society was the primary responsibility of the society itself, but there were obstacles that had impeded Africa from moving into the horizons of development, and the international community had failed to integrate African countries into the world economy. There was an urgent need for internal reform inside developing countries, he said. The weakness in international economic frameworks also needed to be addressed. Most of the solutions offered to nations focused on the internal situation, while ignoring the impact of imbalances in international trade systems. There was also continued decline in ODA to the extent that the objective of 0.7 per cent had become almost impossible to realize. There were hardly any signs that that goal would be attained in the near future. The AIDS pandemic was threatening economic and social stability on the continent, thus leaving Africa in a tragic situation. The efforts of the African continent should be supported by serious international efforts.

* *** *