- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 8 May 1979 (2nd and 3rd Sittings) (see Doc. 4313, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development). Text adopted by the Assembly on 8 May 1979 (3rd Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Having taken note of the report of its Committee on Economic Affairs and Development (
Doc. 4313) ;
2. Having regard to the findings of the symposium on Development Co-operation, which it organised with OECD in Paris on 6 and 7 December 1978 ;
4. Realises that the economies of the North and the South are more closely linked now than at any time in the past, and recognises the implicit need for new forms of real two-way co-operation, based on mutual interest, with a view to creating equality of opportunities and equity within and among nations ;
5. Considering the slow and uneven progress with the establishment of a NIEO, reflected inter alia in the insufficient access of manufactured products from less developed countries to the markets of industrialised countries, in the lack of internationally co-ordinated restructuring and adjustment policies, in the stagnation of official development aid, in the continuous and precarious debt situation of many developing countries, and the sluggish progress in the conclusion of international commodity agreements ;
6. Emphasising that a fairer distribution of the world's income and economic growth is in the mutual interest of developing and developed countries and an essential contribution to the maintenance of peace, and calls for an effort at solidarity on the part of the developed countries,
7. Is convinced that substantially increased official development aid (ODA) is necessary for years to come, in particular to meet the needs of the least developed countries and the poorest people in the other developing countries, and regrets that most of the DAC countries have still not achieved the internationally agreed aim of devoting 0.7% of their gross national product to ODA ;
8. Reaffirms its concern for respect of civic, political, economic, social and cultural rights in all the countries of the world, and declares that development co-operation should go hand in hand with a better enjoyment of all human rights ;
9. Considers that the world armaments race has reached such levels that it constitutes a direct threat to peace and- without adding to the world's security- is using up those human, physical and financial resources which might otherwise be used to good effect for purposes of development co-operation and for restructuring and adjustment measures in the developed countries ;
10. Is aware that the growth of trade between industrialised and developing countries is essential to the maintenance and expansion of economic activity in general and to the improvement of living standards in the developing countries ;
11. Recalls that, despite the successes achieved by a few "newly industrialising countries" on the markets for manufactured products of the developed nations, the global trade deficit of the developing countries is continuing to grow ;
12. Draws the attention of governments and public opinion to the danger of world food shortage, which threatens to aggravate the situation of the poorest communities, and to the need to launch investment programmes and to promote marketing and distribution policies essential to mobilise the agricultural potential more fully in the developing countries, both to remedy hunger and malnutrition in these countries and to stabilise food prices for consumers in all countries ;
13. Hopes that the recent agreement on the Common Fund for Commodities is the first example of a genuine political will to resolve the present deadlock in the North-South dialogue ;
14. Expresses therefore the wish that all governments :
14.1 should approach forthcoming international conferences and the preparation of a UN strategy for the third development decade in a constructive spirit, and
14.2 should follow up the generally accepted principles on the NIEO adopted at the 7th special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, particularly by fixing and adhering to precise development targets, timetables and concrete commitments ;
15. Is convinced :
15.1 that it is necessary to work for the introduction of a NIEO making it possible for the developing countries to progress and become the equal partners of the industrialised nations, and
15.2 that the achievement within the less developed countries of a better distribution of resources as well as participation of their population in the decision-making processes constitutes an intrinsic part of the NIEO ;
16. Urges the governments of the economically advanced OECD countries which have still not achieved the internationally agreed aim of devoting 0.7% of their GNP to ODA to set themselves exact time limits for doing so ;
17. Considers that the governments of the Council of Europe member states and other countries represented in the Development Assistance Committee of OECD must renew and intensify their efforts :
17.1 to implement- in the framework of the UN strategy- development programmes guaranteeing both economic growth and the satisfaction of basic human needs, particularly those of the poorest communities, with special emphasis on food production, employment, health, housing and education ;
17.2 to stabilise the prices of commodities exported from the developing countries at a sufficiently remunerative level, particularly by promoting the smooth operation of the Common Fund for Commodities and the establishment of international commodity agreements ;
17.3 furthermore, to assist the developing countries in their efforts to process domestically a larger part of their commodities ;
17.4 to pursue economic policies calculated to facilitate the growth of trade, both within the developed and developing worlds and between the two, particularly by ensuring that manufactured goods exported from the developing countries have free access to their markets, and by agreeing without delay on concerted action to tackle constructively the problem of restructuring their economies in the direction of more capital-intensive and knowledge-intensive industries and marketable services ;
17.5 to boost industrial development in developing countries in accordance with the Lima Declaration and plan of action on industrial development and co-operation of 1975, and for this purpose to support the work of UNIDO ;
17.6 to develop the transfer of know-how and technology adapted to conditions in the developing countries, as well as the promotion of the development of indigenous technological capacity, particularly by adopting a positive attitude in the negotiations on the introduction of a code on the transfer of technology already under way within UNCTAD ;
17.7 to facilitate access by the developing countries to the capital markets of the West, and alleviate, where necessary, the burden of mounting debt services ;
17.8 to increase the absorption capacity of the developing countries, inter alia through technical assistance so as to avoid bottlenecks in the effective use of available financial resources ;
17.9 to assist in the design and implementation of special measures in favour of the least developed and geographically disadvantaged developing countries, "the poorest of the poor", which could contribute to improve radically their past development performance and levels of living ;
17.10 to increase their efforts to make the public understand the growing interdependence of the economies of the developing and the industrialised countries, and the resulting need for development co-operation and adjustment policies and, with this end in view, promote adequate information on all levels (press, broadcasting, schools, trade unions, associations, etc.) ;
17.11 to encourage voluntary agencies to devise and finance specific development projects, and to seek their co-operation in helping public opinion to understand both the greater width and depth of development problems and their possible solutions.
