text: poorest countries but also of more detailed relief measures, such as the helP with old multilateral-debt and commercial-debt buy-backs now available under the World Bank's special proqramme of assistano:! for Africa. But there can be no "quick fixes". The same is true in the case of commodities. A number of poorer countries are heavily dependent on sinqle comnndi ty exports. But the way forward is not throuqh mechanisms which distort markets. It lies rather throuqh competitive response to the demands of the market-place, and economic diversification to reduce comnndi tv dependence. I now want to turn to the three most important issues on our aqenda for the 1990s. These are the inextricably linked questions of population qrowth, the environment and sustainable development. But first let me say somethinq about poverty. It is intolerable that, despite continuinq qlobal economic qrowth, the numbers of absolute poor in the world continued to rise. We all know the difficulties of addressinq this issue -cultural, social and even reliqious obstacles which reinforce the miserv of those at the bottom of the economic heap. BHS/ASW A/S-18/PV. 4 39-40 (Mrs. Chalker, United Kinqdom) Women, in particular, are denied education and are often also denied the social freedom to exploit their own talents as producers, managers and entrepreneurs. Yet the poorest countries pay a high price for thus wasting the ingenuity and brainpower of over half their human capital. Governments often compound this because they see no obvious and immediate financial Pav-off from investment in the poor, and because some of them are worried about undermining what they see as the social order and the distribution of rights in their society. Secondly, let me turn to the crucial issue of population growth. Just listen to the figures. Two hundred years aqo the population of the world totalled less 
analysis: The text discusses economic development, poverty, and population growth, highlighting the need for sustainable development, economic diversification, and addressing social and cultural obstacles to overcome poverty. The World Bank's special program for Africa is mentioned, indicating an international focus. The text also touches on the importance of education, particularly for women.