text: Theeconomic crisisinAfric~isatragicdemonstration oftheseverity of theseproblems. Millions arestillfacedwithfamineanddeath. WorldBank forecasts suggest thateveninthemostfavourable circumstances, percapitagrowth inAfricaw:llbenegative untilatleast1995.Thisoutlookisachallenge tothe entireinternational community. Present policies aresimplynotenough. Anysignificant improvement requires concerted action. Allshouldcontribute toefforts aimedatcreating aninternational economic environment moreconducive topolicyreformandsustained development. Thedeveloping countries themselves bearthemainresponsibility fortheirowndevelopment andforensuring the efficient useoftheresources attheirdisposal. Thisnotionisoneofthe cornerstones oftheThirdInternational Development strategy andhasbeen repeatedly acknowledged bythedeveloping cO'mtries themselves. Theroleofthe industrialized countries istosupport thee~fortsofthedeveloping countries by providing adequate assist~~ce. Aboveall,theflowofconcessional assistance to thedeveloping countries ismoreimportant thanever. In1977,Iwasabletodeclare fromthisrostrum thatmyGovernment had decided todoublethegrossnational product shareofourofficial development assistance fundsduringtheperiodoffiveyears. Thatpledgewaskept,andin 1984,forthefirsttime,Finland reached theaverage levelofdevelopment assistance amongthecountries oftheOrganisation for13Conomic Cooperation and Development (OBeD).* *ThePresident returned tothechair.EMS/14 A/40/PV.6 46 (Mr.Vayrynen, Finland) InJUlyofthisyear,theGovernment ofFinland tookapolicydecision by whichitcommitted itselftomsubstantial increase initsofficial development assistance in1986and1987,withaviewtoreaching thetargetof0.7percentof grossnational product bytheendofthisdecade. Thisdecision isfullyreflected inthebudgetbillnowbeforeourParliament. MyGovernment isbackedinthis matterbyanactivepublicopinion. Increasing thevolumeofaidisnecessary, butitisnotenough. Allaidmust bejudgedbytheresultsitproduces. Theprimary purposeofdevelopment co-operation istoachieve sustained economic and socialprogress inrecipient countries. Othermotives mustbesubordinated tothisprimary concern. An international recommi.tmenttothisprincipleiscalledfor.Morecanbeachieved withtheresources invested indevelopment co-operation. TheUnitedNations Children's Fund(UNICEF) anditsrecentachievements giveampleevidence ofthis. Itistheresponsibility ofdonorsandrecipients aliketoensurethatthese resources areusedeffectively. Anewandintegral approach isneeded, onewhichtakespopUlation, natural resources, theenvironment andtechnology intoaccount intheprocessof development. Humanresources, thekeyelement ofsustained development, urgently needincreased attention. Theadministrative andabsorptive capacities ofthe developing countries mustbestrengthened inordertohelpthemmanagetheirown development. Theprocess ofdevelopment isbasically thesameinallsocieties. The economy canbedeveloped onlystepbystep.Therearenoeasyshortcuts tohigher levelsofwell-being. Inthefirstplace,apeople's basicmeansoflivelihood mustbeassured andsustained. Thisrequires thatpriority begiventofood production, education andhealth.Itisencouraging tonotethatmanydeveloping countries haveadopted thisapproach asabasisfortheirowndevelopment policies. «&fS/l4 A/40/PV.6 47 •(Mr.Vayrynen, Finland) Theworldislivingthrough anageofrapidtecbnolgical change, through anew technological revolution withprofound consequences forallsocieties. Thesenew technologies posenewchallenges andopenupnewprospects alsofordeveloping countries. Thelatestachievements oftechnology makeitpossible toadoptmodes ofproduction whichcauselesssocialandecological strainthantheconventional technologies ofindustrialized societies. Itisourcommonresponsibility to ensurethatdeveloping countries canbenefit fromtechnological advances andthat theycanavoidrepeating cerL4in negative features ofdevelopment experienced in theindustrialized countries. Despite thecomplexities ofdevelopment, theinternational community cannot evadeitsresponsibilities byclaiming thatnosolutions areavailable. Wehave SUfficient experience toattacktheproblems ofdevelopment. Morerealism, higher ambitions andanopendialogue between theNorthandtheSoutharecalledfor. TheCharter oftheunitedNations established respect forandpromotion of humanrightsasoneoftheprinciples oftheOrganization. Duringits40yearsof existence, theunitedNations, together withitsMemberStates, hasmadegreat
analysis: The text discusses the economic crisis in Africa, the need for international cooperation and development assistance, and the role of technology in sustainable development. It also touches on the importance of human resources, administrative capacity, and the need for a new and integral approach to development. The text seems to be focused on the broader aspects of economic development and international cooperation, rather than specific sectors like industry, transport, or agriculture.