Special Assembly session adopts five-year programme of action for economic recovery of Africa.

Special Assembly session adopts five-year Programme of Action for economic recovery of Africa

A five-year plan of action to revitalize and develop the economies and resources of Africa was adopted at the conclusion of the thirteenth special session of the General Assembly, convened from 27 May to 1 June at Headquarters to address the continent's critical economic situation.

The United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development, 1986-1990, was adopted without a vote, after what was described as "delicate,' "determined', "very tough' negotiations. The session, originally scheduled to conclude on 31 May, was extended by one day to accommodate reaching agreement on the text.

Crucial priority areas were addressed: agriculture, environment, infrastructure, human resources and external resources. Divided into three parts, the Programme provides an analysis of Africa's critical economic situation; an inventory of objectives and costs of specific action--oriented measures--both activities and policies --to be taken at national, sub-regional and regional levels and aimed primarily at medium-term and long-term rehabilitation; suggestions for international commitments, including debt constraints and increased South-South co-operation; and follow-up and evaluation machinery.

Full implementation of the Programme would require $128.1 billion over the five-year period, with African nations committed to providing $82.5 billion, about 65 per cent of the total, through mobilization of domestic resources. The remaining $46 billion --some $9 billion a year--would be required from "external resources', the Programme specifies.

In adopting resolution A/RES/S-13/2, the Assembly stressed that the African development crisis "is one that concerns the international community as a whole and that greater realization of the rich physical and human potential of the continent is an integral part of a common strategy to promote the economic and social advancement of all people'.

The Assembly also emphasized the need to intensify economic and technical co-operation with African countries during and beyond the period of the Programme of Action.

Governments were urged to take effective action for the rapid and full implementation of the Programme. United Nations organizations and bodies and inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations were asked to support such implementation.

The Assembly also decided that a review and appraisal of the Programme's implementation would take place in 1988. The Secretary-General was asked to monitor and report on the process of implementation in 1987 and 1988.

The special session is the thirteenth to be held in the Organization's history, and the first to be devoted to economic problems of a specific region. Recent special sessions have dealt with disarmament (1978 and 1982), international economic co-operation (1975 and 1980), and establishment of a new international economic order (1974).

Nearly 100 speakers, many of them at the ministerial level, participated in a general debate. The Assembly also formed an Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole, its chairman, Stephen Lewis of Canada. It held lengthy and intensive consultations, stretching into early-morning hours on two days, in order to make final recommendations regarding the Programme. Issues relating to debt relief and specific dollar amounts for the Programme were primarily in question. Mr. Lewis described the final draft as "coherent, substantial and enormously significant'.

"Hope for millions'

Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, at the opening plenary on 27 May, said that the international community "cannot stand by and allow a further deterioration in the ability of the vast majority of African countries to meet their basic needs.'

The session had "raised considerable hope in the hearts of millions of Africans', he said, and was "an opportunity for a new beginning in the co-operation between African countries and their development partners'. He appealed to all Governments to "make this new partnership a success'.

General Assembly President Jaime de Pinies of Spain told the Assembly: "It is our task . . . to support the efforts made by our brothers in Africa fully to develop the possibilities and potential of their continent, and thus to make a greater contribution to the prosperity and well-being of the world'. He called for "new, imaginative and creative approaches' to making progress towards that end.

Edgard Pisani of France, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Whole for the special session, in reporting on the work of the body, told the session: "Africa's problem is of such dimensions that only solidarity can come to grips with its consequences; only the will of the world's political leaders can remedy its causes.'

"Act of faith'

Abdou Diouf, President of Senegal and current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which had spearheaded efforts for convening the special session, made a keynote address to the Assembly, calling the assemblage "an act of faith'.

The current crisis, he said, had "shed blinding light on that continent of paradox, Africa, where, because of the extraversion of our economies and the weakness of our production and our productivity, but also because of the rigidity and inequity of the international economic system, a vast natural and human potential coexists with famine, illiteracy and the most dire poverty'.

Structural deficiencies, he said, had been "aggravated by natural disasters, the decline in commodity prices, the crushing burden of the debt and its servicing, stagnation, indeed, the decrease in real terms of financial flows towards Africa, and the high concentration of refugees and displaced persons.'

The Programme, he said, was "the very essence of the collective and individual resolve of African countries to undertake the economic recovery of the continent with agriculture as the central theme'. It reflected the "profound desire of Africa to put an end to the recurrence of famine, to improve the lot of the poorest sectors of the population, to restore agriculture, and to resolve the dreadful problem posed by inexorable desertification'.

African economies could not experience growth rates that met their real needs "in the absence of adequate solutions to certain outside constraints, such as the debt and debt-servicing, which are beyond our control but whose weight places a heavy burden on our development prospects'.

What was at stake, he concluded, was "the survival of a continent, the economic recovery of Africa . . .. There will be no genuine and comprehensive peace as long as an entire continent, Africa, is threatened by famine, sickness, ignorance and uncertain future.' Was not, he asked, development "the new name of peace'?

Background

In December 1984, following a trip to Ethiopia to relief camps for drought victims, Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar convened a meeting of Member States at Headquarters to discuss the rapidly deteriorating situation in Africa.

The General Assembly in December 1984 adopted a Declaration on the Critical Economic Situation in Africa (resolution 39/29), calling for emergency relief on a massive scale and stressing the need for rehabilitation efforts on a longer-term basis.

The Secretary-General that same month established the Office for Emergency Operations in Africa (OEOA) to co-ordinate the Organization's efforts to alleviate the continuing crisis in Africa; it began operations early in 1985.

At a summit meeting in July 1985, the OAU adopted Africa's Priority Programme for Economic Recovery, based on consultations with the Economic Commission for Africa, which set out objectives and priorities until 1990.

The Priority Programme aimed to accelerate implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action, adopted in 1980 by the OAU, to implement its 1979 Monrovia Strategy for the Economic Development of Africa.

The General Assembly in December 1985 adopted resolution 40/40 calling for the convening of the special session, as proposed by the OAU.

The Preparatory Committee of the Whole held four sessions between January and May, considering a number of documents as a basis for formulating a draft programme to be put before the Assembly. Among them was Africa's submission to the special session (A/AC.229/2), a 223-page document presented by the OAU; a preliminary report of the Secretary-General on the critical economic situation in Africa, subsequently issued as document A/S-13/2 (see accompanying story); and a draft programme of action submitted by the United Republic of Tanzania, on behalf of the African Group.

In addition to reviewing the Preparatory Committee's final report (A/S-13/4), the Assembly also had before it other documents, including a report (A/S-13/3) on activities of United Nations organizations and agencies with regard to Africa's critical situation, and reports from some countries on their assistance activities in Africa.

Poland, on behalf of a group of socialist States, submitted proposed amendments to the Programme, and Mexico put forward a draft resolution calling for proclamation of 1986-1990 as the "Quinquennium for International Economic and Technical Co-operation with Africa'. Both were considered in informal consultations of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole and not acted upon in plenary.

On the recommendation of the Preparatory Committee, the Assembly adopted a seven-point agenda, its only substantive item being: "Consideration of the critical economic situation in Africa to focus, in a comprehensive and integrated manner, on the rehabilitation and medium-term and long-term development problems and challenges facing African countries with a view to promoting and adopting action-oriented and concerted measures'.

Debate

In addition to President Diouf's keynote address, statements at the special session were made by 91 speakers, including three Deputy Prime Ministers and 18 Foreign Ministers. A selection of those views follow.

African views

Balaji Akinyemi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, said a substantial increase in the level of productivity in all sectors, especially in agriculture, structural economic transformation and an accompanying radical change in development priorities were needed to put African economies on the road to development. Those economies would not respond to structural adjustment if they were "stripped to the bone', without injection of additional resources, and without policies which stimulated growth, investment and sustained development.

Abdellatif Filali, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation of Morocco, said the consequences of its colonial past continued to handicap Africa in efforts to control its economic potential and attain full sovereign independence. The economic and social situation in Africa had worsened. African countries should have permanent sovereignty over their wealth, natural resources and economic activities, and the inalienable right to choose their political, economic, social and cultural systems in accordance with the will of their peoples, without outside interference, coercion or threat in any form. Continued colonial-type relations had led to harmful imbalances in all sectors of African economic activity, principally in agriculture and industry. Until the developed countries ensured that their economic policies were compatible with the goals of development, no real progress could be achieved in Africa.

Ahmed Taleb Ibrahimi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Algeria, said the relaunching of development in Africa involved both internal and external structural changes. An effort must be made to offset the external factors which made for disequilibrium. International support should be in harmony with national plans and priorities as outlined in Africa's Priority Programme. Account should be taken of the specific situation which prevailed in the front-line States in the light of the aggression and the efforts to bring about political and economic destabilization by South Africa.

William Eteki Mboumoua, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cameroon, said Africa had a shortage of skilled manpower and technical personnel, a high rate of unemployment, and an under-used skilled labour force at the middle and higher levels. The World Health Organization's programme "Health for All by The Year 2000' should receive increased international support for urgent implementation in Africa, as should programmes for self-sufficiency in food, drinking water and housing. The primary place of women in African economies was a key factor in Africa's development strategy. African Governments, the international community and development agencies must adopt policies to strengthen that role and increase the participation of African women in the decision-making process.

Bernard Chidzero, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development of Zimbabwe, said that price-stabilization arrangements, with periodic price adjustments, would enhance the African capacity to achieve remunerative returns for exports and enhance their capacity to import capital goods. Sustained efforts should be made to ensure that adequate resources, on a grant basis or on concessional terms, were available on a long-term arrangement. The international community should recognize the specific problems and needs of small island and land-locked countries in drawing up its financial support programmes to Africa. International funding of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) should be increased. The crisis of development in Africa was not irreversible.

Zain Elabdin Elhindi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Sudan, said consecutive years of drought had created a famine in Africa threatening the lives of half of its population and forcing millions from their homes and into cities in search of food. Wide-ranging action was necessary to combat drought and desertification and maintain the ecological balance. Africa expected that the international community would at the bilateral and multilateral levels exert special efforts to provide the external financial resources necessary for the success of such programmes.

Ibrahima Fall, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Senegal, speaking on behalf of Africa, said the continent would like to see a resumed North-South dialogue and improved South-South co-operation result from the special session. The international community had given its support to a new era of co-operation based on a genuine partnership.

Other views

Eegje Schoo, Minister for Development Co-operation of the Netherlands, spoke also on behalf of the 12 States Members of the European Community. She said the implementation of Africa's Priority Programme should form a basis for a structural transformation leading in the long term to self-reliance in food for Africa. Recognizing that African countries were making exceptional sacrifices in mobilizing domestic resources, the Community was willing to back them up with appropriate policy reforms. More attention should be given to the role of small holders and women in developing agricultural policies.

The development and efficient use of Africa's human resources was a basic concern. The Community would support policies to conserve the natural environment and assist Governments in implementing appropriate demographic policies.

Financial problems of many indebted African countries would not be solved unless production grew and economic development was reestablished. From 1986 to 1990, bilateral donors should not become net recipients of official capital flows from African countries undertaking adjustment programmes.

Michel Aurillac, Minister for Co-operation of France, said African agriculture must be revitalized, based on the protection and proper management of natural factors in production. In addition to controlling demographic growth, better, wider use had to be made of Africa's human resources. Training of both men and women was a key problem. Regional co-operation should be improved. The failure of pervasive State control did not obviate the need to establish, with the support of external financing, public investment programmes having clearly-defined priorities. Donor support must be strengthened in response to the reforms in African domestic policies. Cancellation of debt was at best a deceptive solution and at worst a divious ploy. The quality of aid should be improved.

Monique Vezina, Minister for External Relations of Canada, said that Canada was offering to sub-Saharan countries a five-year moratorium on repayment of outstanding loans. In its "Africa 2000' programme, it would introduce 2,000 small co-operation projects in Africa by the end of 1987.

Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, said the Nordic countries had recently initiated a new approach to co-operation with countries and the countries of the SADCC region, signing in January 1986 a joint declaration on expanded economic co-operation. Relations were to be intensified in trade, joint ventures, investments, commodities and technology transfers, and cultural co-operation.

Sir Geoffrey Howe, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, said development was not Africa's only problem; history had left many unresolved political disputes. "Foreign interference did not end with the demise of colonization; and South Africa casts a long shadow.' Despite the capacity to feed itself, hunger in Africa persisted. Adequate, reliable and cheap food supplies were needed. Policies of developed countries had sometimes aggravated Africa's problems. Pressure from major food producers to dispose of subsidized surpluses on world markets had discouraged those who could produce food more cheaply. There was also a growing realism in the approach of many African countries to the size and role of the public sector. There was no alternative to dealing with the debt issue on an individual basis and through existing international structures.

George Shultz, Secretary of State of the United States, said economic conditions on the continent of Africa as a whole were perhaps worse than 25 years ago despite massive injections of foreign aid. "We have seen how now discredited orthodoxies about state-directed development gave rise to misguided policies that stifled individual initiative, policies that in practice have given inadequate incentives to African farmers and created a long-term decline in food production.' The talents of individual human beings were the "greatest resource a society can bring to the tasks of national development'.

In partnership for Africa's development, donor countries must design aid programmes that increase self-reliance and discourage dependency; African and donor nations must work together to create conditions favourable to investment; trade opportunities must be kept open, with Africans guarding against protectionist policies; assistance must come from multilateral sources as well as individual donor States; and production technologies appropriate to the African environment, especially in the field of agriculture, must be developed.

Yuli M. Vorontsov, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, said the so-called contribution of imperialism, first of all United States imperialism, to African affairs was not confined to economic diktat. The real causes of the economic difficulties prevailing in Africa were rooted in the ills inherited from colonialism, in the merciless plunder and selfish policies pursued by former colonial Powers towards African countries.

Strengthening the role of the public sector, wider use of economic planning, more efficient management of national economies, and progressive social and economic changes, including democratic agrarian reforms, rather than the phasing out of the public sector as demanded by the West, was the shortest path to overcoming backwardness.

The "noose of debt' strangling Africa's already vulnerable economy and increasing the net outflow of its financial resources exceeded $9 billion annually. An international conference on Africa's external debt should be convened.

Zdzislaw Kurowski, Deputy Secretary of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), said the present critical situation of African countries was mainly the result of their colonial past and current neo-colonial exploitation, in which the uncontrolled activities of transnational corporations played a great part. Assistance to African countries should be provided not only, or primarily, through immediate emergency supplies of foodstuffs and drugs, but also through a structural retooling of their economies, training of skilled manpower and establishment of an industrial base.

Samir S. Shihabi (Saudi Arabia) said political independence lost its real content when it was not accompanied by economic independence. "The departure of colonialism from African States in tangible terms should definitely require their economic structures to become capable of standing by themselves.' The first duty of the international community, while it had helped Africa in overcoming famine in some countries, and in overcoming economic deficits in others, was to help that continent become capable of sustaining itself and building its own society from its own resources in the long run.

David Kimche, Director-General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, said his country wished to share the fruits of its experience with the peoples of Africa. Israel was not a large country, nor did it have large budgets at its disposal. It did however have a great deal of experience in rural development and agriculture under difficult conditions. Also, as a people with an unparalleled history of being victims of racial persecution, it maintained a large reservoir of goodwill and sympathy for the peoples of Africa and it was also totally opposed to racialist policies, such as that of apartheid. It was earnestly seeking ways in which it could transfer the relevant aspects of its experience and know-how to Africa.

Justin Papajorigji (Albania) joined in the consensus despite reservations regarding the Programme. The chains of the old colonialism in Africa had been "replaced by modern exploiters, by the neo-colonialists, the multinationals, by imperialist Powers, first of all the two super-Powers'. Their main aim was to continue plundering Africa's natural resources. The philanthropic gestures of the super-Powers were nothing but new neo-colonialist chains. The super-Powers had never invested a dollar or a ruble without first calculating their political, economic or military profits.

Raif Dizdarevic, Federal Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia, speaking also on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries, said without the full support of the international community for the medium- and long-term development of Africa, no substantial solution to the extremely grave and challenging problems of that continent could be found. Africa--the "continent of the future'--had been most affected by the consequences of its colonial past. In its quest for faster development, Africa had the full understanding, solidarity and assistance of developing countries. The proposed cancellation of the debt of the poorest African countries was fully justified. There could be no stability or progress in Africa or the world without the eradication of the last remnants of colonialism.

K.R. Narayanan, Minister of State for External Affairs of India, speaking also on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said the crisis facing Africa was to a large extent the consequence of external forces beyond its control. Improvement of the external environment and structural changes in the global economic system were therefore essential for tackling Africa's critical economic situation. Relief from the debt burden was fundamental and urgent. Concessional aid from Governments and multilateral financial institutions should be increased sufficiently to implement Africa's Priority Programme.

Saburo Okita (Japan) said African countries should increase efforts to overcome their structural economic difficulties and to promote economic reconstruction and development. Inter-African co-operation should be vigorously promoted. The severe drought in Africa was no less a menace to world peace and stability than armed conflict. Solving Africa's debt problem required durable measures to be implemented in co-ordination and co-operation with all parties concerned, and on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the respective situations of the debtor countries.

Ernesto Melendez (Cuba) agreed with African Governments' acknowledgement of "the need to transform the obsolete structures inherited from colonialism', which had helped to maintain their state of dependency and the vulnerability of their economies. There were many areas in which the United Nations could play an important role, both in mobilizing the needed resources and in implementing specific measures to deal with the critical needs of African countries. Much could be accomplished by the international community, and much more expeditiously, "if the present crusade being waged by some imperialist countries against multilateralism and the pressures being exerted upon the Organization and the United Nations system as a whole did not exist'. Africa required the termination of the prevailing system of unjust international economic relations "imposed upon and affecting' all developing countries.

Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, said bold steps and radical measures were necessary to save the African economy from collapse and to ensure a path of self-sustained development. Structural transformations and major adjustments in development priorities of African countries could not be effectively addressed without the international community's continuing support.

Roberto de Abreu Sodre, Minister for External Affairs of Brazil, said it was important to ensure an adequate recovery of prices of the commodities constituting Africa's main source of income. The international community must bury the past approach based on mere assistance and inaugurate a new process of real co-operation to make the African economy less vulnerable to external shocks.

Hugh L. Shearer, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, said the international community should ensure a proper and effective implementation of Africa's Priority Programme, which was a judicious mix of State-sector and private-enterprise co-operation, and which did not compromise the right of each country to follow its chosen development path. Developing countries should extend South-South co-operation consistent with the needs of African countries.

Richard Woolcott (Australia) said Australia would continue to provide significant levels of assistance to African countries. Far-reaching and imaginative policies were required to avert further economic deterioration. Policy adjustment in many African countries was crucial to economic recovery. Australia supported the emphasis on food and agriculture, and would focus its bilateral aid on that area. Australia also supported the African countries' efforts to gain increased access for their exports to major world markets. It looked to the integration of African countries into the world trading system on an equitable basis.

He Kang, Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fishery of China, said prolonged colonial rule had resulted in massive plundering of Africa's natural resources, destruction of the ecological balance, a lopsided economic structure and stagnation of economic development, bringing enormous miseries to Africans. Africa-- the continent that had suffered most from colonialism--had also been tightly fettered by the existing inequitable and unjust international economic order. The economic crisis in developed countries had further aggravated Africa's economic difficulties. The international community should give all-out assistance to African countries.

Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, said the present economic crisis in Africa had grown partly out of deficient economic structures inherited by African countries from the colonial era, which made their economies dependent primarily on exports of a narrow range of primary commodities. Africa's commitment by itself would not be sufficient to lift it out of its economic morass; there was a need for infusion of the necessary financial and capital resources, lifting of protectionist measures against African exports, provision of debt relief, and development and transfer of appropriate technological know-how to Africa.

Mohammed O. Giama, of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), said the Group consisted of 66 developing countries, including all 45 developing African countries south of the Sahara--nearly 90 per cent of African nations. It represented one half of the world of developing nations and 40 per cent of the United Nations family of nations. The gravity of the economic situation in Africa called for specific commitments by the EEC beyond those of the Lome Convention so as to give even greater support to agricultural development and food production in particular, and to the supporting sectors and the infrastructure. Donor countries should make substantial financial contributions towards facilitating the implementation of Africa's Priority Programme.

Adnan Omran, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the League of Arab States, said Arab aid to African countries had never been subject to conditions or restrictions. It was spontaneous co-operation stemming from belief in the common responsibility for the development of "our societies' and consolidation of the principles of independence, freedom and dignity., It was different from the kind of aid provided or promised by some States in whose concepts "we discern the fact that aid is accompanied by conditions that infringe the sovereignty of those States and even constitute reprehensible interference in their internal affairs'. That was especially true when that aid was coupled with the social and economic system such States wished to impose, directly or indirectly.

Zehdi Labib Terzi, Observer of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said what Africa needed immediately was "peace and non-intervention'. The OAU had presented its proposals in the form of Africa's Priority Programme. The international community must respect the wishes of the Africans and respond to their calls and aspirations. Their analysis and diagnosis of the critical situation in Africa and the prescription for remedies provided the international community with insights and assigned responsibilities. But a prerequisite was peace and total elimination of the threat or use of force against Africa and African States.

After the adoption of the Programme, Eugeniusz Noworyta (Poland), on behalf of a group of socialist States, said a sine qua non for implementation of the Programme was the central role of the State in the overall administration of the economy and in ensuring a balanced development of its basic spheres. The framework for economic development established in the document had turned out to be separate from the continent's social problems. The Programme did not analyse sufficiently the external factors hindering African development, nor did it provide for working out recommendations to overcome the continent's "unequal status in the world economy as a result of imperialistm and neo-colonial exploitation'. On the whole it was "one-sided'.

The outcome of the special session was the "direct result of the persistent policy of the leading Western States, to block the economic liberation of Africa, thwart balanced international economic co-operation and split the unity of African and other developing countries.

Mrs. Schoo (Netherlands), of the EEC, said the Programme had been adopted after long and strenuous negotiations. Achieving consensus had not been an easy process; it had required substantial energy, flexibility and willingness to take into account views of all parties. All parties involved had shown a clear readiness to find a solution, and to end the special session with a consensus document that would provide guidance for further work. The Programme adopted was clear proof of the firm determination of African countries and the international community to do their utmost to give a new impetus to Africa's development process.

Photo: Stephen Lewis of Canada, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee set up by the General Assembly to negotiate programme of African recovery, and Amadou Ba, Senegal's representative on Committee, congratulate each other on the successful outcome of negotiations.

Photo: Abdou Diouf, President of Senegal and Chairman of the OAU, on 27 May.

Photo: Children of Korem relief camp, Ethiopia, whose plight drew world attention. The Secretary-General visited there in November 1984.

Photo: Mr. Akinyemi of Nigeria

Photo: Mr. Filali of Morocco

Photo: Mr. Aurillac of France

Photo: Sir Geoffrey Howe of the United Kingdom

Photo: Mr. Shultz of the United States

Photo: Mr. Vorontsov of the USSR

Photo: Mr. Dizdarevic of Yugoslavia

Photo: Mr. Narayanan of India

Photo: Mrs. Schoo of the Netherlands