YouSaid · the spoken record

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216

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1987-09-24

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1993-09-24

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7

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un-general-debate

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1. “Since my country falls within the Sahelian zone, which for more than a decade has been suffering from severe drought, I would be failing in my duty if I did not make even a passing but important observation on the need to address the issues of food security, drought control and desertification, as well as water-resources development and management. All those issues are crucial to our recovery efforts. My delegation strongly believes that if drought-stricken countries do not succeed in effectively addressing those problems - of coarse, with the full support of the international community - our objectives of increasing agricultural production and encouraging self-sufficiency in food for the total well-being of our people will elude us.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

2. “At this juncture I should like to commend the gestures of some countries like Canada, Great Britain, the Scandinavian countries and the Federal Republic of Germany for having decided to write off the debts of some developing countries or convert loans to grants. I appeal to the entire international donor community to focus greater attention on Africa's indebtedness and help in alleviating this terrible scourge with a view to responding more favourably to our recovery efforts and the plight of our peoples, who are yearning for a better life.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

3. “The external debt crisis has already reached alarming proportions and, as is recognized in General Assembly resolution 41/202, adopted by consensus at the forty-first session, an integrated approach involving creditor and debtor nations, multilateral financial institutions and international private banks is necessary if durable solutions to the debt problem are to be found. The need for an international conference to tackle this problem is becoming even more pressing. The hard fact is that, although debtor countries are willing to repay their debts, they are simply unable to do so in the present economic climate. We therefore urge the forty-second session of the United Nations General Assembly to take a decision to convene such a conference without any further delay.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

4. “It is a matter of great concern that, despite the efforts being made by our countries, the international community has not been forthcoming in providing increased flow of official development assistance to the continent and has not adequately addressed the urgent need to solve the menacing problem of Africa's indebtedness. Our efforts to stimulate economic growth and raise the living standards of our peoples are being suffocated by the weight of debt-service obligations. Unless the devastating debt burden and the continued fall in international commodity prices be given urgent attention by the international community, our efforts to revive nr fragile economies will be futile.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

5. “In 1986/87, the external current account, excluding official transfers, widened to about 40 million special drawing rights (SDR) - 34 per cent of the gross domestic product - or SDR 5 million above the programme target. The overall balance of payments, excluding exceptional financing, for which a deficit of SDR 20.4 million was forecast, was virtually in balance. The build-up in gross official foreign reserves plus the reduction in external payments arrears amounted to about SDR 35 million, compared with the initial programme objective of SDR 5.5 million. I must confess that it has been a very painful process, in view of the magnitude of the sacrifices made by our people, but we are also consoled by the fact that the results obtained so far have been encouraging.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

6. “To achieve greater efficiency in public-sector operations, the programme calls for significant reductions in government employment, a reorganization of the civil service, rationalization and divestiture of major public enterprises, and more stringent project selection to improve the productivity of the public sector. Significant progress has been made in implementing the programme, and the Gambia economic and financial performance to date has exceeded the programme's objective in many respects. Real growth in the gross domestic product in 1986/87 is estimated at 6 per cent, compared with the programme target of 3.3 per cent. At the same time, the rate of increase in the consumer price index is about 20 per cent, from 70 per cent in 1985/86.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

7. “In pursuit of those objectives, the Government embarked on a strategy aimed both at reducing domestic absorption and promoting growth in output. To curtail inflationary pressures and restore external payments balance, the strategy emphasizes prudent demand management through appropriate fiscal, monetary, exchange-rate, pricing and external-debt policies. To develop the productive sectors, the economic recovery programme aims at promoting private initiative through the provision of appropriate price and other incentives, primarily in agriculture, manufacturing and fisheries.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

8. “In response to the deteriorating economic situation, in mid-1985 the Government of the Gambia adopted a comprehensive economic recovery programme aimed at laying the basis for sustained economic growth while restoring domestic and external financial equilibrium. The programme aims specifically at achieving an annual growth rate of real domestic product of 3.3 per cent during the period 1986/87-1988/89, while reducing the inflation rate from 35 per cent, on an annual basis, in 1985/86 to below 10 per cent in 1988/89. In the external sector, the programme's main objectives were to build up official foreign exchange reserves, reduce the large stock of external-payment arrears, normalize relations with creditors through rescheduling agreements and the timely servicing of non-schedulable obligations.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

9. “It is gratifying to note, however, that at the level of the African continent we have with renewed commitment embarked upon a programme of action for the dual purpose of survival and development. I am referring to the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at the special session on Africa in May of last year. Mindful of the fact that the socio-economic progress of our continent is primarily our own responsibility, we in the Gambia, like other countries in the developing world, have been pursuing an economic recovery programme.”

   1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

10. “Notwithstanding this spontaneous awareness of concerted international action to resolve contemporary global economic problems, the necessary political will is regrettably still far from adequate. Yet the worsening economic crisis, which stems from the persistent denial of the developed countries to satisfy the basic needs of the majority of mankind, constitutes the greatest threat to world peace and security. While we recognize that mankind has the vision and capacity to guarantee the maintenance of world peace and the socio-economic development of all nations, we are more than convinced that narrow self-interest are the main stumbling-block to the realization of these global objectives.”

    1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

11. “In the developing countries, incentives for investment and production have sharply eroded in the wake of declining commodity prices and increased protectionism. Faced with these overwhelming odds, developing countries have suffered a serious reversal in their development efforts due to substantial loss of export earnings and mounting indebtedness. My delegation therefore firmly believes that there is need for economic preventive medication and a reassessment of the world economic situation, as it is evident that the present economic crisis works manifest injustice on all developing nations. It will be recalled that the threat of a universal economic catastrophe has compelled both developed and developing countries to focus more attention on the need for close co-operation.”

    1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

12. “This unfavourable climate is brought about by the sharp decline in the terms of trade and high interest rates together with the shortening of maturities and an increasingly heavy debt-servicing burden exacerbated by the sharp decline in the price of primary commodities. The economies of developing countries in general have continued to show negative signs of growth and, in spite of painful sacrifices made in recent years, the per capita Incomes in these countries continue to decline. Underlying these trends is the evidence of the severe strain imposed by the global recession at the turn of the decade. There has also been a significant slow-down of growth in the world economy, with far-reaching consequences on international trade.”

    1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

13. “It is against this background that I now wish to examine, briefly, some of the economic and political issues which ought to preoccupy the attention of every delegation in this Assembly. I am of course mindful of the fact that most of the speakers who preceded me have brilliantly made detailed analyses of these issues. I shall therefore confine myself to those which need to be constantly emphasized. My delegation notes with regret that the economic situation facing developing countries continues to deteriorate. The difficulties in implementing our development policies, individually and collectively, have been compounded by the continuing bleak international economic climate.”

    1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

14. “We in the Gambia view these negative trends and developments as seriously endangering international peace and security. Only two years ago amid the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations, the President of the Republic of the Gambia, His Excellency Alhaji Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, unequivocally reminded us from this very rostrum that, despite the significant achievements of the United Nations in numerous fields of human endeavours, the commemoration was taking place against a background of continuing tragedies in the vast majority of developing countries. Although important strides have been made over the past two years, poverty, hunger, all forms of social injustice and wars continue to threaten the survival of millions of people around the world.”

    1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

15. “I should like, finally, to pay tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, for his invaluable service to this Organization and his commitment to the peace and security of the world, and the laudable efforts he continues to exert in promoting good will and understanding among all nations. We find ourselves in a momentous period in the history of mankind. The dangers and challenges facing nations, individually and collectively, have been unprecedented in the last quarter in this century. Many of our countries are facing an increasingly critical economic situation as the gap between developed and developing countries continues to widen. Similarly, conflicts, disputes and a general state of instability continue to persist in many parts of the globe.”

    1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)

16. “Allow me, first of all, to extend to you. Sir, my sincere congratulations on your election to the presidency of the forty-second session of the United Nations General Assembly. My delegation is confident that as a statesman of distinction with well-known qualities of leadership you will guide our deliberations during this session to a successful conclusion. We are confident that this session will continue the good work and even accelerate the momentum and progress generated by the forty-first session. Kindly permit me also to extend a well-deserved tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Humayun Rasheed Choudhury, for the efficient and dignified manner in which he presided over the forty-first session - a session that will no doubt be remembered as one of the most crucial of this body.”

    1987-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 42 (1987)