Ministers of the Asian Group of the Group of 77 and China, having met in Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, from 9 to 11 January, 1996, declared their full commitment to the cause of renewed multilateral efforts towards equitable development, economic prosperity, and the elimination of poverty and marginalization, notably that of least developed countries. They said that development must remain the foremost concern of international cooperation and a central plank of the work of the United Nations.
In this regard, the Ministers recalled the vital role played by the Group of 77 and China in promoting developing countries' interests in international economic negotiations and consensus-building. They reiterated that their solidarity and cohesiveness should be further enhanced by establishing more effective methods for coordination among themselves.
As the first of the regional groups preparing for UNCTAD IX -- the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development -- to be held in Midrand, South Africa, in April and May 1996, member States of the Asian Group affirmed that the developmental experience of the region could be helpful to other parts of the world. At the same time, the persistence of deep structural problems in parts of the region illustrate the magnitude of the task ahead and the scale of the resources that will be required to overcome them.
The assembled Ministers gave their full support to UNCTAD's continued role as the universal forum for intergovernmental deliberations on issues of trade and development. While reaffirming their commitment to modifications introduced at Cartagena, in 1992, to UNCTAD's methods of operation and to the concept of a partnership for development, they noted that recent far-reaching changes in the international environment, resulting in part from such complex phenomena as globalization and liberalization, call for new tools for development and for imaginative new approaches to the interrelated issues at stake.
The Ministers stressed the importance of the upcoming conference in South Africa as a unique opportunity for developed and developing countries alike to reinvigorate development cooperation and attend to the worsening plight of the poorest sections of the world community. Despite the structural adjustment efforts undertaken by many developing countries, they warned that in recent years the gap between developed and developing countries has further widened.
The Ministers agreed that the Uruguay Round Agreement should be implemented in letter and spirit, and that further trade liberalization should take place in products and sectors of interest to developing countries. They requested UNCTAD to provide technical assistance and recommend appropriate measures for those countries adversely affected by the implementation of the Agreements, in order to enable them to overcome their negative effects.
The Asian Group Ministers also agreed that UNCTAD IX provides an appropriate forum to examine the debt problems facing developing countries, with a view to proposing effective, equitable and development-oriented solutions. They expressed concern at the slow implementation by the Paris Club of the Naples Terms in the area of official bilateral debt in favour of the poorest and most indebted countries. Recognizing the interlinkages of debt and trade, the Ministers urged UNCTAD to hold regular consultations with other international organizations,notably the World Trading Organization and the IMF, on this important and complex topic.
Particular attention should also be given by UNCTAD to the poorest and structurally weak economies, such as those in the least developed countries.
The universality of the WTO, which is of great importance to strengthening and improving the multilateral trading system, must be realized as soon as possible. Developing countries seeking accession to the WTO and which are in the early stages of their integration into the international trading system should be given every opportunity to achieve accession on balanced terms consistent with their level of economic development, as well as their trade, financial and developmental needs.
In devising an appropriate and adequate work programme, the Asian Group Ministers believe that, without losing its important global macroeconomic analysis functions, over the coming years the main thrust of UNCTAD's work should be along two complementary axes. From its unique development perspective, UNCTAD should contribute to the preparation of the agenda for future negotiations in trade, investments, services and technology. Secondly, it should focus on the delivery of practical services to member States in the fields of technical cooperation and advice in such areas as trade efficiency and negotiations, investment promotion, and enterprise development.