UN General Assembly
1995

has suffered greatly throughout history, be able finally to emerge from the hellish cycle of poverty. Benin is prepared to contribute to making 1996, the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty, an occasion for us to strengthen the moral obligation and duty of solidarity that underlies the struggle against poverty. But our Governments’ actions can be successful only if they are supported by all our partners in development. The year 1996 will also see the holding of the Ninth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), which is being referred to as the “City Summit”. These two major Conferences, whose importance cannot be overemphasized, will provide to the international community an opportunity to assess the progress made in the context of the commitment entered into at Cartagena in February 1992 and of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000. However, the preparatory committees for those two Conferences must focus on finding specific solutions rather than short-lived measures and recommendations.