UN General Assembly
2000

coordinating international action against HIV/AIDS. We also support the proposal for a special session of the General Assembly in 2001 to address this problem. Uplifting peoples from abject poverty and endowing them with appropriate means to lead productive lives are the best guarantees of long-term social stability, and provide a secure foundation for future prosperity and international peace. Poverty reduction is thus at the core of people-centred development and the first step in promoting a more just and equitable global order. The tenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X), which Thailand had the honour of hosting from 12 to 19 February this year, drew particular attention to the risks of marginalization of the poorest countries in the global economy and of the 5 most vulnerable groups within both developing and developed countries. UNCTAD is endeavouring to build a new consensus on how to have greater equity and participation by all in the international economy in this era of globalization. In line with the “Spirit of Bangkok” emerging from UNCTAD X, Thailand, as