UN General Assembly
1999

stimulate competitiveness and efficiency, but also that the institutional framework within which these processes take place must be capable of correcting distortions, putting limits on financial speculation and contributing to putting in place more stable and predictable systems of pricing, so that the living conditions of millions upon millions of human beings are not put at risk, and the stability and longevity of democratic regimes are not threatened by social discontent and economic crises. In Ecuador, President Jamil Mahuad and his Government have maintained democracy with a strong grip despite difficult circumstances. Social discontent from the contraction in output, natural disasters, the financial crisis, the drop in international prices for raw materials and commodities caused an increase in poverty and unleashed extensive manifestations of social discord. In facing situations such as these, we need to have an institutional economic order that gives a way out, particularly for countries with small economies, which are the most vulnerable to and most likely to be affected by extreme economic crises. On the eve of a new millennium, humankind is