UN General Assembly
1996

an almost immediate effect around the world. For many poorer nations, this has resulted in an increased national debt burden with the consequence of greater instability in the daily lives of their citizens. Notions of competition are not realistic for countries that from the outset have a mammoth burden of debt, limited access to technology, and populations ill-equipped to meet the challenges of the global economy. It is Cambodia’s strong hope that through the United Nations we can go a long way towards ameliorating this situation, which is already at a crisis point for many nations in the world community. Therefore, the democratization of international economic relations is essential to ensure that the development interests of developing countries will be taken fully into account. In this regard, it is also essential to place development cooperation at the centre of the United Nations mandate, role and functions. To do this, the United Nations itself needs to begin the process of reform so that it is better able to deal with the conditions of the new global