UN General Assembly
1998

valuable international instrument for nuclear disarmament. In the end, the only viable alternative for international peace continues to be a commitment by all States to a total and comprehensive nuclear disarmament. The Assembly is meeting against the background of a deteriorating international economic situation brought about by the persistence of old problems and the emergence of new ones. The situation has been compounded by the challenges of adjusting to a rapidly liberalizing and globalizing world economy. The majority of humankind resides in developing countries, and Africa is the least developed of the continents. It is in this regard that my delegation is concerned that after a three-year period of positive economic growth, Africa’s economic performance slackened last year, thus demonstrating once again the fragility of the recovery process in our region. A combination of factors, including unpredictable weather conditions, lack of financial resources and poor infrastructure and technology, continue to adversely affect production performances and therefore pose a major constraint on efforts towards recovery, growth and sustainable development. Trade plays a crucial role in the economic