UN General Assembly
2000

Task Force to address any legitimate concerns they may have. However, we do not intend to surrender our sovereign right to act in the best economic interests of our citizens, nor will we be deterred from doing so by threats of any kind from any quarter. While our efforts at improving our export earnings are being undermined and our financial services sector comes under serious scrutiny, the development programmes and strategies of the Commonwealth of Dominica continue to be affected by the continuing decline in official development assistance (ODA). The expectation that foreign direct investment would bridge the gap has not materialized, notwithstanding the strides we have made in providing a climate of good governance, openness and stable, democratic practice, which, we were told, were the prerequisites for investment development. 31 The simple truth is that the more advanced developing countries have benefited disproportionately from the tremendous increase in foreign direct investment over the last decade, with the small and less developed States receiving little or nothing at all. There must be an understanding that if small developing